Why the Model Minority Myth Is So Harmful

Author: Janice Omadeke

In my early twenties, I was promoted to a senior role in a large, conservative corporation. As a Black woman, I was conscious of needing to fly under the radar and not ruffle any feathers for fear of being seen as “difficult” in a space where my race was considered a key attribute in earning my title.

This was the early 2000s, when messages from the media and society outwardly promoted the concept of poor work-life balance as a badge of honor. It was important to show a codependent and undying dedication to your employer by being the last to leave the office, sacrificing family time, and doing whatever it took to prove that you were serious about your job.

For people of color, this pressure included something that was never said aloud but was a very clear expectation: Make sure any characteristics of a nonwhite American culture that you possess are left at the door when you come to work. Essentially, be a “model minority” so that leaders won’t have to adjust their behaviors to create an inclusive environment.

Damaging phrases such as “difficult” or “challenging” were wielded as swords to ensure underrepresented professionals understood that they had a choice—fit into the box we’ve built for you or find another job.

During this period of my career, I would often seek guidance from non-underrepresented leaders in executive roles, asking how I could best succeed on their teams. I was told to smile more, straighten my hair, buy a designer handbag, and wear high heels. So I did. I dressed in brands deemed professional, did not wear my natural hair to work, and did not address moments of extreme bias or racism that I encountered. My desire to please people, while suppressing my instincts about what was right and wrong as well as my genuine self, led to burnout and dissatisfaction—and I wasn’t alone in my experience. (For more on whether to change your appearance for a job, see the section, “Can I Wear My Hair Natural?”)

Through my work as the CEO and founder of an HR tech software that increases employee retention through mentorship, I’ve met countless employees of color who have faced similar biases—in their lives, in their schools, and, yes, in their careers. The Black community is not the only group being affected. My colleague Minh Vu and I recently connected around the damaging, but different, impacts the model minority myth has had on our worlds.

“Growing up as a closeted gay Asian American man in Texas, I felt the need to balance the societal pressure of being a model minority alongside the pressure of living up to what it means to be a man, in order to feel safe in this world,” Minh told me. “If that meant I needed to be silent, obedient, and nonthreatening, or be at the top of my class and engaged in math and science, then I tried my best to meet that expectation—and that bled into my behaviors in the office too. I drove myself further in the closet and silenced my truth out of fear of wavering from what my coworkers wanted me to be.”

Like Minh, I painfully learned that real equity takes work, and that the model minority is a dangerous stereotype that won’t help us achieve it.

Understanding the Model Minority Myth

The notion of the model minority has always existed. Coined by William Petersen, a University of California sociologist, the term has often been used to refer to a minority group perceived as particularly successful.

In large, conservative industries, such as finance and management consulting, there’s historically been a trend of promoting a small percentage of model minority professionals, who the organization then considers to be sufficient for “equitable representation” on their leadership teams. But even that degree of representation is a stretch at some companies.

Black employees account for just 7% of managers in the U.S. private sector, according to McKinsey’s 2021 Race in the Workplace report. Likewise, an analysis of national EEOC workforce data found that Asian American white-collar professionals are the least likely group to be promoted from individual contributor roles into management. All of this data echoes a study by Forbes that shows less inclusive leaders have talent blindness, “meaning they are less able to recognize employees’ unique strengths.”

Do you see the problem?

The more all-white leadership teams we have, the more difficult it will be for people at the top to recognize that they have an issue in the first place. Those who hold the most power may not even be aware that they are pressuring their team members to be model minorities.

But they are. The one or two people of color who do make it into senior roles at these organizations often have to overcompensate to ensure that they don’t project negative stereotypes. There is huge pressure on their shoulders to assimilate in order to make themselves more palatable to their white team members, along with a fear that, if they don’t, their opportunity may be taken away.

Together, these factors lead to increased feelings of isolation at work and also feed into a false myth that there can be only one successful person of color in any organization. For both Minh and myself, it was only when we decided to switch up the game and be free of the model minority trap that we found career happiness.

In my case, this meant learning to own my contributions at work and refusing to accept the calls to make others around me comfortable. In Minh’s, it meant sharing his full identity in the office.

“While it’s a constant journey to unlearn the ways in which the [model minority myth] has affected my life and work,” Minh said, “I remind myself of how it has been used to silence so many of us, including other communities of color. Now I find strength in standing out and proud as a gay first-generation Vietnamese American, and am less fearful in boldly using my voice to stand visible and present in both my work and life.”

Based on our experiences, I want to share some advice around how other people of color can move past this harmful myth too.

Finding the Courage to Be Authentically Seen

Before we get into the more practical advice, it’s important to understand the workforce as it is today and the challenges you are going to go up against once you enter it.

Legacy companies, particularly in the finance industry, still tend to have outdated thinking and policies in the areas of culture, equity, and inclusion. Inclusivity is about making sure all employees, regardless of background, feel that they are important and valued members of the team. But traditional bias hasn’t allowed this to happen, and has led to an intersection of millennials and Gen Zers entering a workforce that is leaving minority professionals behind. In the financial services industry, for example, more than 80% of all employees are white.

This is not only bad for the worker—it’s also bad for the business. Professionals of color who feel empowered at work are more likely to bring their authentic voices forward and impact the culture in positive ways. When this happens, companies maintain market advantage. The more diverse perspectives an organization has, the more consumers their products will impact.

All this said, I’m optimistic that things are shifting when it comes to cultural attitudes toward minorities. The pandemic triggered not just a public health crisis but also a technological, social, and cultural disruption, as Microsoft research notes. People are now reflecting more on their self-identities and how they show up in the world. The notion of the model minority has always existed, but Black and Asian American professionals in particular are beginning to challenge the status quo and recognize the negative impact it has on their well-being and career satisfaction.

If you’re a young professional of color, how can you avoid the model minority trap and bring your whole courageous self to work early in your career?

Seek out companies with a proven track record

Start early. There are organizations where you don’t have to compromise yourself, and you can find opportunities at them. It just might take a little more work at the beginning of your job search.

When applying to jobs, look for companies that are increasing their diversity budgets and have a proven track record of promoting underrepresented professionals, as well as companies that rank highly on diversity and inclusion index reports. Examine their leadership teams to see whether there is equitable representation across multiple identity intersections, which can be a direct indicator of the company’s commitment to diversity.

➤ PRO TIPS

• You can find most companies’ credentials on their LinkedIn career pages. Are they a celebrated diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) employer? Can they support your growth potential? Are there many other people of color in leadership positions?

• Find companies worth applying to by searching for curated lists of organizations that excel in diversity and inclusion or are considered one of the “best places to work” (such as those found on the Great Place to Work website).

Build yourself a support system

Once you’ve settled into your role, make connections with people who can support you during challenging times and help you navigate your new workplace. This might be a leadership coach, a mentor, or even peers you meet through an employee resource group (ERG). The goal here is to build a support system that can provide you with advice when you face challenges or biases in the office and champion the unique perspectives you have to offer.

Surrounding yourself with allies will give you the courage to show up as your full self, and in turn you’ll develop a healthier relationship to your job. This is so important—because who you are at the office is going to impact who you are in your personal life too. If you have shame about how you are presenting yourself at work, it is going to come home with you at the end of the day and negatively influence your mental health. I can speak to this from experience.

➤PRO TIPS

• If your employer doesn’t have in-house mentorship programs or ERGs, look outside of your organization. Resources such as the Plug are great for finding mentors (both within and outside of your company) who can help you navigate the landscape.

• Ask your network if anyone knows of any support groups you can join, or look into connecting with leaders at your company who have exemplified their commitment to diversity and inclusion. You can figure this out by asking around or seeing who shows up to any DEI initiatives.

Have a game plan for addressing bias

While the work of building inclusive environments ultimately falls on leadership teams (not you personally), there are still ways you can prepare yourself for the worst-case scenarios to protect your physical and emotional health. Even after taking the first two steps, you may still confront bias—intentional or not—at your job.

By accepting this from the start, you are removing some of the pain and surprise you may feel if this kind of situation does come up. You are also giving yourself time to prepare.

My advice here is to build a script for how you want to respond to biased comments or assumptions that you encounter during work. Thinking about the tone, language, and message you want to send will empower you to speak out when the moment feels right, and ease the anxiety that often comes with improvising in the moment.

For example, the next time you’re asked to share your experiences as an underrepresented founder or team member, respond honestly, highlight that your journey is uniquely yours, and encourage the person asking to continue their research into the larger systemic issues at hand.

Lastly, know that confrontation takes energy, and you may not always be up for it. That’s OK. Speak out when it feels energizing to do so—because remaining silent can be draining. Always act within your integrity.

➤PRO TIPS

• The mentors, peers, and coaches you connect with (along with family and friends) are a good place to go for support. Knowing that these people have your back will make all the difference when, or if, you choose to speak out against a bias that is targeted at either you or someone else.

• Create an identity-confirming space. Fill your work area with pictures, quotes, affirmations, and decorations that remind you of your values. If you’re ever challenged with the pressure of filling the role of the model minority, return to this space to affirm your identity. Let it remind you of who you are and encourage you to stay true to yourself.

Remember, it’s only worth staying at a company if you are fulfilled by it. When you are forced to keep quiet and restrain parts of your identity, you’re headed down a dark path toward people-pleasing burnout. What’s most important at the end of the day is you and your health. A job is just a job, and there will be more of them. It should not be your whole life.

As you take your first steps into the workforce, surround yourself with opportunities that make you feel great, and resist the pressure to conform to old systems and outdated ways of thinking.