Mr. PanAsia pageant combats stereotypes
By Tina Peng
The Daily Northwestern
He was rejected by a girl onstage, walked down a pink runway (twice) and sang Jasmine’s half of “A Whole New World” as well as an impromptu version of the Backstreet Boys’ “I Want It That Way,” but it all paid off for McCormick freshman Keeyoung Kim — on Friday night, he was crowned Mr. PanAsia 2004.
More than 170 people packed The Gathering Place in Norris University Center to watch the seventh annual competition, which is sponsored by Asian Pacific American Coalition and strives to counter common misconceptions of Asian American men, according to organizer Antoinette Nguyen.
“There’s a negative stereotype of the emasculation of Asian males, so we’re going to try to defy that and show a three-dimensional portrait of the Asian male: that they can be attractive, contrary to pop culture and the William Hungs out there,” said Nguyen, a Weinberg junior.
The theme pervaded the competition. The contestants modeled formal attire, but they also answered serious questions about Asian American stereotypes and “American Idol” reject William Hung’s impact on perceptions of Asian Americans.
This theme was evident in the show’s opening skit, during which the eight contestants walked onstage in sports garb or with their pants hiked high.
Then came an announcement: “At the end of the day, it doesn’t matter if you’re the nice guy, the baller, the pimp or the high roller. Because you’re an Asian male, and all the ladies want you.”
Contestants also were given less serious questions that required them to compose 10-second freestyles, sing show tunes and describe the way they would propose to their girlfriends. First runner-up Dawen Wang compared himself to a 1930s Ford.
“It’s stylish, it’s out of date,” said Wong, a Weinberg senior. “It doesn’t go really fast but it’s got a lot of style and it looks great.”
During the pageant’s talent portion, contestants beat-boxed, played classical guitar, breakdanced and performed soccer tricks. Second runner-up and Weinberg sophomore Andy Ong enlisted four friends as backup dancers to ‘NSync’s “Tell Me, Tell Me … Baby,” and Wang performed an original song, “Wake Up,” on the keyboard.
“You should know that my face may be yellow, that doesn’t mean I’ll give you SARS,” Wang sang. “Wake up, wake up, this just in, I’m being judged by the color of my skin.”
The event was emceed by stand-up comedian Eliot Chang, who preceded segments with short routines about sex, being Asian American and living in Harlem, New York.
Chang illustrated a stereotype he had encountered: “‘Do you know karate?’ ‘No.’ ‘Why?’ ‘Because I’ve got a gun, bitch, all right?'”
Kim said the large audience, which cheered loudly and yelled catcalls at contestants, testified to the strength of Northwestern’s Asian American community.
“I saw a lot of people come out,” he said. “It kind of shows that Asians support each other. We’re kind of like a family.”
McCormick sophomore and audience member Brian Chen said the event accomplished its goal.
“It shows off Asian talent and kind of provokes Asian awareness,” Chen said. “It shows we can do more than what the stereotypes say.”
