Priscilla Chan Is Every Tiger Mom's Dream Child

BuzzFeed:

When news broke of Priscilla Chan's marriage to Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg, you could hear a collective sigh from every Chinese-American girl in America, myself included. Not necessarily because we were envious of the bride, but in anticipation of the inevitable phone call from our mothers, asking if we heard of "this Priscilla Chan girl" and if so, why couldn't we be more like her? Her resume reads like every immigrant mother's dream: bachelor's degree from Harvard and a medical degree from University of California San Francisco Medical School (one of the top five in the country); soon she'll begin her a pediatric residency at UCSF. To top off her list of impressive career accomplishments, she's now married to one of the youngest billionaires in history. In the age of Tiger Mom parenting, Chan is the ultimate success story to be retold to countless Asian-American, and in particular Chinese-American, daughters.

The English-speaking media jumped on the ZuckerChan wedding news - and Chinese and Chinese-American media followed suit. World Journal, one of the largest newspapers serving the Chinese-speaking population in North America, posted details about the nuptials, following up with a translation of the piece that ran on BuzzFeed Shift comparing Chan to Kate Middleton. Apple Daily, a major Hong Kong news organization, also covered it. Should any Chinese mom have missed the papers, Chinese TV news programs seized on the story, too, with every reporter quick to call out Harvard, UCSF Medical School, and the groom’s billionaire status.

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Comments

[bravenewbeet]

03:43 PM on 06/30/2012

I am an asian american woman, and i denounce the perpetuation of so-called "Tiger Mom" fantasies, of being told what is or isn't "success." We live in a culture where wealth defines opportunity and success, further marginalizing those who were never given a chance to begin with. Success should not be a privilege handed off by good fortune, it should be a right. Any mother, tiger or otherwise, should be proud of a child who lives by principles of compassion and humanity.

The media needs to leave the happy couple alone, and not shove false values of "success" into their lives.

[syds180turn]

09:43 AM on 05/25/2012

Right out of the gate, not everyone can afford an Ivy League education or attend medical school. I'll bet anything that Chan's parents are affluent and if they aren't, after all those years with Zuckerberg, he could have possibly paid for her medical school education. Another thing, I've known plenty of people who graduated from high profile schools and some of them may be uber intelligent in formal education, but have zero common sense. Then there are plenty of us out here with graduate degrees without the Ivy League price tag that are doing just fine in our careers. If you don't have anything to do but concentrate on your studies without having to worry about money, rent, mortgages and the everyday stresses that most of us have, then you SHOULD have some noticeable accomplishments.

[one1byke]

07:46 AM on 05/25/2012

women are women's worst enemies.

[NyJimbo]

09:28 PM on 05/24/2012

"To top off her list of impressive career accomplishments, she's now married to one of the youngest billionaires in history."

How is that a "career accomplishment". Burnt out actress Tara Reid is right now trying to snag some 60 year old jeweler who is really loaded, is that a "career accomplishment" ? Would some mommy want her daughter to be more like Tara Reid ?

[MissTake1989]

01:12 AM on 05/25/2012

60% of women in Ivy League schools intend to marry and not work.

[syds180turn]

09:44 AM on 05/25/2012

A lot of times, that's what some of those women are there for...to snag a husband with a promising career choice. But not just in an Ivy League school but just about any high profile college.