Subtle Asian Traits (SAT): The importance of Asian representation in a Western mediated world.

         It was around mid-2019 when I stumbled upon a post on Facebook of one of my friends sharing a funny meme (which I unfortunately can’t find anymore) about a Western misunderstanding of Chinese culture. I laughed and related to the struggle. I didn’t realise at the time, but that was one of my first instances where I interacted with memes that represented Asian voices and struggles. 

‘Subtle Asian Traits’ was the name of the group that had posted it. Intrigued by their post and their group name, I naturally clicked on the group. Subtle Asian Traits (SAT) is a Facebook (FB) group that was created on September 2018 by a group of Asian-Australian students and currently has 2 million followers, making it one of the largest online Asian groups in the world. “Wow” was my first thought, as I scrolled through the numerous posts from users. Accepted submissions on the page ranged from personal celebrations of individuals ‘making it’ in the Western world and bringing pride to their Asian parents, to discussions about how different Asian cultures navigate certain topics, to people navigating and learning about their Asian heritage, and much much more. 

Being someone who grew up in Singapore as an international kid, I was constantly submerged in multicultural environments. I was navigating the global cultures represented in my international school (but mostly Western cultures and values), while also exploring the melting pot of South Asian, South-East Asian and East Asian cultures that is Singapore in my personal life. While that is a big part of what defined me growing up, SAT was the first time I felt that I found a space where I could engage and relate to many of the topics that I had dealt with or wanted to explore more of as I was growing up, but was never able to. 

What particularly stuck out to me were user submissions of their experiences dealing with the intersectionality of Asian and Western cultures, like cultural clashes, highlighting cultural similarities and differences in positive ways and learning how to balance and navigate the merging of their multiple cultural identities. These posts weren’t only specific to Asian users, but also Western individuals who had an Asian spouse, individuals who grew up/live in Asian cultures as non-Asians, and mixed-race kids, like me. To put it simply, I felt most pulled towards the discussions and posts about interchanges between Asian culture and Western culture, posted from Asians and non-Asians alike. These types of posts, as well the many other types of posts on Asian culture, held a significant importance to me. Important in navigating my mixed-identities, important in my learning of my Asian heritage which I hadn’t done as a teenager, and important in feeling like I wasn’t alone. This theme of belonging and feeling understood is commonly expressed by users in the group since it’s conception.

  

So why is it that an online group like SAT holds so much significance to Asian people of all walks from all around the globe? What is the significance of SAT on the broader topic of digital media and cultural identity? 

One answer is representation. Representation in a mediated and digital world that is formed by Western capitalism and ideology. For decades, Hollywood has depicted Asian people through misrepresentations and stereotypes (like many marginalised groups). Western mass media has painted the South, South-East and East Asian communities as one homogeneous group who are submissive, overly hard-working and not fully civilised yet (to name a few stereotypes), all accumulating as the ‘model minority’ stereotype. 

      

       The affordances of social media platforms, like Facebook, allows groups like SAT to form and start fighting back against the generational misrepresentation and lack of representation that marginalised groups have dealt with for a long time. The space that Subtle Asian Traits provides not only allows for all types of Asian users to come together to celebrate their culture, learn from one another and navigate the complexities of being Asian, but it also creates a space where Western people can come in and learn about Asian culture through Asian voices, rather than through Western depictions of Asians. It empowers users to feel proud of being Asian and to not be afraid to show the world the unique and amazing aspects of the different Asian cultures, not just as one mass group of countries that are all the same. 

        Representation is only one of the many important aspects that SAT provides as a group and as a platform. Belonging, as mentioned before, is also a significant factor of SAT. A third point is one of intersectionality. This group, while created for the purpose of connecting Asian people around the world with one another to understand the subtleties of Asian cultures, has brought about many discussions on the topics of racism, classism and Westernisation and how it influences Asian cultures. Experiences of individuals dealing with the complexity and struggles of living in dual- or multi- cultured lives and shared plenty of times. 

The importance of a space like Subtle Asian Traits is the same for many spaces and platforms dedicated to minority groups. It allows us to feel part of something and be able to have a platform for our voices.