Asian Woman Discovers Racist Photobomb Behind Her: PHOTO

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        Asian Woman Floored After Picture Captures Racist Photobomb Happening Behind Her At Restaurant
    

        @yeaenee/Twitter
    
19-year-old Emory College student Rebekah Lee was dining at a restaurant in Atlanta, but didn't notice what was happening behind her as she had her picture taken.
By Koh MochizukiNov 18, 2022
Koh Mochizuki

	Koh Mochizuki is a Los Angeles based actor whose work has been spotted anywhere from Broadway stages to Saturday Night Live.

	He received his B.A. in English literature and is fluent in Japanese.

	In addition to being a neophyte photographer, he is a huge Disney aficionado and is determined to conquer all Disney parks in the world to publish a photographic chronicle one day. Mickey goals.

	Instagram: kohster Twitter: @kohster1 Flickr: nyckmo
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An Asian college student who had her picture taken at a ramen restaurant in Atlanta was shocked to discover she was the subject of a racist photobomb.
Rebekah Lee is a 19-year-old student at Emory College of Arts & Sciences who was a patron at the Ton-Ton Ramen restaurant at Ponce City Market on Saturday.
When her food arrived, she had her photo taken. 
To her dismay, Lee noticed that a woman behind her in the photo appeared to be teaching or encouraging a young girl to pull back her eyes, causing them to narrow in a slant.
The gesture is typically used to mock Asian eyes.
Lee couldn't believe the casualness at which the gesture was essentially being passed down to the next generation inside what should be a safe space for those seeking comfort food from an identifying culture. 
Warning: racist gesture.
@yeaenee/Twitter

No, they are not rubbing their temples to relieve a migraine.


@yeaenee/Twitter

No, they are not exchanging telepathic messages at the table.
They are literally pulling the corners of their eyes back. 
What would drive an adult to motivate a child to do this at an Asian restaurant?

@yeaenee/Twitter
Lee spoke to NextShark about the incident. 
“[I] had my picture taken when the food came out,” said Lee. “I did not notice the people behind me at all." 
"I had heard giggling from the two, but I presumed it to be a happy family outing." She didn't find out until later what was happening behind her. 
"After receiving the pictures later that night, I noticed that scene in the background of my picture." Lee said she tweeted the photo the next day, "not expecting the reception I received.”
Her tweet went viral with over 500K likes and well over 64K retweets. 
In the viral tweet, Lee instructed viewers to take a closer look at the other element in the photo.
"Hold up.. lets zoom, in here," she wrote.
\u201chold up.. lets zoom in here\u201d
 — rebkah (@rebkah)
        1668373546
In a follow-up tweet, Lee brought up another incident in which she was made fun of for the same physical feature. 
\u201cis this the time to say someone told me like two months ago that i should \u201cembrace my asian eyes\u201dand \u201clove my squint\u201d\u201d
 — rebkah (@rebkah)
        1668402546
Lee continued telling the media outlet:
"Although I can’t confirm that the faces that the parent and child were making were truly meant offensively, I can’t deny the context and situation that they are in."People were outraged over the scene taking place behind the college student.

\u201c@yeaenee not them literally being at an Asian restaurant\u201d
 — rebkah (@rebkah)
        1668373546
\u201c@yeaenee imagine enjoying our food and still manage to hate the people \ud83d\udc80\ud83d\udc80\ud83d\udc80\u201d
 — rebkah (@rebkah)
        1668373546
\u201c@yeaenee hate crimed in ur own space lawd\u201d
 — rebkah (@rebkah)
        1668373546

\u201c@yeaenee If you don\u2019t like people if a certain race, you shouldn\u2019t be allowed to eat their food or listen to their music.\u201d
 — rebkah (@rebkah)
        1668373546

\u201c@yeaenee eat asian food but still there's so much hate against Asian people. I've never understood it. Disgusting mother teaching her daughter how to be a trash\ud83e\udd27\u201d
 — rebkah (@rebkah)
        1668373546

\u201c@yeaenee being racist towards Asian\u2026.at an Asian restaurant. Like the audacity and lack of self awareness is unmatched with them\u201d
 — rebkah (@rebkah)
        1668373546

\u201c@yeaenee How they gon surround themselves with ppl they hate and then to teach their snot nosed kid that mess? Bye \ud83e\udd21\u201d
 — rebkah (@rebkah)
        1668373546


A handful of people were confused as to why this might be offensive.

\u201c@yeaenee You do realize that pulling your eyes to the side like that doesn\u2019t mean you hate Asian people.  I\u2019m not sure why that is the conclusion you guys are all jumping to.\u201d
 — rebkah (@rebkah)
        1668373546


\u201c@yeaenee Can please someone explain to me why this is considered a "racist" and "hateful" behavior ? Im really confused\u201d
 — rebkah (@rebkah)
        1668373546
\u201c@yeaenee @favrudeboi This picture has no context. If they were being blatantly racist then say that lmao why leave it to our interpretation? She could be teaching her how to massage her temples or something idk. This kinda weird.\u201d
 — rebkah (@rebkah)
        1668373546

\u201c@yeaenee @favrudeboi Y\u2019all mad at me for this, but hear me out. I believe unless you are already racist or prejudice this situation could be easily confused. you can show a random person this image and ask \u201cwhat\u2019s wrong with this picture\u201d and they won\u2019t immediately say \u201coh they\u2019re being racist\u201d-\u201d
 — rebkah (@rebkah)
        1668373546

\u201c@yeaenee I did this as a child, y'all look different. It came out of curiosity and not some malicious intent. The mom idk, maybe she did or did not see you, the child is playing.\u201d
 — rebkah (@rebkah)
        1668373546

\u201c@yeaenee As a white person\nI know that we have a lot of bad eggs in the mix but please don\u2019t blame the ENTIRE white race for this\u201d
 — rebkah (@rebkah)
        1668373546

In response to the confusion, these users took the opportunity to enlighten the ignorant crowd.
\u201c@yeaenee 7 year old adopted me punching a \u201cnew\u201d cousin in the face at a family reunion for doing the same thing. The whites got upset and said \u2018he was just teasing you\u2019 And I replied \u2018then why am I not laughing?\u2019\n\nRacism taught, approved, and defended by\n\u2018my new family\u2019 good times \ud83e\udee0\u201d
 — rebkah (@rebkah)
        1668373546
\u201c@yeaenee Before I clicked this I thought they had their finders on their templells pretending to read eachothers thoughts and I was like aww that's so cute/funny\ud83d\ude04... and then I clicked it and was like ah racism.. again\u2639\ufe0f\u201d
 — rebkah (@rebkah)
        1668373546


\u201c@yoyoyo1249 @yeaenee It\u2019s mocking and making fun of a very common physical attribute that most Asians have (slanted eyes). It\u2019s very inappropriate. There\u2019s actually no context on why this would be ok to do.\u201d
 — rebkah (@rebkah)
        1668373546
\u201c@yeaenee are y\u2019all genuinely saying maybe this was innocent when they are in an asian restaurant sitting with asian people knowingly\u201d
 — rebkah (@rebkah)
        1668373546
\u201c@yeaenee let me say it LOUDER, RACISM IS TAUGHT \ud83d\udce3\u201d
 — rebkah (@rebkah)
        1668373546
\u201c@yeaenee Racism is a learned attitude and behavior. They thought that was cute. It wasnt.\u201d
 — rebkah (@rebkah)
        1668373546


It can't erase the memory of what happened, but these edited images were the next best thing.
\u201c@yeaenee hold on ma'am, it's much better this way ! \ud83d\udc98\u201d
 — rebkah (@rebkah)
        1668373546
\u201c@yeaenee Me: (zoom in here) \ud83e\udd24\u201d
 — rebkah (@rebkah)
        1668373546
\u201c@yeaenee Pixel 6\u201d
 — rebkah (@rebkah)
        1668373546
Asians have long been subjected to mockery for their eyes. 
Now, there is a new development in the beauty industry where the facial feature has turned into a trend called the "fox eye"  that is being accused of cultural appropriation and being racially insensitive. 
The makeup trend involves non-AAPI people elongating their eyes to achieve almond-shaped eyes that were popularized by the likes of Bella Hadid and Kendall Jenner–neither of whom is Asian. 
“Throughout our lives, our eyes have been weaponized against us and now we’re being told that we should be grateful that society is finally embracing them,” says  Alyssa Ho–an anti-racism advocate. 
“Asians have been bullied, ridiculed, ostracised, mocked and humiliated for our eyes [and now] our eyes have been appropriated to become a trend that many take part in for the aesthetic rather than to show appreciation.”Another reason why Lee's negative reaction to her photo was warranted can be explained by Cary Chow, who wrote an article on why the slanted-eye gesture needs to stop. 
"For many Asian-Americans, the gesture represents the concept of otherness." He added that "when others reduce your entire identity to a simple facial feature, it can have a lasting psychological effect."
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An Asian college student who had her picture taken at a ramen restaurant in Atlanta was shocked to discover she was the subject of a racist photobomb.

Rebekah Lee is a 19-year-old student at Emory College of Arts & Sciences who was a patron at the Ton-Ton Ramen restaurant at Ponce City Market on Saturday.

When her food arrived, she had her photo taken.

To her dismay, Lee noticed that a woman behind her in the photo appeared to be teaching or encouraging a young girl to pull back her eyes, causing them to narrow in a slant.

The gesture is typically used to mock Asian eyes.

Lee couldn't believe the casualness at which the gesture was essentially being passed down to the next generation inside what should be a safe space for those seeking comfort food from an identifying culture.

Warning: racist gesture.

@yeaenee/Twitter

No, they are not rubbing their temples to relieve a migraine.

@yeaenee/Twitter

No, they are not exchanging telepathic messages at the table.

They are literally pulling the corners of their eyes back.

What would drive an adult to motivate a child to do this at an Asian restaurant?

@yeaenee/Twitter

Lee spoke to NextShark about the incident.

“[I] had my picture taken when the food came out,” said Lee. “I did not notice the people behind me at all."

"I had heard giggling from the two, but I presumed it to be a happy family outing."

She didn't find out until later what was happening behind her.

"After receiving the pictures later that night, I noticed that scene in the background of my picture."

Lee said she tweeted the photo the next day, "not expecting the reception I received.”

Her tweet went viral with over 500K likes and well over 64K retweets.

In the viral tweet, Lee instructed viewers to take a closer look at the other element in the photo.

"Hold up.. lets zoom, in here," she wrote.

\u201chold up.. lets zoom in here\u201d
— rebkah (@rebkah) 1668373546

In a follow-up tweet, Lee brought up another incident in which she was made fun of for the same physical feature.

\u201cis this the time to say someone told me like two months ago that i should \u201cembrace my asian eyes\u201dand \u201clove my squint\u201d\u201d
— rebkah (@rebkah) 1668402546

Lee continued telling the media outlet:

"Although I can’t confirm that the faces that the parent and child were making were truly meant offensively, I can’t deny the context and situation that they are in."

People were outraged over the scene taking place behind the college student.

\u201c@yeaenee not them literally being at an Asian restaurant\u201d
— rebkah (@rebkah) 1668373546

\u201c@yeaenee imagine enjoying our food and still manage to hate the people \ud83d\udc80\ud83d\udc80\ud83d\udc80\u201d
— rebkah (@rebkah) 1668373546

\u201c@yeaenee hate crimed in ur own space lawd\u201d
— rebkah (@rebkah) 1668373546

\u201c@yeaenee If you don\u2019t like people if a certain race, you shouldn\u2019t be allowed to eat their food or listen to their music.\u201d
— rebkah (@rebkah) 1668373546

\u201c@yeaenee eat asian food but still there's so much hate against Asian people. I've never understood it. Disgusting mother teaching her daughter how to be a trash\ud83e\udd27\u201d
— rebkah (@rebkah) 1668373546

\u201c@yeaenee being racist towards Asian\u2026.at an Asian restaurant. Like the audacity and lack of self awareness is unmatched with them\u201d
— rebkah (@rebkah) 1668373546

\u201c@yeaenee How they gon surround themselves with ppl they hate and then to teach their snot nosed kid that mess? Bye \ud83e\udd21\u201d
— rebkah (@rebkah) 1668373546

A handful of people were confused as to why this might be offensive.

\u201c@yeaenee You do realize that pulling your eyes to the side like that doesn\u2019t mean you hate Asian people. I\u2019m not sure why that is the conclusion you guys are all jumping to.\u201d
— rebkah (@rebkah) 1668373546

\u201c@yeaenee Can please someone explain to me why this is considered a "racist" and "hateful" behavior ? Im really confused\u201d
— rebkah (@rebkah) 1668373546

\u201c@yeaenee @favrudeboi This picture has no context. If they were being blatantly racist then say that lmao why leave it to our interpretation? She could be teaching her how to massage her temples or something idk. This kinda weird.\u201d
— rebkah (@rebkah) 1668373546

\u201c@yeaenee @favrudeboi Y\u2019all mad at me for this, but hear me out. I believe unless you are already racist or prejudice this situation could be easily confused. you can show a random person this image and ask \u201cwhat\u2019s wrong with this picture\u201d and they won\u2019t immediately say \u201coh they\u2019re being racist\u201d-\u201d
— rebkah (@rebkah) 1668373546

\u201c@yeaenee I did this as a child, y'all look different. It came out of curiosity and not some malicious intent. The mom idk, maybe she did or did not see you, the child is playing.\u201d
— rebkah (@rebkah) 1668373546

\u201c@yeaenee As a white person\nI know that we have a lot of bad eggs in the mix but please don\u2019t blame the ENTIRE white race for this\u201d
— rebkah (@rebkah) 1668373546

In response to the confusion, these users took the opportunity to enlighten the ignorant crowd.

\u201c@yeaenee 7 year old adopted me punching a \u201cnew\u201d cousin in the face at a family reunion for doing the same thing. The whites got upset and said \u2018he was just teasing you\u2019 And I replied \u2018then why am I not laughing?\u2019\n\nRacism taught, approved, and defended by\n\u2018my new family\u2019 good times \ud83e\udee0\u201d
— rebkah (@rebkah) 1668373546

\u201c@yeaenee Before I clicked this I thought they had their finders on their templells pretending to read eachothers thoughts and I was like aww that's so cute/funny\ud83d\ude04... and then I clicked it and was like ah racism.. again\u2639\ufe0f\u201d
— rebkah (@rebkah) 1668373546

\u201c@yoyoyo1249 @yeaenee It\u2019s mocking and making fun of a very common physical attribute that most Asians have (slanted eyes). It\u2019s very inappropriate. There\u2019s actually no context on why this would be ok to do.\u201d
— rebkah (@rebkah) 1668373546

\u201c@yeaenee are y\u2019all genuinely saying maybe this was innocent when they are in an asian restaurant sitting with asian people knowingly\u201d
— rebkah (@rebkah) 1668373546

\u201c@yeaenee let me say it LOUDER, RACISM IS TAUGHT \ud83d\udce3\u201d
— rebkah (@rebkah) 1668373546

\u201c@yeaenee Racism is a learned attitude and behavior. They thought that was cute. It wasnt.\u201d
— rebkah (@rebkah) 1668373546

It can't erase the memory of what happened, but these edited images were the next best thing.

\u201c@yeaenee hold on ma'am, it's much better this way ! \ud83d\udc98\u201d
— rebkah (@rebkah) 1668373546

\u201c@yeaenee Me: (zoom in here) \ud83e\udd24\u201d
— rebkah (@rebkah) 1668373546

\u201c@yeaenee Pixel 6\u201d
— rebkah (@rebkah) 1668373546

Asians have long been subjected to mockery for their eyes.

Now, there is a new development in the beauty industry where the facial feature has turned into a trend called the "fox eye" that is being accused of cultural appropriation and being racially insensitive.

The makeup trend involves non-AAPI people elongating their eyes to achieve almond-shaped eyes that were popularized by the likes of Bella Hadid and Kendall Jenner–neither of whom is Asian.

“Throughout our lives, our eyes have been weaponized against us and now we’re being told that we should be grateful that society is finally embracing them,” says Alyssa Ho–an anti-racism advocate.

“Asians have been bullied, ridiculed, ostracised, mocked and humiliated for our eyes [and now] our eyes have been appropriated to become a trend that many take part in for the aesthetic rather than to show appreciation.”

Another reason why Lee's negative reaction to her photo was warranted can be explained by Cary Chow, who wrote an article on why the slanted-eye gesture needs to stop.

"For many Asian-Americans, the gesture represents the concept of otherness."

He added that "when others reduce your entire identity to a simple facial feature, it can have a lasting psychological effect."

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Asian Woman Floored After Picture Captures Racist Photobomb Happening Behind Her At Restaurant

19-year-old Emory College student Rebekah Lee was dining at a restaurant in Atlanta, but didn't notice what was happening behind her as she had her picture taken.

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