Hollywood & Stereotypes: Image

Hollywood & Asian American Stereotypes

Stereotypes are designed to segregate society into categories and appear to be an inevitable part of everyday life. Asian American stereotypes dictate our knowledge about how Asian Americans are represented. Even if public feelings towards the stereotype changes, the image itself manages to stay the same; this is concerning because it assigns societal values through media representation. These images can hurt Asian Americans because it takes away their complex identity and replaces it with a one-dimensional identity.

In this NPR podcast from September 3, 2017, Chloe Bennet talks about whitewashing in the film industry and how she changed her last name from Wong to Bennet to get more roles as an actress. Whitewashing is when white actors and actresses take the roles of non-white characters. When her agent was looking for roles, casting directors would see her name and say, "We're not looking for someone like "that" for this role." Even if the role did not specify that the main character had to be of a specific race or look a certain way, they dismissed Wong without even auditioning her.

Listen to the Podcast Here

Hollywood & Stereotypes: Body

Whitewashing/Yellowface

Hollywood has been using the yellow peril and model minority stereotypes in its films for almost a century. One of the main ways is through whitewashing or yellowface. Which is when a white actor is cast to play an Asian, often using heavy makeup to alter his or her appearance. Whitewashing occurs when a white actor is cast in a role that was Asian in the film's original source material. In the podcast above, Chloe Bennet praised Ed Skrein, a white British actor, for his decision to step back from the Asian-American character role in Hellboy. We can see whitewashing and yellowface happening in many films such as Scarlett Johansson as the main Asian character in the film Ghost in the Shell and Tilda Swinton as the Asian character “The Ancient One” in the film Doctor Strange. This YouTube video by Vox provides more examples of whitewashing and yellowface.

Hollywood & Stereotypes: Body

Watch this video by Vox about how yellowface has been happening in the film industry for almost a century.

Hollywood is slowly becoming more diverse. However, this poses the question: If Hollywood is becoming more diverse, are they also representing that ethnic group properly, or are they still enforcing stereotypes? Kent Ono, who studies media representations of race at the University of Utah, said, "Even today, most images of Asians and Asian Americans on screen weren't created by Asians or Asian Americans, but by people who don't know much about them” (Schacht 2019). This is why we need more Asian American filmmakers to create authentic representations of Asian Americans and their films' experiences.

People who have never met an Asian or Asian American would have a skewed view of who they are because Asian Americans are misrepresented on screen. Not only does this misinform a wide audience about Asian Americans, but it also makes it difficult for Asian Americans to relate to the film. They cannot identify with this extreme representation of themselves.

Hollywood & Stereotypes: Video

Hollywood has the power to change society and the way we think. It can outline differences, reinforce boundaries, and reproduce ideologies that affect our social structures and values. Many efforts to challenge Hollywood’s hegemony over the representation of race and ethnicity have been almost ineffective. We have seen some progress with movies such as Crazy Rich Asians and The Joy Luck Club. However, those efforts were not enough to stop Hollywood from reproducing inaccurate representations of Asian Americans.

There is also alternative media such as the ones produced by the Asian American film groups on the next page. Their effect has been marginal because they have struggled to become popular with a large audience. It is difficult for these smaller media groups to produce top-rated films because it is not exactly what the majority wants to watch. Most of the time, the majority wants to watch what they are used to. These new alternative films make the majority feel uncomfortable, and thus the film does not become popular enough to reach a global audience. As a result, we end up in a feedback loop where if the alternative media groups want their films to become mainstream, they must meet the audience's expectations, meaning that they must reuse these stereotypes. The only way to interrupt this feedback loop is to introduce more accurate representations of Asian Americans slowly.

Finally, this brings up the question: How should Asians be represented? Asian characters should not be emotionless, exotic, and stoic. Instead, they should be portrayed as emotional, fallible, and messy as if they were any other ordinary human being. Asian Americans should be embraced as the way they are now. Their cultures should be shared but not stifled and judged. We shouldn’t be judged because of the color of our skin. Instead, we should acknowledge the differences in our skin color, race, cultures, and values and respect it because, in the end, we are all human beings.

Hollywood & Stereotypes: Conclusion