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The normalization of plastic surgery and Asian beauty standards pushes young girls into hating the way they have been born to look.

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Impact of Asian Generational Trauma on Women

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Impact of Asian Generational Trauma on Women

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A picture of my youngest cousin with plastic surgery markings, implicating how the Asian beauty standards has affected girls of every generation. I related much to the "Asian American Women Share Struggles With Beauty Standards" reading video. I personally have struggled with the ideals of not being thin enough, pale enough, having too small of eyes, too big of a nose since I could remember. All the women of my extended family have had plastic surgery. Every family gathering, it is reccomended to me what plastic surgery I should invest myself into. A nose job, double eyelid surgery, jaw surgery. I wanted to portray a young girl, someone who shouldn't even think of plastic surgery yet, to display the serverity of the effect in which Asian Beauty standards have left on numerous other Asian girls.

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A man rejected by his religion during his struggle with his masculinity and sexuality.

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The theme I have wanted for my photo essay is generational trauma in Asian families and the impact it has had on views of gender and sexuality. Here, I asked for my queer, Asian friend to pose at a park for me. His entire family are devout Christians, and have been clear about their homophobia. He has feared himself and has been living in the shadow of his religion, which he feels has rejected him for who he truly is. The lecture of "microLECTURE: Bullying, Masculinity & The Spectre of the Fag" also states how in society, the worst insult seen as being queer.

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Forced into the shadows because of his "wrong" portrayal of his masculinity

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Impact of Gender Roles in Asian Families on Masculinity

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Impact of Gender Roles in Asian Families on Masculinity

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My friend has had his family constantly critique him for portraying too many "feminine" traits. He couldn't paint his nails, pierce his ears, or wear much jewelry. He lives in the shadow of his father, forced to deny his expression of himself. His father has been embedded with these ideals of masculinity, and has pushed his trauma onto his own son. I have also been inspired by the reading of "microLECTURE: Bullying, Masculinity & The Spectre of the Fag". An Asian sterotype of men has been how "feminine" their features are. My friend has also told me how, these sterotypes has also windled down his view of himself and what masculinity is. His self expression is forced to remain in the shadows from the weight of the traditional gender roles and ideals of masculinitythat has been passsed onto him.

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Following into the footsteps of her mother and the mothers before her, my mother has been suffocated into the gender roles forced on her and lives her life in regret. The presence of generations of traditional gender roles from her mother follows her everywhere.

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Here is a photo of my mother, on top of which I have drawn a faded figure, to represent the presence of her mother. As my theme is generational trauma, I portrayed how her mother passed down ideals of gender roles that was taught to her. All her life, my mom was trained to be a good mother and wife. Not even being able to graduate from college, all she's known is that her purpose as a woman was to raise a child and find a husband. She begs of me everyday to continue through with college. She admits to me herself, how she wishes she could have done more with her life. She feels as if she has been whittled and "dumbed" down throughout her life as a stay-at-home mom. My mother knew of the potential in her, and had her own dreams of owning a hair salon, but the generations of mothers in her life who have told her that her role in life as a woman was to simply give birth, had closed her off from any chance at being independent and going after her passions.

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Forced to hide her sexuality behind a man

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Here is another instance of my Asian bisexual friend, forced into the closet because of the generational trauma of gender roles embedded into her. Although bisexual, my friend has only dated men her entire life, knowing that if she were to date a woman, her family would not come to her wedding. The reading of "The Invention of Heterosexuality" also mentions how being heterosexual is a social norm. She feels pressured to ignore a whole part of her sexuality. She also has been told her whole life by her mother that she should marry a man and bear her own children, when she knows a part of her would love to also marry a woman and adopt. In addition, I took these photos with a dark, vintage theme, to capture how traditional gender roles and views on sexuality has left a painful, consequential impact on future generations.