so i don't usually drool over bare chests, but this is a big deal to me for other reasons... and yeah, he's pretty easy on the eyes. my friends, i give you: harry shum, jr.
on one level, i'm happy to see an asian american male being highlighted as a sex symbol. i'm tired of seeing asian guys portrayed as asexual/non-threatening/quirky/laughable characters (exceptions that come to mind: bruce lee + any asian guy that shows up in the never-ending fast and furious franchise). current asian guys on TV, off the top of my head: aziz ansari, parks + rec; ken jeong + danny pudi, community; daniel dae kim + masi oka, hawaii five-o; john cho + b.d. wong, various cameos; the neighbor on king of the hill. these guys rarely get laid in TVland, even though many of them are fine. instead, they're often the funny, off-beat goofballs who crack jokes + act crazy while their white male counterparts act rugged + tough + end up with hot women in their beds.
on a more emotional level, i remember how hard it was for my brother + many of my asian guy friends when we were growing up + trying to figure out how to be cool in a world where there were so few cool asians in mainstream media to imitate. top gun came out when my brother was 5; we wore out our VHS copy, which was in heavy rotation until he was 10, maybe even after that (at that point i stopped spending time at home). i believe he would have given anything to be Maverick- to be rugged + tough, but most of all, to be universally admired by men + women. he developed an insecurity that i think i've noticed in other asian guys too, even long after they've left the torturous teenage years.
and then, decades later: harry shum, jr! someone anyone would love to hang out with- funny, an amazing dancer, good-looking, and cool. in TVland, he also plays a nonthreatening/quirky character, but that description applies to most of the guys on glee. in real life land, he's getting a lot of attention for his abs (seems like every magazine photo of him has him shirtless, as if his torso is allergic to fabric). i emailed people magazine to ask how many asian men have been selected for sexy man honors, but i doubt i'll get a reply. at any rate, i'm pretty sure the answer is a number under 10. which is why i'm adding harry shum, jr. to my "things that i'm thankful for" list.
on one level, i'm happy to see an asian american male being highlighted as a sex symbol. i'm tired of seeing asian guys portrayed as asexual/non-threatening/quirky/laughable characters (exceptions that come to mind: bruce lee + any asian guy that shows up in the never-ending fast and furious franchise). current asian guys on TV, off the top of my head: aziz ansari, parks + rec; ken jeong + danny pudi, community; daniel dae kim + masi oka, hawaii five-o; john cho + b.d. wong, various cameos; the neighbor on king of the hill. these guys rarely get laid in TVland, even though many of them are fine. instead, they're often the funny, off-beat goofballs who crack jokes + act crazy while their white male counterparts act rugged + tough + end up with hot women in their beds.
on a more emotional level, i remember how hard it was for my brother + many of my asian guy friends when we were growing up + trying to figure out how to be cool in a world where there were so few cool asians in mainstream media to imitate. top gun came out when my brother was 5; we wore out our VHS copy, which was in heavy rotation until he was 10, maybe even after that (at that point i stopped spending time at home). i believe he would have given anything to be Maverick- to be rugged + tough, but most of all, to be universally admired by men + women. he developed an insecurity that i think i've noticed in other asian guys too, even long after they've left the torturous teenage years.
and then, decades later: harry shum, jr! someone anyone would love to hang out with- funny, an amazing dancer, good-looking, and cool. in TVland, he also plays a nonthreatening/quirky character, but that description applies to most of the guys on glee. in real life land, he's getting a lot of attention for his abs (seems like every magazine photo of him has him shirtless, as if his torso is allergic to fabric). i emailed people magazine to ask how many asian men have been selected for sexy man honors, but i doubt i'll get a reply. at any rate, i'm pretty sure the answer is a number under 10. which is why i'm adding harry shum, jr. to my "things that i'm thankful for" list.
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