Tag Archives: culture

Natalie Tran: The Un-Stereotypical Asian Australian On YouTube

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One notable Asian Australian on YouTube is Sydneysider Natalie Tran.

With over 400 million channel views, Tran’s communitychannel is the most subscribed YouTube channel in Australia. She uploads videos in the form of short skits pointing out the intriguing banalities of everyday life, scripting each one and playing all the characters herself. Reality TV drama, racism Down Under and the frustrations of finding dropped food on the floor are just a few of the topics Tran has addressed.

Natalie Tran typically begins her videos with a friendly "Hi". Screenshot from "Where Did It Go??".

Natalie Tran typically begins her videos with a friendly “Hi”. Screenshot from “Where Did It Go??”.

Just why are so many (young) Asian Australians drawn to Tran, whose parents were Vietnamese refugees? Why are so many non-Asians, Caucasians drawn to her and her rather humorous videos as well?

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Asians’ Youthful Looks: A Blessing or A Curse In Disguise?

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A good number of Asians tend to look way younger beyond their years. Glance at an Asian person in their mid-twenties and chances are they look like a teen. Or at an Asian woman in her thirties and she’ll look like an early-twenty-something graduate.

Perhaps Asians have good genes and that’s why many of us look young. Or perhaps it’s because we eat rice/noodles so often, food that has yet-to-be-discovered anti-aging properties. You never know.

These Asians can pass off as teenagers. Asians often look young from behind. Perhaps it's because of their short stature and the way they dress? Photo: Mabel Kwong

These Asians can pass off as teenagers. Asians often look young from behind. Perhaps it’s because of their short stature and the way they dress? Photo: Mabel Kwong

These Asians can pass off as teenagers. Asians often look young from behind. Perhaps it’s because of their short stature and the way they dress? Photo: Mabel Kwong

I can relate. I’m one of those Asians who look young for my age. I’ve talked about this with my Asian friends who are in the same boat, and we agree there are pros and cons to this phenomenon. But the latter seems more outstanding.

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Asian Girls Linking Arms: A Cultural Thing?

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Fact: many Asian girls link arms when they are out and about.

When I lived in Malaysia and Singapore, I saw Asian girls and women walking in pairs through shopping malls with arms linked around the elbows, touching skin-on-skin. Sometimes I saw them even holding hands, walking and chatting with one another. Today whenever I troop down to Melbourne’s Chinatown, my eye will never fail to spy similar scenes.

Holding hands 3

What does it mean when Asian girls link arms or hold hands? Drawing by Mabel Kwong.

Just what does it mean when Asian girls link arms, and why do they do it so frequently? Googling this trend, it seems Asian men in certain Asian countries do this as well.

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