American snowboarder Chloe Kim astonished millions through her gold medal-winning performances during the 2018 pyeongchang Olympics at the young age of 17. It was here that Kim became the youngest woman to ever land two 1080-degree spins in a row. She also became the youngest woman to ever win gold at the Olympics in the halfpipe, surpassing the past record holder, Kelly Clark, who was 18.This record landed her a position on Time magazine’s annual Time 100 list. Kim’s parents emigrated from South Korea, and Kim resides currently in California as a first-generation Korean-American. She poses as a star snowboarder to the public eye as well as a role model for young Korean Americans.
As the topic of Chloe Kim came up during a typical day at the Korean school I attended, my classmates and I did a little research on this so-called prodigy. Article after article, we read about her story– one that the seven of us were all captivated by. We too have parents who immigrated from South Korea. We too have been raised to speak not in one language but a blend of two. We too are young Korean Americans with passions and dreams. Learning about Chloe Kim was an inspiring adventure. Following the story and success of a figure that radiated with such familiarity to us made us ponder the possibilities of us being able to do the exact same. This glimpse of hope was a feeling rather rare to us as the Asian culture in general is under-represented in current-day media. The neglecting of Asian-American achievement results in a lack of role models for young and aspiring Asian-Americans. In addition, the absence of Asian American representation in Hollywood has been an ongoing issue that has still not seen drastic improvement. In a recent study by USC Annenberg, the proportion of Asian Americans in top grossing films was found to be around 5%. And even though these minimal appearances of Asians do exist, their portrayals are not executed with justice. Films like Crazy Rich Asians and Mulan do their part in casting Asian casts but they remain as one-hit wonders, feeding into the unchanging mainstream.
If we were to see more Asian American actors and athletes making a name for themselves while being equally publicized, more young Asian American girls and boys will learn that they are just as capable as anyone else in achieving their goals. Chloe Kim is gliding down mountains already carving this path, inspiring youth worldwide to go after their big dreams.