Asian American Cultural Influences

Cultural Influences on Asian American Body Image The serious issues pertaining to body image continue to affect the lives of many minorities living throughout the United States today. Asian Americans and their ancestors have endured great scrutiny when it comes to their physical appearance and unattainable standards of beauty. Traditional practices like neck stretching and foot binding have deeply influenced the way Asian Americans view themselves amongst other ethnic groups, as well as their interpretation of beauty. Cultural influences are one of the main factors that contribute to the way Asian Americans view and critique their body and physical appearance throughout their lives. The emphasis of one’s external beauty deeply impacts the

Neck stretching, also known by many as having a long-necked look, is estimated to be a practice that dates back to the 11th Century, making it a form of body modification that has been around for nearly 1000 years. Neck stretching is still commonly practiced in Padaung villages located in Thailand, under the watchful eyes of government officials. The stages of neck stretching normally begin at an early age when a single brass coil is wound around a young girl’s neck by an elder tribal woman because their bones are still small and flexible. As the young girl grows, additional coils are added every few years which will one day add up to twenty-five coils that weigh about twenty-two pounds. According to an article in the New York Times written by Seth Mydans, “X-rays of the Padaung women have shown that the neck is not actually lengthened but that the weight of the rings pushes down on the rib cage, causing the shoulders to slope dramatically.” The brass coils that are widely known throughout the world not only are an illusion of an elongated neck, but they also represent their captivity to this lifestyle in hopes of finding social