Topic > Harmful Portrayal of Asian Americans in Western Media

The US Asian population grew 72% between 2000 and 2015 (from 11.9 million to 20.4 million), the fastest growth rate in any major racial or ethnic group (Pew Research Center, 2017) . Despite this, Asian Americans have been degraded in the realm of popular media and overlooked in the consumer market. Lacking, therefore, the ability to gain a voice or leave a trace in American pop culture. The poor representation that Asian Americans have is highly policed ​​in a distorted lens, which paints them in an exaggerated light for comic relief (Min Huh, 2016). This type of representation influences the perception of Asians among American people who consume popular media and even more so among young Asian Americans living in the United States. The influence of film and TV on people raises the question: How does the portrayal of Asian Americans in Western media influence their perception in the physical world? The stimulus materials that most closely demonstrate the idea of ​​perception are "3D Pavement Art," by Joe Hill and "The Historian as Participant," by Arthur Schlesinger Jr. Pavement art challenges one's perception using art to show a realistic image despite it being simply drawn. A historical event also affects the perspective of someone who took part in the events rather than an outsider historian. Despite the progressive improvements of Asians in the media, they still lack accurate representation, which doesn't help the perception of Asian Americans in the United States. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay It is important to note that Asian Americans have flourished in the non-representational arts: poets, writers, filmmakers, photographers, fashion designers, architects, interior decorators, and visual artists. The creative offerings of Asian Americans are not only accepted but celebrated. Only in the performing arts, such as film and television, does the representation of Asians fall short. However, there has definitely been progress in representation with the release of Crazy Rich Asians. For Asian Americans, that movie was like Black Panther for African Americans. Crazy Rich Asians was the first modern story with an all-Asian cast and an Asian-American protagonist in 25 years; the last one, The Joy Luck Club, was in 1993. The film was monumental, considering how rare it is for an all-Asian cast. Additionally, for the first time, Marvel will incorporate an Asian-American actor as the lead in Shang-Chi. Not only is this an unprecedented situation for Marvel, but a recent USC Annenberg study (2018) showed that Asian Americans account for only 1% of all leading roles in Hollywood. An Asian superhero will instill confidence in young Asian Americans as it has always been out of the ordinary to conceive of an Asian as a superhero. It is ignorant to say that there has been no progress in Asian American representation because, in recent years, there certainly has been. However, many Asian Americans still do not feel as if their image and culture have been adequately represented. Many Asian Americans have actually been frustrated by the lack of Asian roles on television and in films. One study revealed that out of 1,100 popular films, 70.7% of the characters were Caucasian and only 6.3% were of Asian descent (USC Annenberg, 2018). Although seemingly low, it accurately reflects national demographics as the United States Census Bureau (2010) reported that there are 18 million Americans ofAsian, or about 6% of the population. So if the demographics in movies are similar to the demographics in the United States, then why are Asian Americans upset about “right” representation? It is difficult to define “fair” representation because what might be “fair” to some might be “unfair” to others. For example, some believe that it is sufficient for Asians to receive roles proportional to their percentage of the population. In other words, for every percentage of the American people who are Asian, then the same percentage of film and television roles should be given to Asian actors. However, relying only on a numerical rating is not fair to others as, in many cases, Asian actors are given fewer lines. According to USC Annenberg (2018), more than 40 of the top 100 films did not have an Asian actor in a speaking role. While Asian American actors get a proportionate number of roles, many are often limited to minor or non-speaking characters, which doesn't seem fair to some. Asian Americans are also upset because they play roles that lack diversity and perpetuate stereotypes. Studies support this, for example, one study revealed that Asian American actors were disproportionately represented in supporting roles, often playing stereotypical characters who prioritized work ethic and work life over their personal life (Stern & Taylor, 1997). In a study conducted by Joann Lee (2001), she interviewed Asian American actors. He found that every actor he spoke to felt there were minimal opportunities for "big roles," whether in film or television. They believed that, at the time, achieving “superstar status” and moving beyond Asian-specific roles was nearly impossible. In addition to being seen as hardworking and high achievers, Asians are also portrayed as having awkward social skills (Zhang, 2010) and the objectification and sexualization of Asian women into subservient roles. Recently, Americans are starting to see Asian Americans playing non-traditional Asian characters, but it's still too rare. Along with other minorities, Asian Americans are concerned about the film industry's insufficient recognition of minority talent. In recent years, racial discrimination has led Oscar-nominated directors and actors to threaten to boycott the ceremony, with the hashtag #OscarsSoWhite trending on social media. The protest even managed to appear in major headlines and magazine headlines. Such activism occurred because between 2014 and 2016 there were no minority Oscar nominees for the top award, something that hadn't happened since 1980. Numerous prominent media figures protested the lack of diversity, including Mark Ruffalo, Reese Witherspoon, John Krasinski and more. Spike Lee, a well-known director, also expressed disappointment and frustration with the candidates' decision. Through a post on Instagram he wondered how it was possible that "for the 2nd consecutive year all 20 contenders in the actors category were white", and continued by saying: "40 white actors in 2 years and without any flavour". As mentioned above, Asian Americans don't like it when the media portrays Asians as stereotypical, but what upsets them even more is when the media portrays Asians with non-Asian actors. The portrayal of Asian characters using white actors is known as “whitewashing.” Examples of “whitewashed” roles include Nat Wolff as Light Yagami in Death Note, Scarlett Johansson as Major in Ghost in the Shell, and Justin Chatwin as Goku in Dragonball Evolution..