​Mitski and Diaspora: Arguments over Representation for Asian Americans

Since releasing her debut album, Lush, in 2012, the words of Mitski’s songs have echoed throughout the Asian American youth population. While describing struggles of mental health and sexism, her lyrics express the effects of Asian diaspora and the unique experiences of mixed race Asian women. Mitski’s discography both validates Asian experiences and allows others to view into a new perspective. 

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For her relatability and unique music, Mitski has grown popular among a fanbase of Asian Americans. At the same time, she has also grown an audience of white listeners who enjoy the same songs of diaspora and Asian American struggles of belonging. Given the diversity of her listeners, Mitski isn’t only an artist for people of color. Still, as her music is increasingly tied with an identity of pan-Asianism, representing the intimate disconnect Asian people feel with their culture, some listeners feel that the true meanings of her music are erased or ignored by white listeners to fit a less racialized narrative.

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To some extent, that concern is true. When Mitski’s song Strawberry Blond blossomed in online spaces, primarily white audiences across social media platforms enjoyed the song and claimed it as a key part of the cottagecore aesthetic. After all, the song’s cheerful melody, Mitski’s honey-like voice, and the buzzing of bees seem reminiscent of a day in a summer field, softly conjuring an image of escaping monotonous life for sweet moments in the countryside. However, Strawberry Blond’s intended meaning is far from melodic: as Mitski sings of her struggles fitting into white America’s expectations of beauty, she references an experience unique to women of color. In fact, throughout her discography, Mitski expresses the subtleties of growing up Asian in America, fighting issues with body image, and facing mental health issues. As the meanings of other songs, like Your Best American Girl, are misinterpreted or ignored by white communities, it raises the question: to what extent are white audiences entitled to enjoying media dedicated to the experiences of minority communities?

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A key factor to remember in considering such is that Mitski’s music is defined by her experiences as a woman of color. As stated in Lina Wong’s piece “Gatekeeping Mitski”, her music especially resonates with a niche demographic of people: “the mentally ill, multicultural, first generation eldest daughters who never truly felt beautiful under white American beauty standards.” After all, she echoes the feelings of a group otherwise unheard of, sharing how individuals struggle when caught between two cultures or striving to be “more American”.

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While her music serves a specific demographic, there’s a reason why other groups of people relate to her songs so deeply. She sings of her rejection from mainstream white society as an Asian woman, and as she strives to be a part of it, she describes the cultural disconnect she feels due to her identity as a woman of color. Her experience of not relating to the structure of white America resonates with a larger audience; Mitski’s songs of not meeting societal expectations or feeling less beautiful for inborn differences speak to a variety of people with different identities, including white people. 

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It’s critical to note that white listeners come from a place of privilege when enjoying Mitski’s music. To hear representation for Asian Americans experiencing the struggles specific to being first generation is rare, but music rejecting mainstream culture is easily accessible for white audiences. 

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So, while white listeners put on a Mitski song, they’re entitled to enjoying it-- just not claiming it as their own. Mitski’s music remains deeply important to Asian audiences for the representation it brings, and listeners should foremostly understand the woman of color perspective from which Mitski writes.

 

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Sources
“Mitski – Strawberry Blond.” Genius, https://genius.com/Mitski-strawberry-blond-lyrics.

Williams, Shepherd Lee. “Mitski, Misinterpretation, and Asian American Identity.” Eagle's Scream, 4 June 2021, https://www.erscream.com/post/mitski-misinterpretation-and-asian-american-identity. 

Wong, Lina. “Gatekeeping Mitski.” Unpublished, Unpublished, 2 July 2021, https://www.unpublishedzine.com/music-1/gatekeeping-mitskinbsp.