During the break at class a friend and I were walking back from the vending machine when I spotted this out of the corner of my eye. I instantly found it funny when I read qualification #1. Take a look for yourself.
After reading the qualifications more closely I have the following questions:
- I am of Asian origin, can I be Miss Asia [insert my university name here]? My family is of European descent (as we say in CSL), my culture is primarily white. What are they trying to say with qualification #1?
- you DO NOT have to be full-- full from dinner? Full figured? Full in mental capacity? Is there a better way to phrase this? My multicultural class tells me yes.
- You must be female-- if someone of Asian origin who is somewhat of a "full" phony, like myself, can qualify to represent the Asian community at [insert my university name here] why can't a male also be included? A male who is imersed in Asian culture would be much more appropriate than someone like myself who is "full".
- You must be a student (No, you DO NOT have to be a [insert my university name here] student)--huh? Miss Asian [insert my university name here] doesn't have to be a [insert my university name here] student? Did I miss something?
- And what makes this all the more confusing is it is presented as a pageant! I know some Asian women who already feel objectified, and feel some men have Asian fetishes. Does the context of a pageant continue to promote this? Why not have both a male and female and call them [insert my university name here] Asian Ambassadors? It's a bit more inclusive and progressive don't you think?
While I understand the group is trying to educate others and increase the Asian community's visibility on campus, I question if this is the most effective way to combat stereotypes and raise awareness. What caught my eye as being comical turned out to be much more provocative that I anticipated.
I didn't put my school name in the post because I am somewhat embarrassed and question if I would want it associated with this type of flier. However, I realize most of my friends know where I go to school :)
Thoughts? Funny? Strange? Over analyzing? For my classmates out there, what would Tovarr-Murray think? lols