The views, thoughts, and opinions expressed in the text belong solely to the author, and not necessarily to the Asian American News Network or its affiliates.
“We need more representation”.
This is one of the most uttered phrases in activist circles, especially regarding entertainment. Entertainment is not only a passtime, but it is also a platform where perceptions are built and fostered. In American entertainment, cultural representation only began fairly recently. We consider cultural representation to be the accurate, complete and sufficient representation of a certain culture. Today, cultural representation is considered one of the most important concepts for social advancement.
Representation of Asians in the media started off in the early 19th century. The actors generally played minor roles like blue collar workers— it wasn’t until the days of Star Trek and Karate Kid, in the late 1900s, that Asians first obtained major roles in the entertainment industry. Even after this breakthrough, the characters portrayed in big shows such as Jessie, Big Bang Theory were generally stereotypical Asian children. These Asian characters were almost always nerdy, timid, and socially awkward. However, recently, Asian characters have begun to break the stereotype. The characters in The Mindy Project, Crazy Rich Asians, and Never have I ever are prominent examples of this— these shows’ main characters are outgoing, social and even include ditzy and funny members. Their audiences agree that this break from stereotypes is comforting and welcome, with one teen mentioning that watching Crazy Rich Asians made her feel like she truly belonged to a community. Though slow, changes have occurred in the film industry— Asian representation has come a long way from our first minor roles in film.
While our steps towards cultural representation has largely been successful, we still have a way to go for proper cultural representation. Unfortunately, Asian stereotypes are still prevalent in American entertainment— while there may be more Asians on the screen, cultural representation won’t occur until we see the removal of those stereotypes. It is discrediting and hurtful to hear these stereotypes in play, often through phrases like this: “Why aren’t you smart if you’re Asian?”. These stereotypes also grow on Asian individuals as well. Research Journals such as Taylor and Francis Online even discuss these very stereotypes affecting viewers, especially teenagers. We all see the world through the lens of our experiences— if an Asian repeatedly hears that he should be smart because he is Asian, then he will begin to believe it as well.
"We all see the world through the lens of our experiences. "
So how do we address this issue? A sound solution is to provide non-stereotypical characters for the Asian community to relate to, but also to ensure that stereotypes are not reinforced by those characters. Non-stereotypical Asian characters diversify the public perception of Asians, making it more difficult for Asians to be racially profiled into a few select stereotypes. An early example of this form of character was Bruce Lee. In a time where Asian characters were still very much stereotypical, Lee’s appearance on the film scene shocked Americans and paved the way for a different view of Asian Americans. Lee’s character was strong, fast, confident, even cocky— everything that the stereotypical Asian characters are not. Yet, Bruce Lee did not abandon Chinese culture in pursuit of success; he boldly intertwined Chinese philosophies and traditions with his films. While the entertainment industry has not always been so successful in breaking the mold as Bruce Lee, his character serves as a great example for our long journey to true representation. Scholars agree that hiring more Asian Americans and providing them with diverse parts would be beneficial to all Americans; although today’s Asian characters have come far, we could follow Lee’s example to further our progress even more. To be truly represented in entertainment, we need more unique Asian characters— characters who, like Bruce Lee, break negative Asian stereotypes but retain their cultural and traditional roots, proudly displaying them for the world to see.
Deya Singh
