Lack of Asian Representation in Mediaa

Written By: Iris Cheng

Edited By: Claire Xin

Chinese-American actress Anna May Wong is considered to be one of the first acclaimed Asian-American Hollywood actresses. Yet, she was consistently rejected from portraying Chinese leading characters in American films, which were traditionally played by white actresses in yellow face. Consequently, Wong grew increasingly despondent at her prospects of achieving an accurate representation of her Asian-American identity and assumed the stereotypical supporting roles forced upon her, unintentionally pioneering the fallacious “Dragon Lady” ethnic archetype.

Asian representation in media: the intersectionality of racist caricatures, overt whitewashing, and unconscious racial bias. Many fan favorites fall victim to the crime of racial stereotyping: think Chinese-British character Cho Chang from the Harry Potter series. Not only does J.K. Rowling categorize her into the intelligent Ravenclaws, but her full name is composed of two Korean surnames. The racist backlash actress Katie Leung received from playing Cho in the movie adaptations demonstrated dissatisfaction with the casting of an Asian actress as the love interest of two prominent male characters. Cho epitomizes the model minority myth: she is rational, measured, and relatively unimportant to the overall plot. Throughout the course of the Harry Potter films, she is only mentioned in relation to her love interests, Cedric Diggory and Harry Potter. In spite of this, she makes no significant contributions to Potter’s character development. As one of the only Asians portrayed within the series, she serves as a reminder of thinly-veiled racial stereotyping.

Do we have cause for optimism for the future of authentic Asian media representation? The answer is inherent within the artistic endeavors pioneered by Chloe Zhao, the Chinese filmmaker and visionary behind the American drama Nomadland, and Bong Joon-ho, the South Korean director of social commentary film Parasite. Cast aside the exclusively white lens on Asian identity. Pick up a pen, microphone, or film camera, and chronicle your authentic Asian-American experience.

Lack of Asian Representation in Mediaa

Written By: Iris Cheng

Edited By: Claire Xin

Chinese-American actress Anna May Wong is considered to be one of the first acclaimed Asian-American Hollywood actresses. Yet, she was consistently rejected from portraying Chinese leading characters in American films, which were traditionally played by white actresses in yellow face. Consequently, Wong grew increasingly despondent at her prospects of achieving an accurate representation of her Asian-American identity and assumed the stereotypical supporting roles forced upon her, unintentionally pioneering the fallacious “Dragon Lady” ethnic archetype.

Asian representation in media: the intersectionality of racist caricatures, overt whitewashing, and unconscious racial bias. Many fan favorites fall victim to the crime of racial stereotyping: think Chinese-British character Cho Chang from the Harry Potter series. Not only does J.K. Rowling categorize her into the intelligent Ravenclaws, but her full name is composed of two Korean surnames. The racist backlash actress Katie Leung received from playing Cho in the movie adaptations demonstrated dissatisfaction with the casting of an Asian actress as the love interest of two prominent male characters. Cho epitomizes the model minority myth: she is rational, measured, and relatively unimportant to the overall plot. Throughout the course of the Harry Potter films, she is only mentioned in relation to her love interests, Cedric Diggory and Harry Potter. In spite of this, she makes no significant contributions to Potter’s character development. As one of the only Asians portrayed within the series, she serves as a reminder of thinly-veiled racial stereotyping.

Do we have cause for optimism for the future of authentic Asian media representation? The answer is inherent within the artistic endeavors pioneered by Chloe Zhao, the Chinese filmmaker and visionary behind the American drama Nomadland, and Bong Joon-ho, the South Korean director of social commentary film Parasite. Cast aside the exclusively white lens on Asian identity. Pick up a pen, microphone, or film camera, and chronicle your authentic Asian-American experience.