Social Distancing Proves Difficult for White Woman Wanting to Show Off Asian Boyfriend
Amy Bland was absolutely devastated when she heard that she would have to quarantine away from her family and friends. The 28-year-old had just made plans to bring the man she began dating to brunch. “I was so excited to walk in with Jon Chu and see the look on everyone’s faces! I don’t think any of my friends have been with an Asian before. I’d be the first!” Amy says, who uses Jon’’s full name in every sentence to remind her family and friends she is dating an Asian man.
“I knew I wanted him to be my boyfriend. I just kept thinking of how I could drop ‘Actually, my boyfriend is Asian’ or ‘we are dealing with a lot of racism’ in every conversation,’” says Amy, as she whispers ‘racism,’ which, according to Amy, is a word she doesn’t even like to use. “It has so much negativity associated with it, and I hate that it's the first thing that comes to mind when people look at me or when they speak to me or especially, when they read my tweets.”
However, it seems that, with the quarantine expected to go on for months, Amy may never get her chance to introduce Jon. “I wish I could introduce Jon Chu to my family. I’d finally show my brother’s girlfriend that I am cultured while she continues to date some boring white boy.” Amy says hysterically, almost knocking over her collection of the Crazy Rich Asians book series she bought to ‘learn about their culture.’
For now, Amy is sending her family, friends, and random minorities daily updates on how she and Jon are doing, occasionally adding, “We’re getting by. Every day is a journey but I wouldn’t expect anyone to truly understand how I feel.”
When asked what would happen when Jon inevitably breaks up with her, Amy confidently said that she would simply date "another Asian, maybe even a South one."
“I am in too deep," she explains, "And I can’t back away now, especially with everything that's going on in the world! I have to show that I am an ally.”
However, Amy does have a backup: her neighbor, Ali Chaudhry, a Pakistani, who she said is very 'exotic looking.' "I’ve always wanted to strike up a conversation with my co-worker, Fatima. I am sure she’d practically call me family if she knew I was with an Indian man.”
