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Fake ABC
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<big>Fake ABC</big> Fake ABC, also known as Fake American-born Chinese, or Fake Jook-sing, is a stereotype of local teenagers in Hong Kong who act like they have studied abroad. In sociology, Fake ABC is generated by people under the influences of white supremacy. They tend to worship foreign culture especially American culture. Background The Fake ABC phenomenon was not noticeable in Hong Kong before 2012. The set up of the first store of American clothing chain Abercrombie & Fitch has amplified the phenomenon. This phenomenon has become a trend among Hong Kong girls mainly aged from 16 to 25 since then. Girls and guys as Fake ABCs have common features in appearances and behaviors, like a fixed hairstyle, tanned skin, poorly spoken English with strange accent etc. In Hong Kong, some forum users have strong views on such stereotypes, and found Fake ABCs annoying and hypocritical. Characteristics Fake ABCs usually demonstrate a couple of features, physically and mentally. These characteristics can be sorted into appearance, behaviors and preferences, and mindset. Appearance Fake ABCs try to maintain a good body shape, both male (masculine) and female (slim). Male Their skin tone is usually tan because it makes them look sporty. They tend to wear tight, probably undersized, T-shirt and shorts to make their body shape stand out; flip flops to create a casual and relaxing image. The brand they mainly go for would be Abercrombie & Fitch or Hollister. Female Their skin tone is mostly tan, or white for Hong Kong girls since they don't like getting dark. They have long (including those near the forehead), slightly curled and dark hair. Fake ABCs in Hong Kong are mostly way too skinny due to the slimming culture there. They love to wear tank tops, denim / booty shorts and flip flops to show their slim body. They have a set hairstyle, which is a division of 1:9 on the bangs. They purchase clothing in Hollister or Abercrombie & Fitch, Toms, Victoria's Secret etc. Behaviors and preferences Fake ABCs love showing off in English. However, due to the limited level of English, they do not actually speak in English. Instead, they often use pet phrases like ‘well’, ‘alright’, ‘actually’, etc. They may even in English phonetic transcription of Chinese. Their accent is strange because they try to imitate foreigners. For example, they stress the ‘r’ sound very much (depaRtment and featuRe) and their tones are always fluctuating. For girls, they even have a significant move, which is to fix their hair from their bangs. They prefer foreign to local because it is their definition of ideal. For instance, they would prefer a Hollister sweater to a Uniqlo. They would watch American TV shows, such as Gossip Girl, and Hollywood movies. They also love to hang out in Lan Kwai Fong because it is the place that foreigners in Hong Kong would go to. Mindset Fake ABCs suppose that every product from the western culture is the best. They always think of its good side. They would love to date foreigners and move to western countries. However, under the influence of the dominant traditional Chinese culture, they are the minority in Hong Kong and this is probably why people find these Fake ABCs hypocritical and annoying. Causes Lack of confidence According to Erikson’s stages of psychosocial development, people aged from 13 to 19 are in the psycho-social crisis of identity and role confusion. They want to fit into groups and society to achieve a sense of identity. Fake ABCs mainly aged from 16 to 25 are under the Identity Crisis and lack of confidence. They imitate ABCs to boost self-confidence of who they are. Worship of American culture Fake ABCs worship American Culture because America has a high international status and great economic development. Media also created an image of American to be energetic and smart through Hollywood movies and brands of clothing like Abercrombie & Fitch, Hollister and American Eagle Outfitters. Role model ABCs, who look the same as Asians but behave like Americans, became the model of imitation for people worshipping American culture. People have a positive image of the stereotype of ABCs. They think that ABCs are wealthy and have a high social status as their parents can support a large amount of expenditure for them to study abroad, have highly educated as themselves have studied abroad. Fake ABCs think that ABCs are better than Asians. They pretend to be ABC because they want to boost self-confidence by imitating people they admire. They are proud of being Fake ABCs, who think ABCs are superior to others, especially to Asians. Creations based on Fake ABC As the Fake ABC phenomenon has become a hot topic in Hong Kong, there are different kinds of creation based on that. Online fiction ABC, an article about Fake ABC published on 12th September, 2013, is about a Hong Kong girl, Jessica, pretending to be an American Born Chinese. The author wrote the article in an ironic way to show his disapproval of those behaviours. The protagonist, Jessica, possesses the characteristics of Fake ABC. She speaks Cantonese with a foreign accent. Despite failing in English, she uses a lot of English words in daily conversation. She looks down on local Hong Kongers. Also, She despises Chinese culture and worships the western culture. The author uses sarcasm to point out the low self-esteem of those Fake ABCs and also reveals the reasons why they become Fake ABCs. Youtube video Peanut Trio, a radio show of three hosts talking about the Fake ABCs in Hong Kong. They express their opinions towards them and discuss the characteristics of the Fake ABCs. Cartoon A cartoonist with a Facebook fan page, "Plastic Thing", published three cartoons about the Fake ABCs. She drew the Fake ABCs in different scenarios aided with sarcastic descriptions. She aimed at analysing the fashion styles of Fake ABCs in a humorous way. These three cartoons received many ‘likes’ on Facebook and instagram. Viewpoints on Fake ABC Generally speaking, the rise of the Fake ABC phenomenon has raised social awareness in Hong Kong. It is not a welcomed and healthy phenomenon to a certain extent. There are offensive or even insulting comments like ‘shameful’ and ‘cheap’ to describe Fake ABCs on Facebook or online forums like Hong Kong Golden Forum since the public think those Fake ABCs blindly follow foreign styles. For example, the cartoons mentioned in previous section, have shown the characteristics and comments of Fake ABCs in an ironic way. On the other hand, there are still some neutral comments saying that Fake ABCs should be judged by their behaviors but not the style of their clothing.Some netizens agreed the way they act is far more accursed, such as the mixing of Chinese and English, pretending study overseas etc. However, Fake ABCs think they are superior to others. See Also
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