Fighting Stereotypes: Navigating the Pressure of Being More Than “Just Another Asian”

Battling cultural stereotypes and the pressure to conform and exploring the need to embrace identity beyond labels

I sat on the bench in the chapel, looking up at Ian Lam as he spoke from the podium. As he shared his words, I felt emotions stir within me, and an invisible yet deep connection began to form between us. Before that moment, Ian had always seemed like an unapproachable role model, the perfect balance of intelligence, hard work, and leadership. In fact, hearing Jecca introduce Ian’s many remarkable achievements, I wasn’t at all surprised; I was simply in awe.

Yet Ian’s chapel moved me in ways I never expected. He spoke candidly about the ongoing struggle to balance Chinese and American cultures and the fear of being labeled as “just another stereotypical Asian student.”

Indeed, this is the exact inner conflict I’ve faced every day since I first came to the U.S. I grew up in a small town in Shanxi, China, and came here to study as an international student in sixth grade. When I arrived, I didn’t speak a word of English. I couldn’t read the textbooks, follow the lectures, or even hold basic conversations. As a boarding student in middle school, with my family across the world, I felt immense pressure to change—to adapt as quickly as possible to the American way of life. I remember my mom telling me, “You can’t just make friends with international students. You have to step out of your comfort zone. You have to change.”

That pressure to “Americanize” has stayed with me to this day. Yes, I learned English and became fluent in both speaking and writing. But the pressure to adapt never diminished—to watch American shows and movies, celebrate U.S. holidays, and embrace every aspect of the "American way of life." I feel torn between two cultures: desperately trying to hold on to my Chinese heritage that slips further away with each passing day while endeavouring to fully integrate into an American culture which at times feels just within reach.

At the heart of these pressures to change lies the fear of being labeled as a stereotypical Asian. While I may never be as intelligent or hardworking as Ian, I share the same fear of being reduced to “just another Asian student.” I worry that people might judge me for having too many Asian-American friends, for being too introverted, or for not being athletic enough. In an effort to shed the labels of being “too Asian,” I became hyper-sensitive to my accent and the moments when I struggle to find the right words, and I push myself even harder to be more extroverted and athletic. It feels as though I have to alter my very identity—the essence of who I am—to distance myself from the stereotypes associated with being Asian. It seems that to be admired, charismatic, and popular in the U.S., I must abandon my Chinese culture.

Although these stereotypes may seem innocent, they always undermine my self-esteem. Reducing people to a stereotype dismisses the hard work and effort behind their achievements. Just because I’m Asian, I’m expected to be a good student. This mindset fails to acknowledge the time, energy, and dedication I invest in my work. It feels as if whatever I do well is simply expected, and in fact, my successes become shortcomings because they reinforce the "nerdy Asian" stereotype.

These stereotypical ideas and the pressure to adapt have become so ingrained in daily interactions that they’ve become a twisted social norm. It’s wrong that marginalized individuals are expected to just accept these subtle jabs and move on with their everyday lives.

We deserve to be who we truly are, shaped by our unique familial, educational, and social backgrounds. We should not feel compelled to change our personalities or abandon our cultural heritage just to fully integrate into society.

I need to work on accepting my identity. I am who I am–a mixture of Chinese and American culture, and I don’t need to change anything about myself to gain acceptance. We should all take pride in who we are, because every person—whether introverted, nerdy, or anything else—has the potential to shine in their own unique way.

It’s easy to fall into stereotyping, but I encourage everyone not to judge a person based largely on their race. Every individual is unique, and it’s absurd to group millions of people into one category. Each person possesses valuable qualities that can only be truly appreciated when you take the time to get to know them, rather than assigning superficial stereotypes based on first impression.

Gina Zhao