Michelle Kwan: Female Role Model Figure Skating Hero

We all know the famous 9 U.S. Championship, 5 World Championship, and 2 Olympic Championship figure skating Michelle Kwan who has been an icon for women and Asian Americans.  Being born and raised in the Torrance, CA as a Second Generation Chinese American, Michelle Kwan started her first encounter of figure skating at the age of 5 with her two siblings, Ron and Karen Kwan.  She was able to receive her first 1st Place World Champion in the year 1996 at the age of 16.  Because of the passion, joy, and love Michelle has for skating, she then continued figured skating and has been an influential skater representing the United States.   Through all the injuries and the falls that has occurred to her while performing and practicing, she took those incidents as an ambition to grow stronger and work harder, which was a value taught to her while she was growing up.  Because of this, Michelle Kwan very much represents America's ideal image of an Asian American or an Asian immigrant.

With her artistic skills, success and spirits, Michelle was able to publish her own experience into books, such as "The Winning Attitude", in order to spread the inspirational message from the values, hardship, and struggles (taught by her parents) that she has endeavor throughout her lifetime of skating. Not only can the novel relate to other women but it can also very much relate to many Asian American lives who has struggle for survival and how they now are seen as the "model minority" today. Michelle Kwan, up until today, has been seen as a role model and a prestigious figure skater to both the American and Asian American society.

Although she may seem to have a contemporary figure towards the American society, she was not always perceived as an American because of her physical appearance.  After she lost her chance for the gold medal at the Winter Olympics of 1998 to Tara Lipinski, media portrayed her as a non-citizen and foreigner because she was Chinese.  The infamous MSNBC headline “American Beats Kwan” gave a suggested statement that it was the White American girl who had beaten the non-American girl even though they were both legally Americans. Though I do not see this issue as crucial and critical as the 90's, it is still a contested issue that still should be analyzed and researched thoroughly to see where the Asian communities is mapped on the social graph with the American society.  But even so, Michelle Kwan up until today is still a highly acknowledged athlete with a reputation that she has given herself through the passion and love she put out for figure skating.  I believe it gave a spark to the U.S. and was able to continue on giving America the reputation of being the most diverse country.

I believe because through all that she has overcome and the identity in which she represents for herself and for her family, she has made a great impact towards the Asian American community.  And looking at the athletic history of the U.S., it seems as though Asian Americans are becoming more involved in sports and we can only predict that that will result in a general sense of involvement with society as a whole.