My Parents See Playgirl

by admin2 November 13, 2010, 12:01 am 740 Views 14 Comments

One of my happiest moments in my modeling career was having my first nude modeling publication with Playgirl magazine. I felt reassured and accepted as an Asian-American being in a publication predominately full of other ethnicities and few Asians. Once the publication hit the stands, my friends congratulated me on the accomplishment.

That week I decided to have a party at my parent’s house and I invited 20 of my closest friends. Those friends invited more friends and before you know it my parent’s 1,500 sq. ft. home had about 100 people. Needless to say, the magazine got passed around to share.

When the party was over, I was so exhausted Some of my friends were too tired to drive so I had people sleeping all over the house, on the floor and out in the backyard. But there was one thing that never reappeared, the Playgirl magazine. I assumed someone at the party took it home.

When I went back to my parent’s house the following week, my parents were sitting at the dining table with my magazine that I lost. They said, “Have a seat,” and told me how I made a very bad decision. My parent’s voices were anguished as they told me how I disgraced our family. I was disappointed that I had let them down, but at the same time I felt I reinvented myself as a sexy Asian-American guy who should be acknowledge for my courage to stand out and show that we are beautiful people too.

My parents don’t understand what it is like growing up as a first generation Asian-American and being stereotyped because of it. I hope one day they will look back and say they are proud that I decided to go against society’s norm and break the stereotype of Asian-Americans. We are smart, sexy, and we can do anything we put our minds to!