Media portrayals of Asian-American males typically include images of martial-arts stars, such as Jet Li, and a Ricky Martin imitator named William Hung.
The Asian Pacific American Coalition’s 8th annual Mr. PanAsia Pageant, held Saturday, strove to break the stereotype of Asian-American males by presenting eight eligible Northwestern men.
Norris University Center’s Gathering Place was transformed, equipped with a stage, balloons and even a red carpet constructed from butcher paper. About 130 people paid $5 each to watch the contestants compete in casual wear, talent, formal wear and a formal question-and-answer session — all for the title of Mr. PanAsia 2005.
“I wanted to come because my friend’s in it, and I also wanted to support the Asian-American community,” said Patti Moon, a Medill freshman. “Events like this are good for the Asian-American community to come together and show we have a presence that’s a part of NU.”
After working the runway in their casual wear, the participants showcased their talents. The singing, dancing, piano and guitar playing, slam poetry and even cooking acts kept the audience entertained and the panel of six judges contemplating who should win the grand prize.
“Despite what society says we are, we are who we are,” Weinberg freshman Jason Eng said in his slam poetry presentation, which addressed the typical role of Asian Americans in society.
This topic was also discussed during the question-and-answer segment following the formal wear portion of the competition. Contestants were asked about cultural identity, generation gaps, affirmative action and representation in society.
“Identity is something really hard to gauge,” said Rohan Sharma, a Weinberg sophomore. “The best way to cultivate our identity is to increase our political vigor and to educate.”
While the judges made their final decision, hosts Weinberg freshman Anna Yan and McCormick freshman Simon Lu raffled off prizes from Evanston venues such as Sashimi Sashimi, Century Theatres and Marble Slab Creamery. Sharma received the second runner-up spot, Eng claimed the 1st runner up position and Medill freshman James Shih was named Mr. PanAsia 2005.
Communication freshman Catherine Shen, who helped plan the event, said she was pleased with the audience turnout.
“Honestly I didn’t know what to expect,” Shen said. “But Mr. PanAsia is the only major fund-raising event of the year for APAC, and all the money will probably go to other programs that we have in the future.”
Reach Nina Kim at [email protected].
