How to be mooky in Malaysia

by KathTeaChin

As most of you know, the Asian culture is so much more conservative than the Western culture. Malaysia is a combination of conservative Asian and Muslim cultures. So once you are obviously alternative, be prepared for bias and judgemental eyes.

These are the assumptions of the older (or the conservative majority) of Asians in Malaysia:

• To have a unique hairstyle makes you a hooligan.
• To have a piercing that is not on your ears makes you a gangster.
• To have a tattoo makes you a member of the triad.

It is honestly very disappointing that wherever you are from and wherever you are, it gets tough if you are inked and/or pierced. Many employers choose not to hire Mookychicks and Mookychaps! So what if you have a Masters in the field for which you're job seeking? You are just "not right" for them.

I am Malaysian and of Chinese descent. At present, I am 18 years old and studying in Sixth Form. I have probably been Mooky ever since I began to babble. As a little girl, I wanted to smoke cigs like Dana Scully of the X-Files (not anymore I don't). I wanted ink and multiple piercings. While most girls wanted a pony, I wanted a Harley.

My dad is one of those people who have the same assumptions listed above. My sis and I went against him, not just for the sake of it, but because we believe we have the right to express ourselves. At 22, she got herself inked with her own drawing of a Tribal Dragon as she was born in the Dragon year. At least she told my parents. I secretly got myself a septum piercing at 16, then a tattoo when I was just shy of 18.

School does not allow me to go as Mooky as I would like. I wear a flipped retainer on my septum and my ink is easily concealed by my uniform skirt. Even though I can always choose to go against the rules and dye my hair in multiple colours, that is not a great idea for me. I am a school prefect and aiming for the Head Girl post.

Being an active athlete, most of my schoolmates will probably just know me as the "tan athlete girl who can't speak a word of Mandarin". Only those who are close to me will know that I am really the "bipolar punk chick with that poem tattoo and the bull nose ring".

So why don't I air my true colours? Society tells me not to. That doesn't mean I will be hiding in a closet of fishnets and berets for the rest of my life. I have planned my reveal in the near future.

Once I put down my pen for the final exam in 2011, everyone will know I am not just a disciplinarian. I am a rebel. I will be in the city, in the fitness line, with Manic Panic dyed hair. Then, my outside undeniably matching my inside, I will truly be free.

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Mookychick believes that climbing trees and riding giant turtles is more fun and girly than worrying about make-up. But if you want to worry about make-up instead of turtles? Fine by us. Be you feminist, kitten, punk, emo, indie, goth, witch, vegan, horror junky, intellectual, christian goth, corset queen, geek, unicorn, sea monkey... be you into alternative style, alternative health, spirituality, comics, manga, j-pop, harajuku or jock culture... we will always love you.