Asian Girls Research Articles

How discourses of sharam (shame) and mental health influence the help-seeking behaviours of British born girls of South Asian heritage

ABSTRACT The cultural construct ‘shame’ (sharam) is cited as an oppressive force that controls and perpetuates patriarchal structures within particular cultures. ‘Shame’ and the related construct ‘honour’ (izzat) are believed to be key instruments for the oppression of women. Research has suggested that shame prevents women from South Asian communities from help-seeking in relation to mental health difficulties. There is little research investigating the impact of shame on British born South Asian girls and its relationship to their help-seeking behaviour. This research investigated the discourses of South Asian girls in relation to the cultural construct ‘shame’, mental health, and the influence that these have on their help-seeking behaviour. The analysis showed that discourses are complex and contradictory. Thus, shame is constructed by the girls as regulatory, sexist and oppressive and at the same time as helpful and protective. Implications for educational practice and the work of educational psychologists are discussed.

Intersection of Race and Gender in Self-Reports of Violent Experiences and Polyvictimization by Young Girls in Brazil.

ObjectiveTo explore racial disparities in self-reports of violent victimization and polyvictimization among young girls in Brazil and to analyze the distribution of prevalence rates across race groups and the estimated odds of exposure.DesignData from girls ages 15 and above (N=14,809) from the 2015 edition of PeNSE (National Adolescent School-based Health Survey) were analyzed. Survey weighted proportions and bivariate and multivariate logistic regressions were used to address the objectives.ResultsIndependent of the girls’ age, socioeconomic status, and region of residence, black, indigenous, mixed, and Asian descendant girls (relative to Whites) were more likely to report past experiences of being bullied, suffering physical violence, forced sexual intercourse, and polyvictimization (reporting all three events). Blacks had the highest rates of reporting being bullied and polyvictimization. Asian descendants had the highest reports of physical violence. Indigenous girls had the highest reports of forced sexual intercourse.ConclusionsThis study documented disproportionate risks of violent victimization for young women of color among Brazilian students. The risks were significantly greater for those of darker skin tones and from ethnic minorities.ImplicationsThese findings can inform the development of programs to protect young women from violence in Brazil and highlight the importance of including anti-racism strategies in such programs.

A Novel High-Intensity Short Interval Dance Intervention (THANDAV) to Improve Physical Fitness in Asian Indian Adolescent Girls.

Background: There exist several barriers to physical activity (PA) among adolescent girls. We therefore developed a culturally acceptable dance/fitness intervention called THANDAV (Taking High-Intensity Interval Training [HIIT] ANd Dance to Adolescents for Victory over noncommunicable diseases [NCDs]). The main aim of this study was to evaluate the THANDAV protocol among Asian Indian girls aged 10 to 17 years. Materials and Methods: THANDAV consisted of a 10-min routine with high- and low-intensity dance steps that was taught to 23 adolescent girls. Heart rate (HR), energy expenditure, body mass index (BMI), and blood pressure (BP) were recorded. Focused group discussions (FGDs) were conducted after the quantitative measurements were completed. Results: The average age of the girls was 13.9 ± 2.1 years, and the mean BMI and BP were 19.8 ± 3.3 kg/m2 and 107/68 (±8/7) mm/Hg, respectively. All participants achieved 80% of their maximum HR during the first dance and managed to sustain this HR throughout the 10-min routine. There was a significant increase in the HR (bpm) [88.7 ± 8.4 to 195.6 ± 11.8, P < 0.001] and VO2 (L/min) [0.025 ± 0.0 to 0.395 ± 0.1, P < 0.001] postintervention. The average energy cost of the activity (metabolic equivalent) was 6.3. The FGDs revealed that THANDAV was a socially acceptable, fun, and energetic form of PA. Conclusions: The THANDAV intervention meets HIIT norms and is a novel culturally appropriate form of PA that is enjoyable, takes little time, and can be done at home. It has the potential to be a sustainable intervention to improve cardiorespiratory fitness and prevent NCDs in Asian Indian adolescent girls. Clinical Trials Registry of India: CTRI/2020/02/023384.

WITNESSING, GRIEVING, AND REMEMBERING: LETTERS OF RESISTANCE, LOVE, AND RECLAMATION FROM DAUGHTERS OF IZZAT

This article challenges public and private constructions of honourrelated violence as they impact second-generation South Asian women and girls in Canada. While much has been written about the victims of honour killings, including high profile cases of young women killed by their families in Canada, considerably less attention and space has been given to second-generation South Asian Canadian women and girl’s stories of survivance and resistance against honour-based violence (HBV). This paper moves towards storying processes of grieving and of witnessing public stories of HBV, and documents a collective writing process I undertook in collaboration with survivors of HBV. We shared narratives of grief and pain, and the power of collective storywork. The paper includes two letters that speak to the context in which second generation South Asian women are embodying resistance and reclamation, and witnessing stories of grief, loss, love, and acceptance.

INTRODUCTION TO SPECIAL ISSUE: ASSIMILATION, INTERRUPTED: TRANSFORMING DISCOURSES OF CULTURE- AND HONOUR-BASED VIOLENCE IN CANADA

This special issue about race, honour, culture, and violence against women in South Asian Canadian communities is proffered as an entry point to a wider, multilayered discussion about race, culture, gender, and violence. It hopes to intensify a debate on gendered violence that could tie in with analysis and commentary on individual killings in family-related sites, murders of racialized women and girls in public sites, and other forms of violence against women and girls in society. We encourage readers to consider how to understand the landscape that South Asian Canadian women and girls are confronting, while also asking critical questions about the wider settler colonial system in which we all participate as we fight gender-based violence.

Centering Intersectional Feminism Online: Equality Archive as Digital Humanities Praxis

Centering Intersectional Feminism Online: Equality Archive as Digital Humanities Praxis Lindsay Garcia (bio) Equality Archive, www.equalityarchive.com (accessed January 15, 2021). Click, tag, read, like, share, comment, perform a diatribe, read, share, call in/out racism and misogyny in culture and politics, add photo, hide, untag, delete—these are the quotidian actions of the new generation of feminist and social justice–oriented web users, many of whom find their ways into American studies courses at colleges and universities across the country. A few years ago, the majority of young people got their news from the late-night talk shows.1 Now it happens in social media feeds.2 While often proffered as a site of equality and democracy, the internet has been an oft-critiqued site of racism and misogyny by feminist American studies scholars, such as Lisa Nakamura, Safiya Umoja Noble, micha cárdenas, and Roopika Risam, who elucidate how internet search engines and digital technologies reinscribe structural violence but also offer opportunities for resistance.3 Hashtag activism, too, has become a primary meeting ground that both connects people who may be isolated geographically into online communities and helps coordinate in-person actions with deeper impacts, such as #BlackLivesMatter, the #MeToo movement, and the many instances of the #WomensMarch.4 Central to digital humanities scholars working within the discipline of American studies (via the ASA Digital Humanities Caucus or in other interconnected and interdisciplinary ways) is developing feminist and critical race scholarship and praxis that connect online sites of resistance to on-the-ground activism, art, protest, and survival tools for vulnerable individuals. Out of this new wave of justice-oriented projects spawns Equality Archive—a collaborative effort built by a collective of feminists—led by Shelly Eversley, assistant professor of English at Baruch College, CUNY, and Lauren Hurson, educational technologist at CUNY’s Graduate Center. This project, a digital encyclopedia of feminist knowledge, is distinctive for how it was built, deploying [End Page 195] feminist principles from the ground up: through the platform’s infrastructure, the collective arrangement of labor, the curation of intersectional and assemblage feminist topics, and the figuring of praxis as central to the role of knowledge presentation. There have been efforts in the digital humanities to decenter whiteness and promote the work of women and gender-nonconforming folks (#TransformDH, #DHPoco, #GODH, #RaceDH); however, there is still more work to be done. Projects such as Equality Archive are necessary to continue building momentum against racism and misogyny online, in the digital humanities, and in artist, activist, and academic spaces more broadly. To get started, type “equalityarchive.com” into a web browser. You will encounter a cleanly designed organization of white background intermingling with images and black text. The logo offers the words EQUALITY ARCHIVE in all capitals, one word on top of the other—the “Q” has been transformed into the symbol used to signify “woman.” An ever-changing banner of photographs of women and nonbinary folks in various states of resistance frames the landing page. Words appear at the upper right of the screen: History, Issues, People, Participate, The Collective. These words, all clickable options, offer one way that entries are organized. Click on “History,” and you will scroll down to find a long list of important moments in feminist history. Some of these are canonical, such as “Roe vs. Wade,” “Equal Rights Amendment,” and “Sojourner Truth.” Others tell less well-known stories, such as “Georgia Gilmore,” the founder of the Club from Nowhere (a collective of black maids, service workers, and cooks who provided amenities to activists working the front lines of the civil rights movement); “Alice Bag: Hollywood Punk Scene,” a central figure in the Latinx punk scene of the late 1970s; or “Wilma Mankiller,” the first female president of the Cherokee Nation. Click on the “#NotYourSidekick” link to find a multimodal account of the elision of Asian American women and girls in mainstream feminist movements. One photograph shows female college-age students addressing the camera with a protest sign reading “We need FEMINISM b/c we’re NOT your mail order brides, the CURE to your YELLOW fever, your fantasy SEX TOYS, or your subservient housewives. We are STRONG, INDEPENDENT...

Forced Marriage: Law and Practice in Pakistan

This research examines the reasons why and the circumstances in which Pakistani women began a common-law relationship against their will, and the role played by their families. A recent national survey shows that 4.1 per cent of indigenous women were obliged to marry and 4.8 percent were sold. This practice is conceptualized as an expression of both family and partner violence against women, but it is not often labelled and recognized as such. Forced marriage is associated with women’s transgression of traditional gender roles and rape, as well as traditions and practices that consider women’s opinions and consent as unnecessary. Forced marriages are less common now than they were in the past because of the greater awareness of women’s rights. But the practice persists. The link between non-consensual marriages and intimate partner violence is discussed, and public policy implications are presented. Forced marriage is frequently portrayed as an issue which only affects South Asian women and girls, however, this is not correct. Forced marriage affects a wide range of communities, including Irish Traveller, Turkish, Roma, Afghan, South Asian, Kurdish, Iranian, Arab and African communities. There are no religions which support or advocate the practice of forced marriage. Forced marriage can happen to anyone from any background, regardless of social class, financial status and sexuality, which include people who identify as lesbian, bi-sexual, gay and transgender, or are perceived as such. In a UK context, the needs and experiences of some affected groups are often less visible, and only specific groups are highlighted. It is important to be aware that forced marriage disproportionately impacts women and girls and is therefore recognized as a form of violence against women and girls. When a forced marriage occurs, several human rights are breached. Women’s experience of abuse often does not end with the pressure to marry. Many women are also subjected to different forms of abuse within the context of their marriage. This can range from emotional, psychological and financial abuse to sexual and physical violence.

Accuracy of the Chaillet's Method for Assessing the Age in Subadults. A Meta-Analysis.

Introduction Assessing the dental development plays a key role in forensic dentistry. Dental age based on stages of teeth mineralization can be assessed by using different methods, and is especially useful in subadults. Chaillet‘s method was developed based on the Demirijan’s method. In this study, we aimed to study the applicability of Chaillet‘s method in subadults. Materials and methods: We performed systematic reviews and meta-analysis of observational studies published in English using the following databases Pubmed, Web of Science, Embase and Scopus, with a timeframe between 2013 and 2019. Results: The difference between chronological age and dental age was calculated separately, for each gender. In girls, the method underestimated the age with an average difference between dental and chronological of 0.83 years (CI= [-1.34; -0.31]), with significant heterogeneity and publication bias. In boys, the method underestimated the age with an average difference between dental and chronological of 0.64 years (CI= [-1.28; 0.01)], with significant heterogeneity and publication bias. Chaillet’s method showed an advanced dental maturity in European boys by 0.35 years [-0.85; 1.55], while it underestimated the age in South Asian boys by -1.03 (CI= [-1.60; -0.46]). For girls this method showed a delayed dental development for both regions, with a rather smaller difference for Europeans of -0.06 years (CI= [0.91; 0,78]) compared to South Asian girls: -1.19 years (CI= [-1.86; -0.51. Conclusion: Dental age estimation provided by the Chaillet’s method showed an age overestimation in both genders, in most studies geographic groups.

School-Related Barriers that might be Impeding Academic Success for African American Girls

This study explored African American girls’ perceived racial/ethnic discrimination and teachers’ perceptions to understand the unique impact of each on educational outcomes for African American girls compared to girls from other racial/ethnic groups. The sample included 2,384 7th grade girls. In this multi-informant study, girls completed a survey that included ratings of perceived teacher discrimination, teachers rated the girls on academic engagement and antisocial behavior, and end-of-the-year GPA for each girl was gathered from school records data. One-way ANOVA revealed a main effect of race/ethnicity, such that African American girls reported higher levels of racial/ethnic discrimination, had a lower GPA, and were rated by their teachers as less engaged and more anti-social compared to Asian, Latinx, and white girls. Regression analysis revealed that, compared to white and Asian girls, low teacher perceived engagement was related to lower achievement for African American girls. These results highlight the need to analyze the educational experiences that African American girls are facing.

SUN-025 Obesity Severity and Polycystic Ovary Syndrome in an Ethnically Diverse Cohort of Adolescent Girls

INTRODUCTION: Polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) is one of the most common endocrine disorders affecting young women and may present as early as adolescence. Early recognition is important, as polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is associated with increased cardiometabolic risk and type 2 diabetes mellitus. The risk of PCOS increases with obesity, but fewer studies have explored the burden of PCOS in children with obesity within healthcare settings. In this study, we examined the proportion of adolescent girls with obesity who also had diagnosed PCOS and the relationship between PCOS and obesity severity.METHODS: From an existing cohort of nearly 8000 children age 3-17 with obesity (Body Mass Index, BMI ≥95th percentile) who were seen at pediatric well-child visits and identified for weight management based on BMI, we classified the subgroup of girls age 12-17 years who had moderate (BMI 100-119% of the 95th percentile) and severe (BMI ≥120% of the 95th percentile) obesity by PCOS status. Diagnosed PCOS was identified based on a visit diagnosis code for PCOS (ICD-9 256.4) within one year of the well child visit.RESULTS: We identified 1478 adolescent girls (age 12-17) with obesity, among whom 76 (5%) had a PCOS diagnosis. The burden of PCOS varied by race, including 4% among white, 7% among black, 5% among Hispanic, and 8% among Asians, respectively. The proportion with diagnosed PCOS was greater in severely obese patients (9%) compared to moderately obese (3%). By race/ethnicity, the proportion with PCOS among moderately obese/severely obese girls were as follows: white 2%/8%, black 4%/10%, and Hispanic 2%/9%, respectively. The Asian population had a higher proportion of PCOS (10%) among girls with moderate obesity, as fewer Asian girls had severe obesity overall.CONCLUSION: Among adolescent girls with obesity, the burden of PCOS varied by race/ethnicity and level of obesity. Increasing severity of obesity was associated with a greater proportion of girls having diagnosed PCOS, a trend that was reflected in white, black and Hispanic adolescent girls but not Asians, the latter due to their lower range BMI. These data highlight the prevalence of PCOS among adolescent girls with obesity and support the need for early identification and management prior to adulthood.

Active Commuting to School and Physical Activity Levels among 11 to 16 Year-Old Adolescents from 63 Low- and Middle-Income Countries

Background: Global physical activity levels are low. Active commuting to school is a low-cost and sustainable behaviour that promotes adolescents’ physical activity levels. Despite its importance, data on low- and middle-income countries is scarce. This study aimed to assess the relationship between active commuting to school and physical activity (PA) levels among 11–16 years-old adolescents from 63 low- and middle-income countries and six world regions. Methods: Data were from the GSHS database. Participants were 187,934 adolescents (89,550 boys), aged 11–16 years-old, from 63 low- and middle-income countries. Active commuting to school and PA were self-reported as the number of days adolescents walked or cycled to school and engaged in physical activity for at least 60 min in the past 7 days. Results: Boys and girls who actively commuted to school presented higher prevalence of attaining the PA recommendations, but only for the 13–14 (boys: 16.6% versus 22.0%; girls: 9.8% versus 14.6%) and 15–16 (boys: 16.3% versus 21.6%; girls: 8.0% versus 14.0%) year-old age groups. Only for Oceania, Central Asian, Middle Eastern, and North African girls and Sub-Saharan African boys no difference was found in the prevalence of attaining the PA recommendations between those who actively commuted to school and those who did not. Boys who actively commuted to school were 42% (95% CI: 1.37, 1.46) more likely to achieve the PA recommendations, while girls were 66% (95% CI: 1.59, 1.73) more likely to achieve the PA recommendations. Conclusions: Active commuting to school is associated with the adolescents’ physical activity levels. However, it may have a lesser influence in helping younger adolescents attaining physical activity recommendations. Public health authorities should promote active commuting to school among adolescents in order to improve the PA levels and promote health.

Objectively-measured sedentary time and physical activity in a bi-ethnic sample of young children: variation by socio-demographic, temporal and perinatal factors

BackgroundEvidence suggests that South Asian school-aged children and adults are less active compared to the white British population. It is unknown if this generalises to young children. We aimed to describe variability in levels of physical activity and sedentary time in a bi-ethnic sample of young children from a deprived location.MethodsThis observational study included 202 South Asian and 140 white British children aged 1.5 to 5y, who provided 3181 valid days of triaxial accelerometry (Actigraph GT3X+). Variability in sedentary time and physical activity levels were analysed by linear multilevel modelling. Logistic multilevel regression was used to identify factors associated with physical inactivity (failing to perform ≥180 min of total physical activity including ≥60 min moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) per day).ResultsThere were no significant ethnic differences in the overall levels of behaviours; South Asian and white British children spent half of daily time sedentary, just over 40% in light physical activity, and the remaining 7.5 to 8% of time in MVPA. Sedentary time was lower and physical activity levels were higher in older children, and levels of MVPA and vector magnitude counts per minute (CPM) were higher on weekends compared to weekdays. In South Asian children, sedentary time was lower on weekends. Sedentary time was lower and physical activity levels were higher in spring compared to winter in white British children, and in all seasons compared to winter in South Asian children. South Asian children born at high birth weight performed more MVPA, and in both ethnicities there was some evidence that children with older mothers were more sedentary and less active. Sedentary time was higher and light physical activity was lower in South Asian children in the highest compared to the lowest income families. South Asian girls performed less MVPA, registered fewer vector magnitude CPM, and were 3.5 times more likely to be physically inactive than South Asian boys.ConclusionsSedentary time and physical activity levels vary by socio-demographic, temporal and perinatal characteristics in young children from a deprived location. South Asian girls have the most to gain from efforts to increase physical activity levels.Trial registrationThe Pre-schoolers in the Playground (PiP) pilot randomized controlled trial is registered with the ISRCTN (ISRCTN54165860; http://www.isrctn.com).

For the Asian Marvel Movie

For the Asian Marvel Movie E Yeon Chang (bio) L: Sonnet 1. In Black Panther, there is a scene in which Lupita speaks Korean. She talks to an ajummaby a fish stall, which also happens to be a front for an illegal gambling ring. Neither of them speakKorean well. 2. I am not quite sure if the gambling ring is illegalor just so bougie that only rich foreigners know about it.The secret fish market casino is lush with red velvet and its tables are waited uponby beautiful Asian girls barely dressed in hanbok. 3. I went to my high school prom barely dressed inhanbok. I went with a white boy named Jacob, a good friend, who was nice enoughto offer me his jacket when the sun set. He walked me to my door at the end of the night, and Ialmost kissed him out of gratitude. 4. Hanbok, unfortunately, is fairly restrictive;it is not great for dancing, fooling around or running out of the way. If there were to be an AsianMarvel movie, I don't think it would be a good warrior costume. 5. It'd still be hot though.6. I have not worn my hanbok out in public since prom. 7. I have talked to Jacob though,but always crying. Each time I call, I ask him why he didn't take my virginity and he apologizes.8. The soundtrack for the Asian Marvel movie should be equal partsAwkwafina, Rich Brian and the hammering of railroad tracks. 9. Action scenesshould take place far away from a fish market and nowhere near a cherry blossom festival.10. This, of course, would have to be set in the distant future, after Japan and Koreaapologize for the abundance of butterflies. 11. Perhaps our secret city will be under the sea,in the middle of the Pacific or any other ocean. Water is interchangeable, after all.Our assorted women warriors would surface from random streams, so when men call out "Konichiwa,bella cina!" they would not be mistaken, merely foretelling. 12. One October morning myfreshman year, I stumbled up the stairs still drunk from the night before. OnceI entered my suite, just a floor above, I ran to the bathroom and threw up. My hair was wetfrom either the vomit or the toilet bowl when I texted Jacob to tell him I had sex for the first time. (Iwas wearing a black shirt and velvet leggings that day) 13. I spoke no Korean,wore no dresses and saw no butterflies for a week. 14. But still,there is a movie to be made from all this, I swear. [End Page 102] R: Pre-Credit Sequence, or An Apology for the Butterflies [Scene 1]Open on a dark screen. Wait for the audience to realize that it is not blackbut a very dark yellow. Zoom in until gaps are visible, until one can noticethe fluttering of wings. It is an abundance of yellow butterflies. Suddenly, they fly off the camera toreveal a sea. Follow the flight of the butterflies as they all dive towards their death. [Scene 2]Underwater. Deeper. Shoot towards surface of the sea. A small brown mass startsto sink. Understand this to be the butterflies. They approach the camera. Suddenly, a hand, small,pale and desperate, enters the screen and attempts to scoop upthe butterflies. It disappears with most of them (from the center) but the restof the butterflies disperse. It looks like they are flying. [Scene 3]Cut to a small girl on land, whimpering, holding onto a handful of dead, wet butterflies. She shakesthem as gently as she can, trying to get them dry. They flop, lifeless in her hands. Some wings evenfall off the butterflies and onto the ground. Seeing this, the girl stops. She falls to the ground andstarts sobbing loudly. Allthe while, she leaves her hands spread out and straight, as to not disturb the butterflies. Zoom into asingle dead butterfly's wings until the screen looks black. [End Page 103] E Yeon Chang E Yeon...

Obesity and Vitamin D Insufficiency among Adolescent Girls and Young Adult Women from Korea.

Although there is evidence of the biological mechanisms by which obesity may induce vitamin D insufficiency or deficiency, limited epidemiological studies have been conducted, especially among Asian adolescent girls and young adult women who are at a high risk of vitamin D deficiency. This study aimed to examine the cross-sectional association between obesity and vitamin D insufficiency among adolescent girls and young adult women in Korea. We used data from the Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (KNHANES) 2008–2014, and 3623 girls and young adult women aged 12–29 years were included. Demographic and lifestyle data were collected using a self-administered questionnaire from the health interview survey. Serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25(OH)D) level, body mass index (BMI), and body fat percentage (BF%) were measured during health examinations. Multivariable logistic regression was used considering the complex, multistage probability sample design of KNHANES. In the multivariable-adjusted analyses, obese girls and women, defined by BMI, were more likely to have a higher prevalence of vitamin D insufficiency (odds ratio [OR]: 1.49, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.03–2.17). This association was also evident for BF%. Participants with ≥30% BF% had a significantly higher prevalence of vitamin D insufficiency (OR: 1.52, 95% CI: 1.07–2.16). Obesity may worsen vitamin D insufficiency among adolescents and young women because of the fat-soluble characteristics of vitamin D and related health behaviors, such as a lack of outdoor activity. Further large-scale prospective cohort studies or randomized controlled trials are warranted to confirm this causality.

Gender differences in attitude towards science: methodology for prioritising contributing factors

ABSTRACTUnderstanding secondary student attitudes towards science (SAS) is important if we are to increase the number and diversity of students who pursue STEM fields and address the gender imbalance in STEM careers. Existing studies that measured SAS tended to directly translate an ordinal scale (e.g., from ‘strongly agree’ to ‘strongly disagree’) into a set of linear scores (e.g. 5 for strongly agree and 1 for strongly disagree). We suggest that SAS constructs need to be calibrated on an interval scale in order to be meaningfully quantified. We propose the use of Rasch measurement where SAS constructs can be ranked according to their prevalence as SAS measurements. This paper implemented Rasch measurement to examine how Chinese boys and girls perceived different aspects of physics. A total of 495 boys and 490 girls from five secondary schools in Hong Kong participated in this study. An invariance analysis of SAS constructs important to boys and girls were found to have shown a similar hierarchy and that there are gender differences with respect to some but not all construct items. Main findings on how Asian boys and girls perceived physics, its implications and recommendations focusing on possible strategies to encourage girls to study physics are discussed.

When We Say Smart Asian Girl We Don’t Mean Smart (White) Girl: The Figure of the Asian Automaton and the Adolescent Artist in the Künstlerroman Genre

Abstract This article focuses on two figures, the Smart White Girl and the Asian Automaton in the filmic Künstlerromane, (500) Days of Summer, Lady Bird, and Juno. I argue that these films center around the artistic and moral development of their white, intelligent, and radical female protagonists (Smart White Girls) for which the figure of the model minority Asian family and/or female Asian nerd (Smart Asian Girls) act as foils. These taste-making rebels, lippy savants, and unruly girls are trying to free themselves from societal constraints in order to come of age. However, they must first overcome, deride, and reject what I call the figure of the Asian Automaton: censorious female Asian nerds or their conservative, silent, staring Asian families. My methodology&amp;#x97;which fuses critique with a more personal approach to academic writing&amp;#x97;allows me to discuss the problem of recognition and self-recognition for the Asian subject when watching these films.

Skeletal maturation in relation to ethnic background in children of school age: The Generation R Study.

Ethnicity is a well-established determinant of pediatric maturity, but the underlying genetic and environmental contributions to these ethnic differences are poorly comprehended. We aimed to evaluate the influence of ethnicity on skeletal age (SA), an assessment of pediatric maturation widely used in clinical settings. We included children from the Generation R Study, a multiethnic population-based pregnancy cohort, assessed at a mean age of 9.78 (±0.33) years. SA was evaluated by a trained observer on hand DXA scans using the Greulich and Pyle method. Ethnic background was defined as geographic ancestry (questionnaire-based assessment) (N=5325) and genetic ancestry (based on admixture analysis) (N=3413). Associations between the ethnic background and SA were investigated separately in boys and girls, using linear regression models adjusted for age, height and BMI. Based on geographic ancestry, 84% of the children were classified as European, 6% as Asian and 10% as African. Children of European background had on average younger SA than those of Asian or African descent. Asian boys had 0.46 (95% CI 0.26-0.66, p-value<0.0001) and African boys 0.36years (95% CI 0.20-0.53, p-value<0.0001) older SA as compared to European boys. Similarly, Asian girls showed 0.64 (95% CI 0.51-0.77, p-value<0.0001) and African girls 0.38years (95% CI 0.27-0.48, p-value<0.0001) older SA as compared to European girls. A similar pattern was observed in the analysis with genetically-defined ancestry. Furthermore, an increase in the proportion of Asian or African component was associated with older SA in both boys (log[Non-European/European]proportion=0.10, 95% CI 0.06-0.13, p-value<0.0001) and girls (log[Non-European/European]proportion=0.06, 95% CI 0.04-0.08, p-value<0.0001). In summary, children of Asian and African backgrounds have on average older SA as compared to children of European descent, partially explained by a genetic component.

Que(e)rying Youth Suicide: Sexism, Racism, and Violence in Skim and 13 Reasons Why

This paper troubles positivist and pathological discourses surrounding youth suicide through critical engagement with young adult fiction: Skim and 13 Reasons Why. These texts offer opportunities for readers to dwell on and question youth suicide prevention and intervention through an engagement with affect, gender, queerness, and race. Skim (2008, Groundwood) and 13 Reasons Why (2017) counter ‘it gets better’ stories: they interrogate the inevitability of bullying, question the predictable approaches that schools take in their response to violence, and assert that the issue at hand is more systematic. Together, these analytics que(e)ry youth suicide by asking: how does the biopolitics (or necropolitics) of livability fit into popularized understandings of youth suicide? Read together, Skim and 13 Reasons Why provide opportunities to meaningfully question livability through the characters of Skim and Courtney—two Asian girls who bear the brunt of racist and sexist violence. Skim becomes a ‘project’ of white girls’ anti-suicide campaign and Courtney is barely living as she attempts to secure the plaform of ‘model minority.’ Both girls are queer, too. In its entirety, this paper arguse that popularized models of suicide intervention continue to ignore the pressing needs of queer Asian girls—such as Skim and Courtney.

Bite Out Your Tongue

Bite Out Your Tongue

Body fat accrual trajectories for a sample of Asian-Canadian and Caucasian-Canadian children and youth: A longitudinal DXA-based study.

Body fat accrual trajectories can be used to monitor trends in body fat mass and identify potential health risks. Currently, no body fat percent (BF%) centile distance and velocity curves exist for Canadian youth. To develop sex-specific and ethnic-specific BF% centile distance and velocity curves for White and Asian-Canadian youth. We utilized 4734 observations from 944 participants (female = 487; Asian = 532) to create sex-specific BF% velocity curves for age 10 to 18 years and sex-specific and ethnic-specific BF% percentile distance curves for ages 9 to 18 years for White and Asian children. BF% was derived from whole body DXA scans. BF% centile distance curves for Asian and White girls were similar. BF% at most centiles plateaued around age 16 for Asian but not for White boys. Velocity curves for boys declined from age 11 to 13 years and then increased until age 18 years. For girls from 10 to 15 years, velocity curves converged towards the 50th centile then remained flat from 16 to 18 years. BF% distance and velocity centiles can be used to identify when an individual veers from an average BF% accrual trajectory. In future, these curves may be used to investigate differences in fat mass and accrual across Canada.