We Need to Stop Lying About East Asian Men

I have been lied to, my whole life.

No, we all have been.

Many girls like me spent almost all their lives believing that Mathew McConoughey, Brad Pitt, George Clooney were the definition of male beauty. We also believed that American shows are the best there is. And, to be fair, McConaughey, Pitt, and Clooney are still some of the most handsome men and American sitcoms and dramas are still binge-worthy. However, my eyes opened when I discovered the treasure of Asian actors and dramas (I mean, just look at them, will ya?). 

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The first East Asian actor I came across was Jackie Chan and I thought to myself, “Well, he is short, but man, can he kick some ass.” …and that was that. In my head, for unknown reasons, there was a belief that East Asian men are just short.

It was the second East Asian actor I came across that showed me how hot they can be. Yes, I’m talking about none other than Danial Dae Kim from Hawaii Five-O. And yet, in my mind, Kim served as an exception. For I didn’t know of the existence of guys like Daniel Henny, Gong Yoo, or Park Jae Wook.

It took me watching several Korean dramas, spending hours on YouTube watching cutesy BTS videos, and Asian Crush videos to truly appreciate them. I cannot thank Asian Crush with its catchy titles (Man, give that writer a damn raise!!!) for introducing me to Daniel Henny through Seducing Mr Perfect. I mean, just look at him (below). Just how can such a perfect human being exist in this world? Okay, we have people like Brad Pitt, how could I forget!? *o*

Here's an example of Asian Crush titles xD

Like all of my assumptions, I had an image of Chinese guys in my head. Small, cute guys whom I will never find attractive. All that changed when I met one (a few). It was during my American trip, and I hadn't really gotten into Korean dramas just yet. As such, I very had my preconceived notions. 

And....there he was, sitting on a desk in the travel agency. 

Very attractive guy, very much Chinese.

But, I was adamant, and I hate being wrong. So, I thought to myself, "Okay, handsome, but so what? He may still be short." Sigh. Then, he got up, walked up to me to explain the route we had to take to reach the pickup point of the Big Bus. 

BAM! My mind went blank. 

"Whaaaaaaaat!" (think, Weightlifting Fairy sound effect, my friends)

A verrrrrry attractive Chinese guy was walking towards me and I couldn't believe it (and an even more attractive one as our guide a few days later). If I wasn't with my parents, I would have even flirted a little, who knows? (quick note, I hope finding a Chinese guy cute is not considered anti-national by the extremely patriotic)

Yup. I definitely sound like a shallow person. Perhaps I am, maybe I am not. But that does not change anything. East Asian guys are still pretty darn hot. Okay, I swear I'm not being a pervert. As my dear friend once said, as he checked out a girl, "I'm simply appreciating the beauty." [FYI, Stalin, if you are reading this, I'm STILL not convinced.} 

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Looking back, I realize how much of my life I have wasted not knowing about East Asian actors and drama. I know how this sounds right now. I realized it very recently myself. I’m (or was) a racist against my own continent! Damn! Now that I have written it down, it seems rather dooming. But now that I know people like Nam Joon-hyuk and Lee Min-ho exist, I am NEVER going back.

That is why I don’t regret my addiction to Korean dramas. On the contrary, I welcome it, I embrace it with my all. I admit I have a big-time crush on Nam Joon-hyuk and his smile. I admit Kim Jae-wook and Gong Yoo make my heart flutter. I admit I’m slowly, but surely becoming one of the ARMY (I’m still trying to fight it though). I also admit that I daydream of meeting Kim Nam-joon in person and have a wonderful conversation on FRIENDS and language learning; maybe learn French and Spanish words together.

Kim Nam-joon (BTS)

Speaking of languages, I must say that hotness is never limited to one language. In fact, there are so many attractive actors (and actresses) across the globe that we may not even know about. This fact almost makes me want an application of a sort that curates a comprehensive list of celebrities from across the globe and give a daily alert that says: “Hottie of the Day: _______.”

No? Just me? Okay…don’t regret it later!

The whole point of all this ramble is to get you to watch some Korean dramas or any East Asian series. Are they dramatic AF? Yes. Are they cringy? Yes, they can be. Are they over-the-top? Ohhh, yes. Will it make you laugh? You bet your ass it will. Will it make you cry? Yes, keep the tissues ready. Will you get addicted? Yes, and you will love it even more for it. Oh, come on, for the love of all things holy, watch them, already. You won’t regret it.

Or maybe you will.