Asian Women And Gender Discrimination Experiences

Posted on 15 March 2018 by Mabel Kwong

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Gender discrimination is something many Asian women constantly face.

Passive, docile and submissive are just some of the common stereotypes ascribed to Asian women.

As I wrote in Why Males Are the Favoured Sex In Asian Cultures, in Asian cultures women are seen as less capable than males. The mentality ‘boys over girls’ or ‘men are better than woman’ is often championed at home and at work.

It’s time we recognise each other for who we are | Weekly Photo Challenge: I’d Rather Be…

Growing up in Singapore, Malaysia and Australia, this sentiment surrounded me in subtle and non-subtle ways. As a kid brought up in a traditional Chinese family, I never agreed with this train of thought. These days I still don’t.

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What Does Home Mean And Feel Like For A Third Culture Kid?

Posted on 14 December 2017 by Mabel Kwong

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Home. It sounds like a simple word to define. But it’s a word that has layers and layers of meanings.

For many migrants, third culture kids, parachute families, expats, travellers, interracial couples, refugees, asylum seekers, Asian Australians, Asian Americans, African communities, Indian diaporas and really anyone who has moved around or hangs around different cultural groups, home can be hard to define. Home can be more than one place.

Home is a place and all that space around us.

There’s always a personal connection to home and each of us understands home differently. What is ‘home’ to someone may not be ‘home’ to someone else.

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5 Valuable Lessons I Learned From 5 Years Of Blogging

Posted on 12 October 2017 by Mabel Kwong

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It’s been five years since I started this blog. Five years of blogging about multiculturalism and cultural habits.

This blog started out as a place to put up articles I’ve written, articles knocked back by dozens of publications I pitched to. Today this blog is a space helping many around the world understand cultural differences.

The path of art and passion isn’t always the easiest. | Weekly Photo Challenge: Scale.

Through blogging I also improved my writing and am now a freelance writer selling my services.

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Asian, Quiet And Introverted? It’s Just The Way I Am

Posted on 21 September 2017 by Mabel Kwong

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When we speak of introverts, we often think of those who are quiet. There’s the common stereotype that if we’re Asian, we’re quiet and passive, and perhaps introverted too.

I’ve been every bit the introvert my whole life. As a Chinese Australian who feels too Asian to be Australian and too Australian to be Asian, countless occasions I feel I don’t fit in – but ironically I love being on my own.

Introverts love quiet and their own space | Weekly Photo Challenge: Layered personalities of different colours.

Being an introvert never bothered me, and it’s interesting seeing how others react to me and the way I am.

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What Is The Difference Between ‘Race’ And ‘Ethnicity’ In A Changing World?

Posted on 10 August 2017 by Mabel Kwong

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Race. Ethnicity. These are two words that seem similar. But they are two words that mean different things.

When I studied cultural studies at university, the terms ‘race’ and ‘ethnicity’ often appeared within academic texts that I read. The more I read about these two words, the more I realised they are more complicated than they sound.

Endless faces of race and ethnicity | Weekly Photo Challenge: Elemental.

Commonly, ‘race’ and ‘ethnicity’ encompass grouping and categorisation. But each word is its own concept. As people and culture change, history and stories rewrite themselves; each word builds upon lessons of the past and revelations of the present.

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How To Enjoy And Have An Unforgettable Music Concert

Posted on 20 July 2017 by Mabel Kwong

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Concerts are something special. Whether we’re a regular concert goer or someone who occasionally enjoys live music, there’s always something memorable about each performance that we attend, see and feel.

Over the last few years, I’ve gone to more music concerts than I can count: pop and rock 30,000 stadium capacity shows, intimate independent artist gigs, classical symphony orchestra performances, music festivals, both seated and general-admission standing shows.

Music concerts are where we lose ourselves in the moment. Green Day, 2017 | Weekly Photo Challenge: Collage of concerts and that Unusual, out of the ordinary show.

At the time of writing, the last concert I went to was Green Day earlier this year. I’m quite a fan of this punk-pop-rock band and grew up listening to their music since the early 90s. Oddly enough, rock concerts never appealed to me. It wasn’t until the night before the band’s second Melbourne concert a few months ago that I got tickets on a whim.

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