Western Portrait

By Trish Le, 17

Grandma says: Con, bring an umbrella, look more American
No boys will like you if you don’t look American
Be more American means be more white means disappear
My sister comes home from a trip to Vietnam
She has brought back a professional self-portrait
I don’t know who is in the photo
They share the same smile but even that is unsettling
Her skin has been digitally lightened
Eyes a little too wide wide wide white
Someone has kidnapped my sister
This is not her self portrait
It’s the portrait of western colonization
It’s the portrait of western beauty standard
She says: maybe get eyelid surgery
She says: why did you lose the accent
She says: you look prettier in the winter (when she means lighter)
She gifts me the skin whitening cream
She says: you’ll thank me later
When I go home I am stuck between two places
I want to know where is home
What has become of our home?

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I’m Vietnamese and this is my experience and commentary with colorism.

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