Where Are Asians In Mass Media?

THIS IS NOT MINE !! My sister wrote an essay for her Honors Literature class, and I was very proud because THIS GIRL GOT 100 ON IT! 60/60! LIKE GIRL! SHE'S NOT EVEN THE WRITER OF THE HOUSE. I AM! I AM SO PROUD. MY FACE IS BEAMING SIS. AND SHE WROTE IT ABOUT ASIANS REPRESENTATION MASS MEDIA. TELL THEM SIS. So, here is her essay. Please read because it has always been an issue, and is very important, especially during a time where Asian culture is consumed, yet Asian people are being killed and are invisible.

For decades, America has been the land of the great, the great melting pot – a land where dreams can come true and where every individual can receive opportunities of a lifetime. However, while outside countries may glorify and praise America for being the great melting pot, any individual in America can see how corrupt America truly is. In a land that seems so publicly fair to people of all races, gender, and classes, behind the scenes is a world where there is little representation for people of color, especially Asians, in mass media. This underrepresentation of Asians in mass media has negatively impacted the Asian community and how Asians are perceived.

Specifically, the underrepresentation of Asians in mass media has led to the isolation and ostracization of Asians in America. A prime example from recent years is, “In 2018, ‘Crazy Rich Asians’ made history. Aside from being the highest-grossing romantic comedy in a decade... the film featured an all-Asian cast, making it the first Hollywood production to do so in 25 years.” (Konstantinovsky, 2021). This film received impressive support, yet none of the actors received a single Oscar nomination. In addition, the film was excluded from the “Best Picture” category. However, this is no surprise, as Asians have been shut out of the entertainment industry and its “esteemed” award shows since the beginning of time. Statistics have proven so, stating that, “...Asian-Americans [are] representing only 1 percent of all leading roles in Hollywood...” (La Force, 2018).

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Roles like Motoko Kusanagi in the live-action adaptation of the Japanese anime Ghost in the Shell went to people like Scarlett Johansson, a white actress with no traces of Asian heritage. From Ashton Kutcher playing an Indian named Raj in a potato chip ad, saying, “These are the Bombay,” to Mickey Rooney playing Mr. Yunioshi in Breakfast at Tiffany’s, roles that are written for Asians are occupied by non-Asian actors. Though these examples are only supporting roles, they eventually amount to a significant loss in Asian representation, leaving the world ignorant of the existence of Asians. How can America be familiar with Asians if Asians are not shown to or seen by the public? How can America be familiar with Asians if non-Asian actors are portraying these so-called Asian characters? Because it is so rare to see any representation of Asians, it is natural that the public eventually forgets the existence of Asians and Asian culture, making Asians the “invisible race.” This, as a result, has created a world where Asians are alienized, ostracized, and isolated.

Conversely, the urgency of this prominent issue is rivaled by many critics who argue that the rise of anime, K-dramas (Korean dramas), and K-pop (Korean pop music) has cured the lack of Asian representation. Many support this argument in which “Upcoming movies and shows with rising Asian actors to look forward to [include] Rush Hour 4, Pokémon: Detective Pikachu, Crazy Rich Asians 2, Jumanji 3, Fresh Off the Boat: Season 6, and a live action Aladdin.” (Lin, 2019). In addition to those listed, others include The Farewell, Parasite, the first non-English-speaking movie to win an Oscar for Best Picture, and many new Netflix original movies and series such as Always Be My Maybe, It’s Okay To Not Be Okay, and Itaewon Class. Admittedly, this wave of Asian culture has paved the way for many new projects. However, most of these productions are directed and written by Asians. Though including Asians in the production and writing of films is progress in the journey to inclusivity, it shows that the non-Asians that constitute most of the film industry only feed into the negative Asian stereotypes when Asians are not apart of the process. Some examples include, Asians being portrayed as the uptight mom in Gilmore Girls or as “Asian nerds” in Mean Girls. Even worse, some productions like Miss Saigon and, once again, Mean Girls have sexualized Asians. America seems to keep getting it wrong.

The film industry is not the only one at fault, with the music industry also excluding Asians from its spotlight. The most notable example would be the South Korean boy band, BTS. This group is known as the world’s biggest boy group, surpassing The Beatles, but it seems like America is still in denial. The group has broken records multiple times in various categories, such as “First K-pop Group to Go Gold,” “Most Viewed YouTube Video in 24 Hours”, and “Highest-Charting Billboard Hot 100 Hit for Any K-pop Group” (Kazimierska, 2020). Even so, BTS did not receive any nominations for 2020’s Grammy Awards. This includes categories like “Best Pop Duo/Group Performance,” in which their hit song “Boy With Luv” featuring Halsey did not get selected for a nomination even though it broke YouTube’s record for most views in 24 hours (Delgado, 2019).

BTS’s most recent single, “Dynamite”, “continued to dominate digital song sales with 136,000 downloads in the third week of its release, becoming to first track to do so since ‘Closer’ by The Chainsmokers in 2016.” (Yonhap, 2020). The single debuted as No.1 on Billboard’s Hot 100 for weeks straight, along with every song from their new album “BE” on the chart. Not a single track ranked outside the Hot 100 list, yet when Billboard released its list of nominees for the category “Top Hot 100 Song”, BTS did not receive a nomination. This proves that even if K-pop groups like BTS amass a huge American fanbase, America will not acknowledge this. Once again, Asians are left unnoticed and unrepresented. This has only negatively impacted Asians as it becomes harder for Asians to break into the entertainment industry, be included with the rest of America, and be viewed as equals.

If it is not clear by now, Asians have continuously faced underrepresentation, in which America’s entertainment industry has normalized the exclusivity of Asians, making Asians “estranged” or “extrinsic.” Although there have been improvements these past few years, Asians are still overlooked on America’s programs and still burdened with roles being handed to their white counterparts. Because of America’s inability to represent Asians, Asians have been excluded, alienized, ostracized, and isolated. Nevertheless, one cannot learn about America’s flaws through a brief passage. This is simply a summary of America’s unfair society. For change to happen, society, Asians and non-Asians alike, must learn and unpack America’s system – a system built on inequality. Asian and non-Asian counterparts must research and educate themselves on the underrepresentation that Asians have faced. Be alert and aware – America is no stranger to masking inequality. Speak up for diversity, inclusivity, and representation. Only then will America finally become the real melting pot that it has been claiming to be.

References

Delgado, S. (2019, November). BTS Fans Are Calling Out Grammy Nominations 2020 for BTS Snub. https://www.teenvogue.com/story/bts-fans-calling-out-grammy-nominations-2020-bts-snub

Kazimierska, M. (2020, August). 10 Times BTS Broke World Records. https://www.thethings.com/bts-broken-world-records/

Konstantinovsky, M. (2021, January). Chinese-American Actress Anna May Wong Fought Racism in Life and Onscreen. https://history.howstuffworks.com/historical-figures/anna-may-wong.htm

La Force, T. (2018, November). Why Do Asian-Americans Remain Largely Unseen in Film and Television? https://www.nytimes.com/2018/11/06/t-magazine/asian-american-actors-representation.html

Lin, M. (2019, February). Asian Invasion: Asian representation in film industry on the rise. https://nchschant.com/15252/showcase/asian-invasion-asian-representation-in-film-industry-on-the-rise/

Yonhap. (2020, September). BTS' "Dynamite" ranks 2nd on Billboard Hot 100 for third week. http://www.koreaherald.com/view.php?ud=20200915000195#:~:text=According%20to%20Billboard%2C%20%22Dynamite%22,by%20The%20Chainsmokers%20in%202016.