Comments on: ANTM: Hapa Hot Mess

By: dottie

dottie — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 09:33:47 +0000

Well, Mlshiira, I don’t know what any of those mixes might look like, but I at least know they wouldn’t look like somebody who was sculpted out of terra cotta.

But I definitely think you’re on to something about the blatant stereotyping. If you claim you’re doing “biracials”, you can always pretend that you’re not really clowning actual biracial people because “What are the odds someone is actually mixed like these?” and “You don’t know! Somebody who’s South Asian and Native American might actually look like that so you can’t call it racist!” I guess because there’s no specific stereotypes for either of these combinations, she thought she could get away with it.

Or maybe I’m completely wrong, because that Got Milk shoot from back in the day was just as horrific. It’s like she wants to ride the line between edgy but acceptable and hideously offensive, just because she knows somebody somewhere will sanction it, and if thinking that is tacky makes me unable to appreciate “art”, that’s a label I have no problem embracing.

By: mlshiira

mlshiira — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 07:25:17 +0000

As a person who lives in Hawaii, and is actually called “hapa” (half Japanese, half English), I would just like to ask “who the heck came up with these combinations?” Seriously, Mexican/Greek, Tibetan/Egyptian, etc.?! Who in the world actually can conceive of what a mixed Moroccan and Russian girl is supposed to look like? Or, better yet, what she should wear that possibly reflects her mixed-culture background? Were they trying to create outlandish mixes just to get around the totally obvious stereotyping? Or did they mistakenly believe this would make their mixed viewership appreciate their attempt to be more culturally aware? The only positive thing I have to say about the whole mess is at least Tyra didn’t suggest that they tape up anyone’s eyelids to make ‘em look more “Asian”.

By: Michelle

Michelle — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 07:08:08 +0000

Problematic? Absolutely. Stupid? Most definitely. Hackneyed? Times a million. I mean, it’s not just offensive– it’s not even original.

BTW, some Native Hawai’ians have a problem with the use of the word “hapa”– in general, because it’s kinda nonsensical (just means “half”) and appropriative, and in particular by folks without Native Hawai’ian heritage (i.e., Asian/white, but not Pacific Islander). The More You Know.