"We’ve all experienced or are experiencing loss, suffering, pain, and trauma—the bigger question is, how could mental health possibly not matter when it is the epitome of being human?"

What is Tiger Tea Zine?

Tiger Tea Zine is an inclusive, safe space that aims to empower Asian people to share their experiences about mental health, culture, identity, relationships, and more. Through visual arts and narrative storytelling, we humanize the Asian community and fight against mental health stigma and the generalizations of the model minority myth.

Tiger Tea Zine started as Kyle Ang's undergraduate thesis project at the University of Southern California. As his final year came to a close, Kyle decided to combine his interests in design and psychology to build a community where Asian individuals can be themselves.

WHAT WE DO

Our Mission

Humanize

Tiger Tea Zine strives to humanize the Asian community by nurturing a space in which all Asians are free to share their individuality and unique identities. By showing that each and every one of us has a different and special journey, we defy generalizations and stereotypes of the model minority myth.

Empower

The secrecy and shame surrounding our experiences and identities can be a heavy burden to carry. Tiger Tea Zine hopes to be a space in which you can be open, genuine, and vulnerable enough to share yourself with others and become part of a supportive community.

Educate & Normalize

Mental health stigma is still a huge problem worldwide. It is often seen as taboo, or shameful, especially in Asian and POC communities. One way of normalizing mental health experiences is by talking about them. Through stories and expressive visual art, we educate others on what impacts our mental health, what mental illnesses can be like, and how we can take care of ourselves.

ABOUT THE PROJECT

Mental Health Issues: A "Wicked" Problem

The interconnectedness of mental health throughout our society leads to what Jon Kolko coins as a “wicked problem.” In the Stanford Social Innovation Review, Kolko defines a wicked problem as, “a problem that is difficult or impossible to solve for as many as four reasons: incomplete or contradictory knowledge, the number of people and opinions involved, the large economic burden, and the interconnected nature of these problems with other problems.”

Mental health in itself is complex, as even psychologists do not fully understand its implications or have a clear picture of how multiple factors at play interact with one another. Whether it is intergenerational trauma, that leads to abuse and violence, which then leads to suffering, mental health problems, and suicide — these factors are part of the mix which causes these behaviors and social problems.

The universality of this topic’s essence is what makes it resonant with many — we are all human, and the human experience universally involves encountering and navigating mental health issues. We’ve all experienced or are experiencing loss, suffering, pain, and trauma—the bigger question is, how could mental health possibly not matter when it is the epitome of being human? How we feel, how we think, and that which leads us to act the way we do is all a part of mental health and psychology.

I hope it can be both an empowering experience for those to share it and have their stories heard, all while those who hear it can feel hopeful in resonating with their own stories. With the hopes to educate and empower my audience, the aim is to defy the model minority myth with the way it generalizes and dismisses AAPI struggles. My topic can serve to help others understand better what mental health is, what mental illnesses are like, how people live with them, what causes them, and how being Asian can bring in complexities of their own in those questions.