Asian American Portrayals in the Media

One only has to search YouTube to find a plethora of video clips which feature representations of Asians and Asian Americans within the media. Like other minorities, the stereotypes regarding Asians dominate the images in which they are represented. Some examples of these stereotypes are the horny schoolgirl, the over-achieving academic, and the Asian who cannot speak English or drive well.

One actor who has come to play many Asian roles is the Bobby Lee. Bobby Lee (pictured at below as an Asian woman) is a regular actor on the popular show MadTV and has also appeared in other television series including Curb Your Enthusiasm, Mind of Mencia, and American Dad. His experience in film includes roles in Pineapple Express, Harold and Kumar Go to White Castle, and Accidentally on Purpose. A predominant theme in his career has been the portrayal of stereotypical Asian figures. In many MadTV skits he has played a Korean scientist and a Japanese high school football player, as well as the character that is often referred to as the Non-typical Asian. In this latter role he plays a character that is often categorized into the stereotypical Asian roles of being a "brainiac" or bad driver, but his character always denies being any of these things. However, his other characters in MadTV are consistent with the aforementioned stereotypes of Asians. His contrasting portrayals are somewhat disconcerting. While he has portrayed characters that do not follow the stereotypes of Asians, it cannot be denied that his portrayals of these stereotypical figures are a form of secondary oppression. While they are done in jest, his characterization of these stereotypes serves as a way to further these conceptions which are widely held throughout the public.

Another stereotype that is dominates not only the Anime and Manga forms of animation but is also a growing trend in film is that of the horny Asian school girl. This figure is pictured as wearing a short, tight school uniform which includes a skirt, white, blouse, tie or bow. This character is, oftentimes, a young girl, but she is drawn as having large breasts which are accentuated by her tight clothing. These types of images serve to perpetuate the stereotype of the hypersexualized Asian, a common portrayal of minority women.

A common binary in the portrayal of Asian women is that they are either quiet and submissive or, like many Asian men in film, ass-kicking martial arts masters. The first element of this binary plays into the common perception that Asian women are quiet and submissive, setting them up to be the other to the outspoken, self-sufficient white women of the Western world. Because of this stereotype the internet bride market has a high demand for Asian women. Men believe that they will be getting a wife who will be completely submissive to their will. As a result of this perception, many Asian mail-order and internet brides either take on these personas—possibly denying a part of who they truly are—or are sent back to their countries of origin because they refuse to conform to this stereotype. The image of the Asian woman as a martial arts expert often entails that she is also a cruel and unfeeling woman. One example of this portrayal is in the movie Rush Hour 2. In the film, Zhang Ziyi (pictured above) plays a villain who is a martial arts expert that is cold and heartless. She fights Jackie Chan and Chris Tucker’s characters with fierce veracity and seems to get a sick pleasure in hurting others.

While the images of Asians in the media have made some progress over the years, it can be argued that this progress has been slow-moving and minimal. Like other minorities, the stereotypes of people of Asian origin still dominate their representations within the media.