Create your own adventure: Lucy Wan

1. What pressures do you have in terms of the future? (i.e. college, grades, career etc.)
2. What is the perception of beauty among different societies?
3. What are the challenges females face as they become more active in the male-centric world of gaming?

2. Growing up as an Asian-American in a predominately Caucasian community, I've never quite been able to fit in. Though I identify myself as primarily American, the truth of the matter is that my race will always stand out. While I would never want to change who I am, I've often struggled with self-confidence and body-image issues. Coming from two different cultures with extremely different perceptions of beauty has changed what I think of myself in many ways.

This summer when I visited China, I had never felt so out-of-place. In America, the mix of races is commonplace; every school is diverse, ever neighborhood unique. However, in China, there is no mix of ethnicities; every person comes from one race. Because of this lack of diversity, the features that are considered 'beautiful' are very specific. Pale skin. Large eyes. Double-eyelids. High cheekbones. Thin noses. Skinny bodies. These features are the ideal for a woman in China. While I'm considered generically pretty in terms of my body type and facial features, everywhere I went the tanned tone of my skin was commented on. I was told to stay out of the sun, that I shouldn't go outside so much. What is considered normal and even enviable in America was a taboo in China.

Yet, even in the U.S. I certainly do not fit the beauty standards. My eyes are too small. My hair is too rough. My skin has too much acne. My nose is too wide. My thighs are too large. With each society comes a different perception of beauty. And as a member of both societies, I find it hard to believe in just one ideal. While coexisting between the Chinese and American cultures, I have found that I don't fit in to either place. The perception of beauty is certainly fascinating. Why do we find some features more attractive over others? Why do different societies have different beauty ideals? And lastly, what is beauty?