Growing up I would occasionally get asked questions regarding my ethnicity. I never thought much of what was said until the questions became more constant during middle and high school. Here is a short list of comments and questions I'm exhausted of answering (except the last question because I find the topic very interesting). Although it may not be widely publicized, there still is quite a bit of discrimination against the Asian community in the US.
1. "Why is your skin so light for an Asian?"
I used to be really bothered by this question and would cake on the self-tanner. I looked like a Cheeto back in middle school. Why is my skin so light for an Asian? Well, I didn't know I had to be a certain darkness to qualify as being Asian enough. My skin is light because I don't bake myself in the sun and genetics are a thing.
2. "Do you shave your arms?"
I got asked this a lot because my arms don't look like hair exists. My greatest pet peeve is when people start rubbing their hands on my arms like I'm some rare hairless cat. I didn't ask to be a petting zoo.
3. "Your eyes aren't that Asian."
I'm not even sure what that's supposed to mean, but I've gotten that comment time to time. It's not as bad as when people pull on their eyelids to make them wider or narrower but it's still displeasing. Is it because I have double eyelids that I don't appear as "that Asian?" Although I'm from China, I just want to include that Asia includes more than just China, Japan, and Korea - like South East Asia which I feel is often forgotten, or the Asian countries to the far west. If you look at people from each of the countries of those different areas, you'll see there are many ways eyes can look and there is no shape that makes one "more Asian" than the other.
4. "Your English is quite good."
Thanks, I was raised in an English speaking country.
5. "Why do you believe the model minority is a myth?"
For those of you who don't know, the model minority was a phrase that was coined back in the 70's. It was used in a "research" paper to claim how every minority should strive to be like the Asian population. I'm against the model minority because it discredits my ancestors who worked hard to get here. The model minority myth actually hurts Asians as it glosses over all the achievements they have had and put in an effort to achieve only to be told it happened because of their race. It builds walls between other minorities. When you label one minority as "good," there's going to be another minority labeled as "bad." The model minority myth has also hurt the Black and Latino community as it has told them to be more like the "model minority." No one race is better than the other and the "model minority" myth is bullshit because it hurts everyone around us.
