UC Riverside

This project combines insights from intersectionality theory, racial formation theory, and masculinity studies to explore how young Asian American men negotiate identities within a complicated cultural climate that both exalts and denigrates them. My research is based on an analysis of 33 in-depth interviews with Chinese and Chinese- Vietnamese American men between the ages of 18-25. I find that young Asian American men encounter both positive and negative racial-ethnic and gendered ideas that are specific to their demographic. This contributes to distinct identity-formation experiences during emerging adulthood, a critical period for identity construction. My findings suggest that Asian American men draw on four central reference points which I call the “White Frat Boy,” “Trashy Kevin,” “Nerdy Kevin,” and “Simu Liu.” By “reference point,” I refer to a shared set of ideas that reflect a model of an identity that can contain both positive and negative attributes. I also find that my participants engaged with these reference points in two ways: they distanced themselves from the negative elements of reference points to not be limited by them but also embraced the positive elements of reference points to exercise their agency. Finally, I coin the term “happy medium” to describe the comfortable balance that participants aimed to strike among reference points. By engaging in distancing and embracing strategies among various reference points, my participants constructed happy mediums that fall into two main categories. Some participants constructed an “average happy medium,” aiming to blend in with other Asian American men. Other participants constructed a “well-rounded happy medium,” aiming to be viewed as multifaceted and unique. This project contributes to our understanding of the life stage of emerging adulthood, highlighting how men of one racial-ethnic minority group encounter unique pressures that lead them to embark on a distinct path for their identity construction. Additionally, this project offers the concept of reference points, which broadens our understanding of how other groups draw on various models of identity to construct and negotiate their intersectional identities.