A white girl in Asia

"Blackie" Toothpate
Originally uploaded by Jane Rubio.

September 1, 2005 was the first day that did not see another white person. In fact, I didn't see another non-Chinese person. I knew it would happen. Previous days I would be disappointed because that one random white person would show up. But this day I went to the gym, to a supermarket, and out with Denise's family, and I didn't see another white person.

People here don't stare. They kind of don't even look twice. At the gym, we went to this famous guy's dance class, and when he saw me, he made a big deal about the "white person" and then started talking to me in English and asking me questions. He was being funny and showing off.

A couple times I thought I saw white people, but then I'd look again and realize they were Chinese. When you're over here, you see the great range of Asian people. Like in the U.S., or Lebanon, or anywhere else, you have stylish people and nerdy people and sporty people and teenage-punk people and ugly people and pretty people and skinny people and yes, even fat people. In fact, they are of all sizes and shapes and styles. Yes, I am just stating the obvious. But really, having grown up outside of Asia, my whole perspective on Asians has been perverted. I, like many of you (who also didn't grow up in Asia), have many fixed stereotypes/images/what-have-you of Asian people. Like they're all quite and dorky and good with technology and probably play music and tennis and they all kind of look the same. When I started confusing Asian people for white people because maybe they had some sort of style or something non-typically Asian (what some might consider just normal American features), I realized how perverted my thinking is.

And also, the guys are hot! Seriously. Being one of those typical non-Asian people, I never really considered Asian guys too attractive. But in Taiwan, there are so many hot guys. And I was also surprised by how tall people were. Maybe because I've been living outside the U.S. (where everyone has been fed too well and is too tall. . .and fat), I thought that the Taiwanese were actually the same height as other people, and not all short. (This surprised me.)

So it all made me realize how warped people's personalities become when they are racial minorities in a place where people hate their race. MLK, Jr. describes this in his speeches. So does James Baldwin and a lot of other African-American writers, but it's a very similar thing with Asians, which isn't as voiced or acknowledged.

Here in Asia, it seemed about half the advertisements and magazine covers were Asian women; the other half were white.

What is socially acceptable in Taiwan concerning blackness and dark skin was kind of shocking to my American sensibilities. They sell blackie toothpaste because it seems that black people have whiter teeth. See "the blackie" with the fro on the toothpaste bottle. (For a more sophisticated discussion of Darlie Toothpaste, go to www.sepiamutiny.com/sepia/archives/002689.html. And then there's "More White, More Beautiful". There are a range of beauty products to lighten one's skin, by all the standard international companies, L'Oreal, Nivea, etc. . . .They even make whitening deodorant??? You can see the pictures at www.homepage.mac.com/janerubio/PhotoAlbum40.html. And then I saw a disturbing advertisement to help world hunger with the stereotypical poor African women, breastfeeding her starving baby. It was pretty graphic.

Here in Lebanon, my favorite candy is a big chocolate-covered marshmallow, known as Ras al-Abd, "the Head of the Slave." Even in this day and age, people use the word "Abd" in Arabic to refer to black people. There is actually a newer term, which I use, called Tarboush, the red, fez, Ottoman-style hat. But when I use that word, the local shop owners don't know what I'm talking about.