Asian women are stereotyped as exotic, submissive dolls that are beautiful and silent. This is the claim of a recent post in Jezebel’s Groupthink forum.
Asian American women are barely represented in American media and when they are, they are portrayed in the following main stereotypes not much different from Asian women:
- Meek and lovely: For example, the main character in Memoirs of a Geisha or Bruce Willis’ female counterpart in Looper. Both characters are beautiful and submissive to dominant male figures.
- Exotic and sexy: For example, the provocative geisha, Pumpkin, in Memoirs of a Geisha who dances around half-dressed and caters to the fetishes of World War II soldiers. Or, the strong-willed Mimi in The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo who is shown in an erotic manner but given barely any lines to say in the film.
- Cute and silent: For example, the Harajuku Girls portrayed in Gwen Stefani’s music video “Harajuku Girls”. They dance around Gwen in cute outfits but remain silent.
How is it that Asian Americans get so little screen time when they comprise nearly 14% of California’s population, where these movies are made? Furthermore, Asian audiences abroad consume these movies regularly. Oftentimes, over locally-produced films. What does it say to the female audiences in Indonesia, Phillipines, Malaysia, Singapore, China, Japan, Thailand when they see little representation of themselves and such one-sided portrayals when they do?
What do you think? Are Asian American women largely silenced in American media?
RE: Asian women are seen, but not heard: Asian women do need a larger voice in American media and politics. Most of what we know of Asian women comes from adult entertainment, stereotypical interactions (restaurants, beauty salons, etc) and by watching documentaries on television. I think it produces the mass ignorance you see from non Asians in the United States.
It is up to Asian Americans to speak up as other minority groups do in this nation. Look at how Don Imus got fired from MSNBC for a joke that someone on his show made. The same folks listen to rap music filled with genocidal racial slurs and enjoy it, true hypocrisy!
Asians also need to continue to increase their political voice, especially Asian women so that folks can know that Asians are apart of the past, present and future of his nation.
It is incumbent upon us non Asians to reach out to learn from and form personal relationships with our fellow Asian Americans. Many of the issues are upon us, because we non Asians are too lazy to reach out.
#JMO