By Kriti Rajbar, Trinity College Student
I think not enough people recognize the difference between representation, and a caricature. So, let’s figure out the distinction between those two words together. The dictionary defines representation as “the description or portrayal of someone or something in a particular way” and a caricature as “a picture, description, or imitation of a person in which certain striking characteristics are exaggerated in order to create a comic or grotesque effect”.
A lot of people don’t stop to figure out the difference. When they see a minority being given a smidge of the spotlight, they say “here you go, there’s your representation!” But often times, these so called “representations” are gross exaggerations of mannerisms and unfair (and hurtful) stereotypes. Which are caricatures. Let’s go through some examples of this issue in terms of Asian portrayal in Hollywood.
Let’s be honest: Asian people are almost always the butt of the joke in movies and tv shows. An Asian actor can play a comedic role, but often the audience is laughing at the fact that the character is Asian and not at the jokes, which is problematic. For example, South Asian men are often portrayed as nerdy, pervy, creepy men with no social sense. There are hundreds, if not thousands of Indian male characters in “beloved” media that are inappropriately sexual and make women uncomfortable. Some examples include:
Rajesh Koothrapali, a main character of the long running popular sitcom, The Big Bang Theory. His only personality trait was being nerdy and unable to talk to women. He could only do so under the influence of alcohol, and once he did this, he was so sexual he weirded women out. And even though he was a creep, the main reason he couldn’t get girls (at least according to the other characters) was because of his Indian accent. Let’s not even begin to talk about how his ‘friends’ mocked his accent, nationality and religion ALL THE TIME. I can’t even count all the jokes ridiculing his religion. Also, let’s not forget that this show was pretty recent, only ending in 2019 so don’t go saying that racism doesn’t exist anymore.
To this day, I can’t fathom how anyone thought this ad was okay? In case you couldn’t recognise him, this is indeed popular Hollywood actor Ashton Kutcher. In an ad he did for some chips company, he donned brown makeup, a hideous moustache, a weird wig and a bigger (‘unattractive’) nose, to become an Indian creep on a dating app. His character Raj (who coincidently has the same name as the above-mentioned character) says that he wants someone "Kardashian hot," adding, "I would give that dog a bone." He also talks about competing in a "milking contest." They went out of their way to make him look ugly and then gave him creepy dialogue and made sure everyone knew he was Indian. Making sure that a whole part of the population was made separate and weird. What saddens me most, is that since the ad aired in 2012, the actor and the company haven’t issued an apology, with the company saying that they “hope people can enjoy this in the spirit it was intended." Like, you hope people enjoy the racism? At least the other guy was Indian, not a white guy putting on a fake nose and tons of makeup like a clown.
Another one of the many stereotypes of Asian people in media is the portrayal of East Asian women as opportunistic sexual beings who are coy and mysterious, “mail-order” brides, exotic femme fatales and submissive. This leads to the fetishization of East Asian women, which can have deadly effects. In March 2021, a white man barged into a spa in Atlanta and killed eight people, six of whom were Asian women. He blamed his “sexual addiction” and viewed the spas as a “temptation” he aimed to “eliminate”. These are the real-life effects of disgusting stereotypes that are perpetually put out by Hollywood. Again, there are hundreds if not thousands of examples of this, but one off the top of my head:
I’m sure many of you know the quintessential coming of age film, Mean Girls. But this movie is riddled with negative stereotypes. One scene shows, Trang Pak, a HIGH SCHOOL STUDENT, making out with Coach Carr, a TEACHER. It is then revealed that this teacher has ‘relations’ with another student, Sun Jin Dinh (note that both these names are a mash up of Vietnamese and Korean surnames). While this is a serious case of minor grooming, abuse of power and sexual assault, the whole scene has a comedic intention. It plays on the stereotype of Asian women being sexually promiscuous, which is disgusting as these girls are literal teenagers and victims.
There are too many stereotypes of Asian people in Hollywood. This is not even the tip of the ice-berg. Asian and Pacific Islanders accounted for less than 6 percent of speaking roles and less than 4 percent of leads and co-leads in Hollywood films in a thirteen-year period, according to a comprehensive new study from USC’s Annenberg Inclusion Initiative. And the few times we see representation? Racist caricatures.
I wish I could list all the ‘popular’ stereotypes, but then I’m afraid this article will never end. But there is hope. With the release of movies like Crazy Rich Asians, To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before, and Shang-Chi, these stereotypes will hopefully become a thing of the past.