Wonton font
A wonton font (also known as Chinese, chopstick, chop suey,[1] or kung-fu) is a mimicry typeface with a visual style intended to express an East Asian, or more specifically, Chinese typographic sense of aestheticism.
Styled to mimic the brush strokes used in Chinese characters, wonton fonts often convey a sense of Orientalism. In modern times, they are sometimes viewed by those in the East Asian diaspora as culturally insensitive or offensive.
History[edit]
The first commercial typeface of this style was patented in 1883 by the Cleveland Type Foundry,[1] under the name "Chinese",[2] which became "Mandarin" in the 1950s.[2] Many variations of this style of font have been created by typeface designers since its inception.[1]
Controversy[edit]
Some Asian Americans find wonton fonts amusing or humorous, while others find them offensive, insulting, or racist.[3][4] The font's usage is often criticized when paired with caricatures that recall the Yellow Peril images of the late 19th and 20th century. In 2002, the American clothing retailer Abercrombie & Fitch faced controversy when it produced a series of T-shirts with buck-toothed images and wonton font slogans.[5] The Chicago Cubs experienced backlash from the Asian American community after a similarly offensive T-shirt was produced by an independent clothing vendor in 2008.[6] The questionable use of such fonts was the subject of an article in the Wall Street Journal by cultural commentator and journalist Jeff Yang.[7]
See also[edit]
References[edit]
- ^ a b c Quito, Anne (April 8, 2021). "Karate, Wonton, Chow Fun: The end of 'chop suey' fonts". CNN Style. Archived from the original on April 11, 2023. Retrieved April 14, 2023.
- ^ a b NERD, new experimental research in design : positions and perspectives. Michael Erlhoff, Wolfgang Jonas, Board of International Research in Design. Basel, Switzerland. 2018. ISBN 978-3-0356-1742-9. OCLC 1076409412.
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link) CS1 maint: others (link) - ^ Shaw, Paul (June 17, 2009). "Stereo Types". Print Magazine. Retrieved October 5, 2019.
- ^ Fernández, Nichole (November 19, 2015). "StereoTYPES". It Ain't Necessarily So. Retrieved October 5, 2019.
- ^ Strasburg, Jenny (April 19, 2002). "Abercrombie recalls T-shirts many found offensive". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved June 15, 2013.
- ^ WITTENMYER, GORDON (April 18, 2008). "Fukudome doesn't find racist T-shirts in Wrigleyville funny". Chicago Sun-Times. Archived from the original on May 14, 2008. Retrieved August 21, 2013.
- ^ Yang, Jeff (June 20, 2012). "Is Your Font Racist? - Speakeasy". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved June 15, 2013.
External links[edit]
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