Quiet Blossoms: Embracing the Untold Stories of Asian American Teens

“That voicing our struggles is not a sign of weakness but rather a path to healing. I am often afraid to be vulnerable, but this program showed me that sharing my vulnerabilities can not only help me come to terms with my own pain but also deeply connect with others.” 

My name is Hannah Lee. As a third-year MD/MPH student at UCLA’s David Geffen School of Medicine and UCLA Fielding School of Public Health, my journey has always been quietly guided by a single question: What does it mean to heal? Growing up in Los Angeles, the daughter of immigrant parents, I felt the quiet but relentless pressures surrounding body image and mental health — a silent narrative deepened by my own recovery from disordered eating. These personal experiences led me toward the gentle yet persistent work of cultural psychiatry, where healing is not merely about fixing what appears broken, but carefully listening, honoring, and transforming pain into connection. 

Asian American adolescents quietly carry an often unseen burden. While Asian Americans represent the fastest-growing racial group in the U.S., they face a significantly higher risk for disordered eating behaviors — about 25% higher compared to their peers. Yet, despite these alarming numbers, their struggles remain largely invisible. Mainstream interventions rarely resonate with their cultural experiences, often overlooking the subtle pressures that come from intergenerational tensions, the conflicting beauty standards between Eastern ideals and Western expectations, and the hidden weight of cultural stigmas. 

These tensions intensified further during the COVID-19 pandemic, highlighting disparities already deeply rooted in our society. Asian American youths often face additional struggles stemming from the pervasive “model minority” myth — an assumption of homogeneity and silent strength that masks the diverse, unique realities within the AANHPI community. This myth ignores that every body story is distinct, each shaped by personal histories, cultural differences, and individual experiences. 

“Our approach isn’t about changing bodies; it’s about nurturing the quiet strength to reclaim our stories. By sharing their artwork and reflections within their communities, students move from silent struggles to celebrated expressions, fostering conversations across generations and borders.“

This is where our initiative, Accepting All Bodies, takes root. Through A-Team Med, a nonprofit dedicated to addressing mental health disparities within Asian American communities, we have developed a program that seeks not just to inform, but to genuinely transform. Our workshops — collaboratively hosted by community partners — offer teens a safe, culturally sensitive space to explore their body image stories.

In these workshops, young people courageously sketch their stories, seeing their struggles not as isolated failures but as interconnected journeys towards growth. One student’s drawing stays quietly vivid in my memory: tangled roots labeled “too much,” a hesitant stem, and a delicate flower bearing the Chinese characters 温韧 (wēn rèn) — gentle, yet unyielding. Her drawing wasn’t merely art; it was testimony. It was the quiet courage of speaking truth to the quiet lies that say we are not enough.

Our approach isn’t about changing bodies; it’s about nurturing the quiet strength to reclaim our stories. By sharing their artwork and reflections within their communities, students move from silent struggles to celebrated expressions, fostering conversations across generations and borders.

Our deepest aspiration is for this project to grow gently but surely, spreading across community centers in Los Angeles and beyond. We are creating accessible guides so future facilitators can continue to carry these meaningful conversations forward, ensuring that the quiet power of authentic storytelling remains at the heart of our work.

We warmly invite you to join this journey. Whether you’re seeking support, inspired to help, or simply believe in the quiet power of every story, your voice matters deeply here.

Visit A-Team Med to learn more and become involved.

Because healing begins not in isolation, but in the quiet courage of shared stories.