Asian American Stereotypes In Movies

The entertainment media has been notorious for its lack of racial diversity when it comes to casting actors and actresses, specifically Asian Americans. There has even been laws that prevent racial diversity in films. In 1930, Hollywood adopted the Motion Picture Production Code, also known as the Hays Code, which prohibited miscegenation, or multiracial relationships. This was the culture back then, laws considered interracial marriage an illegal act in 30 states (Mondello). The Hays Code limited productions to include racial diversity, often creating segregation of races in the media. Even when minorities were casted, they were often supporting characters. One groundbreaking moment was when Anna May Wong, who is considered to be the first

The issue is how Asian Americans are portrayed in the media. When Asian American actors have roles in films, they are often portrayed negatively. Rarely are Asian characters portrayed as strong and independent. Asian men are given roles such as tech nerds, assistant doctors, while Asian women are masseuses and sex workers (Levin). Male characters are often emasculated and desexualized. In the popular Hollywood comedy film, Hangover Part II, the character of Mr. Chow, is ridiculed for his “Shiitake mushroom” man-handle (Yang). The use of this unoriginal commentary is unnecessary and simply reinforces stereotypes. When Asian American teenagers watch these movies portraying their race in a certain way, they start to assimilate these stereotypes. It shapes them to think a fixed way and accept the stereotypes to be normal. This is a psychological effect, an approach developed by Professor George Gerbner. In the 1960s, Gerbner studied the social effects of television consumption that provides a clue into the way television influences people’s way of thinking. His Cultivation Theory was that television viewing contributed to how people perceive the real world. The phrase cultivation, refers to the “interaction between the medium and its public” (23). The more someone is exposed to television, the more it can

In Chimamanda Ngozi’s TedTalk, “The Danger of a Single Story,” she talked about the perils of racial narrative with only one perspective that can lead to close mindedness of audiences. People do not realize the complexity of experiences even if they are from the same racial group. Ngozi referred to her experience studying in the United States. When she introduced herself to her roommate, “[she] was shocked...I had learned to speak English so well, and was confused when I said that Nigeria happened to have English as its official language.” Her roommate had limited knowledge of Nigerian culture, and only knew of Africa as a continent of poor and illiterate countries. Little did her roommate know, that Ngozi grew up with parents who educated her well. This is relevant to the representation of Asian Americans in the entertainment media. The stereotypes portrayed by the media dismiss the intricate personalities Asian Americans possess. Pun Bandhu, a Thai American actor, referred to the roles Asian American actors play, “We’re the information givers. We’re the geeks. We’re the prostitutes...We’re so sick and tired of seeing ourselves in those roles.” In an actor’s point of view, he talks about how frustrating it is that he is not able to play roles outside of the stereotypes. It not only affects the actors, but this narrow portrayal of Asian characters affect negatively impact Asian Americans’ racial identity.