''Banana'', ''coconut'', and ''Twinkie'' are

pejorative A pejorative word, phrase, slur, or derogatory term is a word or grammatical form expressing a negative or disrespectful connotation, a low opinion, or a lack of respect toward someone or something. It is also used to express criticism, hosti ...

terms for

Asian Americans Asian Americans are Americans with Asian diaspora, ancestry from the continent of Asia (including naturalized Americans who are Immigration to the United States, immigrants from specific regions in Asia and descendants of those immigrants). A ...

who are perceived to have been assimilated and

acculturated Acculturation refers to the psychological, social, and cultural transformation that takes place through direct contact between two cultures, wherein one or both engage in adapting to dominant cultural influences without compromising their essent ...

into mainstream American culture. In Australia, South Africa, and the United Kingdom, ''coconut'' is similarly used against people of color to imply a betrayal of their Aboriginal or other non-white ethnic identity. The terms derive from a perception that a person is "yellow

r brown R, or r, is the eighteenth Letter (alphabet), letter of the Latin alphabet, used in the English alphabet, modern English alphabet, the alphabets of other western European languages and others worldwide. Its name in English is English alphab ...

on the outside, white on the inside", or is "

acting white In the United States, acting white is a pejorative term, usually applied to Black people by other Black people, which refers to a person's perceived betrayal of their culture by assuming the social expectations of white people, white society. The ...

United States

In the United States, the terms ''Banana'', ''coconut'', and ''Twinkie'' are used primarily used for

who are perceived to have been assimilated and

into mainstream American culture and who do not conform to typical

South Asian South Asia is the southern Subregion#Asia, subregion of Asia that is defined in both geographical and Ethnicity, ethnic-Culture, cultural terms. South Asia, with a population of 2.04 billion, contains a quarter (25%) of the world's populatio ...

East Asian culture East Asia is a geocultural region of Asia. It includes China, Japan, Mongolia, North Korea, South Korea, and Taiwan, plus two special administrative regions of China, Hong Kong and Macau. The economies of China, Japan, South Korea, and Taiwan ...

s. ''Banana'' and ''Twinkie'' refer to a person being perceived as "yellow on the outside, white on the inside", and are mainly applied to people from East Asia, the Philippines, Thailand, Vietnam, and some other parts of Southeast Asia. The latter term is derived from the American snack food called a

Twinkie The Twinkie is an American snack cake, described on its packaging as "golden sponge cake with a creamy filling". It was formerly made and distributed by Hostess Brands. The brand is currently owned by Hostess Brands, Inc., in turn currently own ...

, which has a yellow exterior surrounding a white filling. ''Coconut'' is used to refer to darker-skinned Asians, such as those from South Asia or sometimes the Philippines. Any of these terms may be used by Asians and Asian Americans, as well as nonAsian Americans, to disparage Asians or Asian Americans for a lack of perceived authenticity or conformity, and by nonAsian Americans to praise their assimilation into mainstream white, Anglo, Christian

European-American culture The culture of the United States encompasses various social behaviors, institutions, and norms, including forms of speech, literature, music, visual arts, performing arts, food, sports, religion, law, technology, as well as other customs, beli ...

Commonwealth countries

In Australia, the term ''coconut'' is a derogatory term used against

Indigenous Australians Indigenous Australians are people with familial heritage from, or recognised membership of, the various ethnic groups living within the territory of contemporary Australia prior to History of Australia (1788–1850), British colonisation. The ...

(usually, although not always, by other Indigenous people) to imply a betrayal of their Aboriginal identity; a lack of loyalty to their people because they are perceived to be "

" (like a

coconut The coconut tree (''Cocos nucifera'') is a member of the palm tree family (biology), family (Arecaceae) and the only living species of the genus ''Cocos''. The term "coconut" (or the archaic "cocoanut") can refer to the whole coconut palm, ...

, which is brown on the outside, white on the inside). This is analogous to the American usage described above, and similar in meaning to the American term ''

Uncle Tom Uncle Tom is the title character of Harriet Beecher Stowe's 1852 novel ''Uncle Tom's Cabin''. The character was seen in the Victorian era as a ground-breaking literary attack against the dehumanization of slaves. Tom is a deeply religious Chri ...

'', also used in Australia, by which people are criticised for "acting white". ''Coconut'' is used similarly in the UK and in South Africa.

United States

Commonwealth countries

See also

References

Further reading