HANNAH KANG

NYSU: I'll start off by asking how do you feel? 

Hannah: It feels good. I don't usually wear traditional clothes or do these [photoshoots], so I was just like, “This sounds really interesting and fun.” It’s been a cool experience. 

What was intriguing about Roots & Radiance for you? 

I think this idea of an Asian American woman putting on traditional clothes and what that [usually] means because there are so few reasons to [wear our traditional clothing], unless it's a holiday, but my family doesn't even really wear traditional wear for holidays anymore. I think I resonate [most] with the idea of empowerment and claiming your roots, but in the way that looks right for you and interpreting that – while still being respectful. [For example], not wearing a flower in my hair. I totally would've done it, but my mom said, “No, it’s not appropriate [for this look].” 

How do you think you’re continuing to represent being a modern woman in America while also being Korean – are you full Korean? 

I'm full Korean, yeah. I'm actually really glad I got to wear [this Hanbok]. This is a pretty modern version of a Hanbok. People may not think it's very traditional, but it's my grandmother's interpretation of what she wanted to wear. In some ways, that represents how I tend to feel about my Korean American identity, especially because my mom came [to America] when she was pretty young so I grew up with a very progressive 1.5-generation Korean American mom. But I had very strict tiger grandparents who also raised me. Growing up around a lot of traditional second-generation Korean Americans, whose parents were [more strict], felt like I had a little bit of both worlds – I had more freedom to pick and choose what I wanted to keep [about my culture] without my parents being the one telling me what to do. In some ways, I feel like this dress actually represents that [dynamic] – it's not traditional but it's familiar, and it's an interpretation of what that [dynamic] means [for me]. 

How do you feel like your culture and traditions continue to influence your identity? 

My family didn't really talk about [our cultural traditions]. It was just taken, almost, for granted. “This is what we do and this is how we are.” I grew up in an Asian enclave actually, so I didn't really have to question [my culture] growing up, until I went to college and I went out of state. I'm from Flushing [Queens], so when I went to an out-of-state [college], suddenly, I was very aware of what my culture meant to other people who weren't familiar with it. I had to figure out for myself what [my culture] meant to me and not try to just relegate to the stereotypes that people had. It's still a process, but as I get older, I realize the [values] that stay with me and make me who I am are hard work, family, collectivism, and humility. There's so much pressure to not hold onto those values in America, especially if you're in the corporate [world]. And you have to adapt in a way to [hold onto those values]. For me, I've made it a choice to try to embody [my Korean values] within my personal life.  

And how do you do so? 

Just little things. I think the collectivist mentality tends to be quite prevalent in [the Korean] culture, and could be very jarring in corporate America. [For example], I'm in a work situation and it just dawns on me that I'm the one who looks at it as a team effort versus other people, even though that [mentality] doesn't get me up the [corporate] ladder, but that's just what I'm going to do. At the same time, I’m trying to be fair to myself and advocate for myself, even though it doesn't feel natural, while still thinking about the team, and thinking collectively how we can do better. 

What do you think is the difference between being Korean versus Korean-American? 

I think growing up I always said I'm Korean. To this day, I still say I'm Korean, but especially because Korean culture has become so popularized now, I feel the need to distinguish it myself by saying I'm Korean American. Because when I say Korean, I think people naturally assume I know a lot about K-dramas and [K-pop] music and what's happening in Korea, and I don't – I'm not from there. I don't spend a lot of time there. Korean Americanness is very much its own thing. I view it as a third culture. It's not fully Korean, it's not fully American. It truly is an embodiment of both. And what that looks like for everybody is a little bit different. It depends on how you're raised, but it is very different. And I think only people who have that experience of being a third culture kid can understand that. It's not defined either. I think some Korean Americans may feel there's only one way to be a Korean American at times, and I think that's a notion that also needs to be challenged. 

How do you think your relationship with your culture, being Korean and being Korean American, has evolved in connection with your own journey? 

That's a really good question. It's definitely evolved. There are so many thoughts on this actually. I feel like Korean Americans are a very interesting group because right now, it's a weird time – America is discovering and falling in love with Korean culture, and in some ways, that benefits us because we are associated with it, but we're not really part of it, at the same time. Twenty years ago, people didn't even know what Korea was, and people didn't know what kimchi was, and it felt like no one [understood the culture]. But now it's so shared, and as a Korean American, I'm trying to figure out what's my role in all of this. I have this indirect expectation to represent this culture, but what Korean culture is to me is my immigrant family. It's not the glitz and the glamor, and it's not the hot dogs. So I think that's been a huge evolution for me as I've gotten older – finding an answer to how people are asking me to represent Korea while [learning] what Korean culture means to me, and not straying away from that. That does need to be talked about too. 

That's a really good point you made – there is that sort of underlying fight or challenge of what the world's view of [one’s] culture is versus being an embodiment of [said] culture. Explain more about how you said Korean culture to you is your immigrant family. 

When I think, “What does Korean culture mean to me,” it's my family. It's the story of them immigrating here, working really hard, sacrificing everything for their kids and their grandkids to have a better life. My parents are divorced, and when my mom got divorced, my maternal grandparents just immediately took us in, and they raised [me] since I was three. That sort of collectivism mentality is something I really – it's not unique to Koreans by any means – believe is a big part of our [Korean] culture and resilience. We're just very resilient people, and we're so proud of who we are – it is something to be proud of. We're such a tiny country but the influence [Korea] has on art, music, food…everything. It's really crazy to me. I'm very proud of that, too. But it does come from Korean people. I think we went from being a third world country in the seventies to becoming this powerhouse. It's through things like resilience and hard work and just being survivors through all the things we've been through in history – just those values are what I think of when I think of Korean culture and the food. 

And the food! 

Food always is a huge representation of every culture. 

When I went back [to Vietnam], I thought, “What are these flavors and what are these dishes?” And that food exploration deepens your relationship with your own culture as well. You're constantly learning about yourself. 

That's how I feel when I go to Korea, too. [For example], when you look at how makeup artists or hairstylists are doing [different styles] for people who look like you – there are so many options and [it makes you think], “This is what it's like when you can live up to your fullest potential.” Because we’re limited in America, in a way, [that doesn’t allow us to explore our culture].

How do you feel like you're creating your own lane in representing Korean culture? 

I don't actively try to do anything, but I [also] don't shy away from it. Sometimes I think it's kind of considered Korean to not act like you care so much and be like, “Oh, she's Korean. I have to support [her].” Then, some Korean Americans are like, “No, we don't do that.” But I'm very much about [supporting Koreans]. I support Korean American entrepreneurs, especially women-owned small businesses, and artists. Even in the city, there are museums that are showcasing entire collections of Korean art, and I really go out of my way to just immerse myself in that. At the same time, when I meet other people and they ask me, “What is Korea like?” or “What is Korean culture?” I am very honest about my story and the fact that I'm a Korean in the context of being an American. So yeah, I just don't shy away from it – I embrace all the benefits of this current global Korean wave we're on. 

How do you hope to expand on your own relationship with your culture? 

I think I would like to become more fluent in Korean, actually. Because with all the dramas and movies, I would like to better understand [them], but [overall], I think it’s more for the community. I would love to see the Korean American community become more collectively united in terms of acknowledging our Korean Americanness. It looks very different for everybody, but there are some people who see it very black and white – you either act super Korean or you act super American. The middle lane is what I feel, not all of us really acknowledge. Also, because it just hasn't really been defined for us, but I do have Filipino-American friends, and they're very comfortable with that [middle]. I don't get the sense it's as much of a black and white thing for them. So I think expansion wise, I would just love for there to be more conversations about what is Korean Americanness, and to honor that, not gatekeep – sort of acknowledge the diversity within that label and not say, “Well, that's not Korean enough” or “That’s not American enough.” It's never going to be black and white. And more Korean American artists too, I think should be acknowledged. There are so many things coming from Korea, which I think is great, but I think Korean American art is also important too. 

What's your main takeaway from being a part of Roots & Radiance – being in a room full of other women, of different cultures? 

I think this is amazing. There's so much cultural diversity in that one room. I wasn't sure what everyone's background was, but I could tell how diverse it was. The Asian American experience is exactly that. We're such a diverse diaspora under that label, but I sometimes feel like functionally or in person, it doesn't always pan out that way. I think it's powerful to witness what that diversity looks like under one roof. There are differences, but there’s still a kind of shared experience. And creating art together around that I think is really, really powerful, so it was very empowering for me to be a part  of [this campaign].