Chonny as she is known by her friends, but Mai Chong Vang, as she was named by her parents, is proud of her Hmong American heritage.
Chonny lives in East Central Fresno with her family and practices Shamanism.
She wrote about her experience of growing up Hmong for New American Media.
Chonny notes what is admired in Hmong culture is often the opposite of values revered in American culture.
For instance, women are considered more beautiful in Hmong culture if they are thick, while Americans tend to prefer thinner girls.
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She wrote:
Because both Hmong and American cultures influence me, I am impacted by each set of expectations. I’m continually trying to figure out what’s right for me and I tend to try to follow American culture. I would prefer to be skinnier than thick because American society judges people by their weight and wants you to be skinny and feel thin.
You can hear Chonny describe her balancing act of American and Hmong values on New American Media.
