By: Saige Wilde As I have gotten older and look back on my life, I am able to see how important it was for me to see myself reflected in my community as well as in the media. I was very fortunate to grow up surrounded by many fellow adoptees around my age, and they are still my friends to this day. That was very valuable to me because adoption was able to be so normalized to me. In my mind, it was simply another way that families were created because I saw the same family dynamic I had at home in other families I encountered everyday, especially because a lot of them were transracial adoptions. I never felt odd about it and was comfortable knowing that if I told someone I was adopted they would understand. Having friends that looked like me was also very valuable growing up because I never felt self-conscious in the way that I looked. When we would all hang out, I never felt like I stood out or would be made fun of for the way that I looked. While the rest of country is not Asian, the core group of people I grew up with were and it helped me to be comfortable in my own skin. However being at college, the demographic is much different and meeting someone who is adopted is not as common. That was definitely an adjustment for me and I feel more self conscious bringing it up because I never know how people will react about it. That is why I am so happy to have fostered that community on campus through our club. We are able to discuss our experiences with others who “get it” in a way that non-adoptees do not understand, such as not knowing the details of your birth. This is especially when it comes to transracial adoption. It is one thing to grow up adopted but another layer of complexity is added when you are not the same ethnicity as your parents. Talking with other adoptees who grow up differently than I did, whether or not you had that community definitely had an impact on how you perceived adoption. Not having that adoption community can feel really isolating because so few people can relate to that experience. It doesn’t matter how “comfortable” you are about your adoption, it is still really important to be around people who understand your experience. You don’t even have to talk about adoption, it just is nice to know that you are not alone. Speaking on a panel at a Chinese adoption camp, I had the opportunity to meet with younger adoptees. Not all of them were open about sharing their experiences, but some of them mentioned that not all of their friends at school understood what adoption really was. This made it difficult for them to bring it up around their friends and a big reason why they liked the camp was because they enjoyed being around similar families to their own and that understood their background. That really stood out to me because I was able to see how growing up surrounded by fellow adoptees really helped me as well. I remember when Kung Fu Panda came out for the first time in theaters. It was incredible to see an adopted family on the big screen where adoption was only a small focus of the whole movie. The subsequent sequels have been very good as well, touching on many issues that adoptees face and displaying Chinese culture so prominently. I really enjoyed watching them because there is not a lot of media portraying adoption and I felt like it helped to bring more awareness about the subject. That was one reason why I liked watching the TV show Modern Family; it also normalized adoption, specifically transracial adoption, for a wide audience. Neither story focuses solely on adoption and makes the adoptee some tragic character, which is important to me because it emphasizes the fact that being adopted does not define the person (or panda) and is a nice reminder to people that families come together in many different ways. I also feel that it helps to break down the stereotypical adoptee experience that is portrayed. It makes me feel more confident going out in the world sharing my experience because that experience is getting more exposure. In the area of social media, I find a lot of content about adoption on YouTube. I like being able to see ordinary families that look like my own, even if much of it is from the parents’ perspective. I try to seek out content from adoptees as much as possible because I can really connect with it. I recently discovered the YouTube channel AGA Productions, which is hosted by two men who were both adopted from Korea. They aren’t afraid to talk about tough subjects but bring a lighthearted approach to it and I have a similar viewpoint as them. I do not personally know adoptees who are adults with their own families and careers so hearing that perspective is invaluable to me. Seeking out content created by adoptees was something I had never thought about until this past year, but I have really appreciated it. Whether it is watching Youtube videos, listening to a podcast, or reading a book, it is always validating to know that my experiences are shared by other adoptees. This is what I found … A significant reason why I believe that growing up around adoptive families was so valuable to me was because it was like having a built in support network. I was always surrounded by children who had similar experiences as me that I could talk to and the same went for the parents as well. There are many adoption services that provide camps and support services for families, ranging from Holt International to local camps hosted by families, similar to the one I have spoken at. In research, this is often categorized as “socialization” and there have been proven benefits to it. According to a study by Lee et al. published in 2018, “Participating in post-adoption support groups, training, and/or education appears to be related to higher engagement in cultural socialization activities among international transracial adoptive families.” Cultural socialization was defined by the study as “parenting practices that incorporate aspects of children's birth culture into their families.” The study also places emphasis on the fact that parents must be involved in the socialization of their child. These results are supported by a separate study conducted by Montgomery et al. in 2011 titled “Racial–Ethnic Socialization and Transracial Adoptee Outcomes: A Systematic Research Synthesis.” The meta-analysis looked at previous research to discover trends in the impacts of racial-ethnic socialization on adoptees. According to the study: Results indicated that healthy adoptee outcomes from parent racial–ethnic socialization included self-esteem when mediated by ethnic identity, psychological well-being when mediated by adoptive identity, and self-esteem when mediated by feelings of belongingness, adoptee delinquency, ethnic identity affirmation related to self-esteem, and adoptee adjustment. (Montgomery et al. 456) What this data is saying is that adoptees had healthy outcomes when their parents socialized them “with their race and/or ethnicity, [encouraged] racial–ethnic pride, and [taught] children about racism and discrimination and how to cope with racial oppression” (Montgomery et al. 440). These healthy outcomes were determined to be self-esteem, psychological well-being, a sense of belongingness and more, not only with their race and ethnicity but with their adoption as well. In terms of media representation, numerous studies have shown that representation has an impact on people’s perceptions of those minorities. A study conducted in 2017 by Dana Mastro, titled “Race and Ethnicity in U.S. Media Content and Effects,” concluded that “consuming the images and messages associated with racial/ethnic groups in the media contributes to the formation, activation, and application of racial/ethnic cognitions.” In addition, different study conducted by Gomillion and Guiliano in 2011 came to a similar conclusion, “[revealing] that media role models serve as sources of pride, inspiration, and comfort” for members of the LGBTQ+ community. We can extrapolate this information and make an educated guess that the increased media representation of adoptive families and their stories will expand people’s ideas on what adoption looks like. This will hopefully educate them on different family dynamics and enable them to have better discussions on the subject. The exposure of seeing others who look like you is extremely valuable for people as they develop and figure out who they are, whether it is in person on in the media. This is especially true for adoptees and plays a significant role in shaping their identity and self-esteem. I am so appreciative of the fact that I grew up in a large adoptive community that gave me a sense of belonging. I encourage everyone out there to seek out fellow members of the adoption community and to foster those relationships; it is a very powerful feeling to know that there are people out there who understand you and what you have experienced. References Gomillion, Sarah C., and Traci A. Giuliano. “The Influence of Media Role Models on Gay, Lesbian, and Bisexual Identity.” Journal of Homosexuality, vol. 58, no. 3, 22 Feb. 2011, pp. 330–354., doi:10.1080/00918369.2011.546729. Lee, Jaegoo, et al. “A Path Analysis of a Cultural and Racial Socialization Model in International Transracial Adoption: Racial Awareness, Self-Efficacy, and Socialization Practices.” Children and Youth Services Review, vol. 85, 5 Jan. 2018, pp. 333–340., doi:10.1016/j.childyouth.2018.01.002. Mastro, Dana. “Race and Ethnicity in U.S. Media Content and Effects.” Oxford Research Encyclopedias, Oxford University Press, 26 Sept. 2017, oxfordre.com/communication/view/10.1093/acrefore/9780190228613.001.0001/acrefore-9780190228613-e-122. Montgomery, Jordan E., and Nickolas A. Jordan. “Racial–Ethnic Socialization and Transracial Adoptee Outcomes: A Systematic Research Synthesis.” Child and Adolescent Social Work Journal, vol. 35, no. 5, 16 Apr. 2018, pp. 439–458., doi:10.1007/s10560-018-0541-9.
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