Asian Women in American TV Sitcoms: Stereotypes and Media

Introduction

Asian American women exist within a culture that is at times resistant to providing a realistic portrait of who Asian women are and how they express themselves. This can be seen in the career of Margaret Cho, whose sitcom All-American Girl forced her to confront the reality of how America perceived Asian American women and Asian people in general. Negative images — stereotypes of Asian American women as "demon women," "hookers," and submissive figures — are translated not just in television sitcoms, but in films like Ghost in the Shell, fostering beliefs that persist in the public mind long-term. It is through these shows and movies that many Americans form their understanding of who Asian Americans are, and unfortunately, how badly they are depicted.

This essay sheds light on the potential origins of these negative stereotypes and why they continue to exist today. A closer look at American beauty standards and the Asian American women who navigate them offers an additional perspective on the bicultural identity these women are compelled to negotiate.

Literature Review: Origins and Persistence of Stereotypes

Any literature review on this subject must begin with Margaret Cho's All-American Girl. The sitcom was the first to feature an Asian American family prominently. Cho, a true pioneer in entertainment, had to contend with various obstacles while filming. For example, the image of the slender Asian woman is deeply entrenched in popular culture, and it was difficult for Cho to meet that expectation given her fuller figure. Beyond the pressures of maintaining a certain physical appearance, she also had to navigate the negative stereotypes that permeated the show's writing. Nevertheless, Cho was able to give a sense of belonging to the millions of Asian Americans living in the United States. As one account notes, "All-American Girl was the first network sitcom to feature a predominantly Asian American cast — a milestone that brought tempered hope for a group that had for decades been reduced to kung fu fighters, dragon ladies, and kooky bucktoothed neighbors in mainstream media portrayals" (Woo, 2016). It was Cho and others like Lucy Liu who enabled some progress in reversing negative images of Asian Americans.

Negative images and stereotypes are what keep Asian Americans from having a stronger presence in media and television sitcoms. Why does such a reluctance to authentically represent the Asian American experience persist, alongside the continued reinforcement of caricatures like the "dragon lady" or the hypersexualized Asian woman?

Edward Said's Orientalism offers important insight. Said details how, in the electronic and postmodern world, stereotypes are reinforced rather than dispelled. "Television, the films, and all the media's resources have forced information into more and more standardized molds. So far as the Orient is concerned, standardization and cultural stereotyping have intensified the hold of the nineteenth-century academic" (Said, 2014, p. 26). In shows like Ally McBeal and even more recent productions like Sherlock, Lucy Liu's characters are portrayed as a "demon woman," a dragon lady, or a submissive figure (Shimizu, 2016). It remains rare for Asian American women to occupy central roles that are not defined by being an object of desire or fear. Without positive images to counteract old stereotypes, the prevailing myths of the "Oriental" person endure.

Whitewashing and the Erasure of Asian American Representation

These damaging images persist in part because opportunities for Asian American actors are further diminished by the whitewashing of Asian characters. The casting of Ghost in the Shell is a clear example. Although more acting roles have been given to Asian American actors in recent years, lead roles are still frequently assigned to white actors like Scarlett Johansson. "Asian American actors said there had been an increase in diverse roles in recent years, though some were hoping that the recent controversy surrounding Ghost in the Shell — which starred Scarlett Johansson in the remake of an anime classic — would inspire directors and producers to stop whitewashing Asian characters" (Levin, 2017). One reason this continues is that directors and producers assume a bigger name — typically a white actor — will draw larger audiences. Yet Ghost in the Shell performed poorly at the box office, and its casting choices were widely cited as a contributing factor. Rather than casting a Japanese woman in the lead role, the production cast an Asian woman in a brief "real-life" appearance that lasted only minutes.

Casting choices like this do not bridge the gap of understanding between American audiences and Asian American communities. Instead, they deepen the divide and further propagate negative Oriental stereotypes. The very use of the word "Oriental" carries significant weight: Orientalism represents a European construction of Asian culture that compresses the enormous diversity of Asian peoples, traditions, and nations into a single flattened image. To reduce that diversity to one monolithic identity is, again, detrimental to genuine understanding (Said, 2014).

Conclusion

In a post-colonial society that aspires to be global and all-encompassing, there remain very real problems with how people of color are portrayed. Asian Americans in particular are vastly underrepresented in media and entertainment. They continue to fall prey to stereotypes like the "demon woman," or are pressured to conform to beauty standards that bear little resemblance to their own. Asian American women must also contend with the whitewashing of roles, as seen in Ghost in the Shell, which deprives Asian American actresses of opportunities and presents white audiences with an image far removed from the reality of who these women are and what they aspire to be.

It is through an analysis of these roles and images that broader American beliefs can be examined. Negative stereotypes generated within white American mainstream culture have led to the continued proliferation of damaging images of people of color — and, in this case, of Asian American women specifically. To change the beliefs reinforced by these images, one must first change the images themselves.

References

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