How much of yourself—of your people and your values and your culture—have you seen on the screen?  I am here in front of you today to reveal the stereotypes that haunt Asian communities and urge you to be part of the change that is yet to come. Only 36.3% of films feature Black, Indigenous and People Of Colour individuals. Representations have always been lacking but when they are seen in films, they have been moulded into negative stereotypes resulting in the marginalisation of many communities. Specifically, negative representations of Asian communities as weaker and inferior have a drastic effect on Asians. To rectify this impact, positive representations must be created to subvert traditional stereotypes and their influences.  

When people say 'Asian', people assume they mean East Asia and profile every individual with Asian qualities to be Chinese. In media, the dilution of Asian sub-groups into one is so common, it becomes infuriating for Asian communities. It doesn't make sense for Korean characters to wear kimonos or China to celebrate Hanami. Its religions are not just Buddhism but Hinduism, Confucianism, Taoism, Islam and Christianity too. Appropriation of Asian culture is seen so often and have deeply influenced racist ideologies that insulting portrayals are merely brushed off. The TV show 'Firefly' is saturated with Chinese culture but has not one Asian character. Artist Rhianna posed half-naked with Hindu necklace, disrespecting the religion by making it an aesthetic. The fox eye trend when worn by white women like Kendall Jenner and Megan Fox is seen as glamorous but it was once used to offend and mock East Asian communities. 

Asian stereotypes have been existing since the arrival of Asian immigrants to America in the mid-1800s. Arthur Dong, a Chinese American filmmaker, explains that “Fu Manchu”, a villain who sought to destroy the Western world, was created from the fear that Asians were invasive and threatening species called the ‘Yellow Peril’ (Lee, 2019). If you recognize the name, you will definitely recognize the character. Popularised in film and TV after British writer, Sax Rohmer’s novel, ‘The Mystery of Dr Fu Manchu’, the notorious villain has small eyes on a sharp face, two long whiskers acting as a moustache, a tendril down his chin and is often dressed in traditional Chinese clothing. This representation caused white Americans to see Asians as invaders and evil masterminds, creating the archetype of most villains. Even today, the dramatic increase in hate crimes after the breakout of COVID-19 shows how biased people use this stereotypical image of Asians as hostile, to treat them as culprits and justify xenophobia.

If you’ve ever seen someone of Asian ethnicity and thought ‘This person must be clever” than you’re a victim of the negative portrayals of Asia. The “Charlie Chan” trope is what conceived the discourse that ‘All Asians are intelligent.” and causes people to racially profile all Asian descent people to be clever yet lacking in individuality. ‘Charlie Chan’—a clever detective—spoke in broken English and was ultimately boring when not solving a crime (La Force, 2018). This created a perception of Asian people that despite being smart and attentive, they were void of any charisma and sex appeal. I’m sure that when I say the word ‘nerd’ the first thing you think of is someone of Asian descent, which contributes to the disempowerment of Asian people. It makes us feel inferior and traps us in a cage of expectations that we struggle to be free of.

“The Yellow Face” trope is a repulsive stereotype made by white actors to make a mockery of Asian communities. They create buffoons out of Asian ethnicity by slanting their eyes with prosthetics and yellowing their skin and imitating Asian accents while speaking broken English (Lee. J, 2015). The most shocking aspect of this trope is that it is still used today. In Marvel’s ‘Doctor Strange (2016)’, white actress Tilda Sinton plays the Tibetan character ‘The Ancient One’ and the Japanese protagonist in ‘Ghost in the Shell (2017)’ is played by Scarlett Johansson (Lee. J, 2015). Not only is this degrading people of Asian ethnicity and stealing their opportunities, but it supports the idea that the marginalisation of Asian communities is insignificant. I’ve heard people make fun of and insult Asian people, encouraged by their snickering friends. I’ve seen people squint their eyes and mock our languages in attempts to imitate us. And the distressing part is that it’s difficult to confront them since these representations are so embedded into our society that racist, Asian jokes are almost normal.

Women of Asia have also been portrayed with negative stereotypes in media. Asian women have struggled for freedom from the chains of social hierarchy and these stereotypes block their way like an iron wall. If they don't play the role of meek servitors, obedient to a fault, then they play the role of "Dragon Lady"—a sensual seductress who is manipulative and goal-driven (McGowan, 2020). It began in the 1931 film 'Daughter of the Dragon' and still seen in modern movies ‘Fantastic Beasts’ and 'Tomorrow Never Dies' where an incredibly sexualised woman is owned by white villains to be exploited. 'The China Doll' and 'The Geisha' stereotypes are used to represent Asian women as prostitutes and sex workers because of their exotic look (McGowan, 2020). The constant idea that women are to be submissive discourages women who diligently work to be independent of these stereotypes. Moreover, the 'Tiger Mother' insinuates a harsh parent who uses strict methods to raise successful children an exaggerated version of true parenting styles of Asia (McGowan, 2020). It only serves to accuse Asian parents of being too strict and abusing their children and disheartens parents who are simply trying to raise prosperous children—a struggle every parent faces, so why are only Asian ones getting despised for it?

However, for all the negative representations in media, there are also positive portrayals. The film featuring an all-Asian cast, ‘Crazy Rich Asian’, was a box office hit that grossed $238.5m worldwide (Shevenock, 2020). Despite it using the stereotypes of ‘Tiger Mother’, it subverts the representation by demonstrating the character’s struggles of motherhood and her progress in redeeming herself. The Netflix adaptation of Jenny Han’s ‘To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before’ is a fan favourite and focuses on Korean American Lara-Jean Song Covey played by Lana Condor. Even Disney’s ‘Mulan’ has its protagonist bring honour to her family without being the traditional, subservient woman expected of her.

Slowly, more positive representations of Asian communities are emerging. Slowly, the big screens reveal to the world the wonders of diversity and culture. But for all the progress that has been made, there’s always negative reactions that push us 2 steps back. Asian communities are no longer considered a vulnerable group but as threats, due to racist representations. The damage it caused includes people of Asian ethnicities being verbally harassed and physically abused. This year, an elderly Thai immigrant was killed from being knocked onto the ground and a Filipino American was slashed across the face on a subway—and this was only the beginning. We must not be bystanders to racism and we certainly cannot watch on as Asian groups are tormented. To spark justice for our Asian communities, we must call people out for their behaviour no matter their status in society. We must demand Asian cultures to be represented positively and in a way which humanizes them. We must break stereotypes and create a future where Asian communities don’t live in fear of being tormented while walking down the street. This is the only way to create equal standings between groups of people and encourage more voices to speak out against racism.  

References

La Force, T. (2018, November 6). Why do Asian-Americans remain largely unseen in film and television? New York Times. Retrieved March 6, 2021, from nytimes.com/2018/11/06/t-magazine/asian-american-actors-representation.html

Lee, E. (2019, October 20). The evolution of Chinese and Asian faces in Hollywood. Voice of America. Retrieved March 7, 2021, from voanews.com/arts-culture/evolution-chinese-and-asian-faces-hollywood

Lee, J. (2015, February 25). Yellowface performance: Historical and contemporary contexts. Oxford Research Encyclopedia of Literature. Retrieved March 6, 2021, from oxfordre.com/literature/view/10.1093/acrefore/9780190201098.001.0001/acrefore-9780190201098-e-834

McGowan, M. (2020, April 24). Shattered Dolls: An Examination of Authorship and the Boundaries of Female Asian Stereotypes in Western Theatrical Literature and Film. Digital Commons @ Illinois Wesleyan University (DC@IWU). Retrieved March 7, 2021, from digitalcommons.iwu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1023&context=theatre_honproj

Shevenock, S. (2020, December 1). ‘Smart, overachieving, anxious, meek’: The film stereotypes Asian-American audiences want to disappear. Morning Consult. Retrieved March 6, 2021, from morningconsult.com/2020/11/23/smart-overachieving-anxious-meek-the-film-stereotypes-asian-american-audiences-want-to-disappear/