Historical Context

Asians being misrepresented in media and films started long before Hollywood was a major symbol in the entertainment industry. Asians have always and still face discrimination and violence in areas other than the film industry. Compared to the actual percentage of Asians in the US population, 7%, only 2.3% are given lead roles on screens. On Broadway, only 36% of all roles with minority actors.  Learning about the struggles all Asians faced when coming to America is essential in learning more about their deep rooted history.

One of the major events was the Chinese Massacre of 1871. More than 500 White and Hispanic rioters surrounded a small Chinese community in Los Angeles on October 24, 1871. They were hanged across several public sites in downtown Los Angeles. 19 Chinese men and boys were hanged that day. Although the rioters were convicted of manslaughter, they were never punished for what they did. Another major event was The Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882. At the time, many  Chinese immigrants were coming to America. The act prohibited the Chinese from numerous job opportunities. As a result, many Chinese families suffered from loss of food, houses, and safety. All Chinese men that immigrated to America were unable to find wives which made them have to work harder in order to support themselves. 

In 1893, the first movie that was shown in the United States was called “Blacksmith Scene” by William K.L Dickison. This short silent film had no Asian representation at all. To add, there were little to few movies that contained any Asian characters until the early 1900s. Although there were Asian characters in films, they were not played by Asian actors or actresses. Broadway did not have any major Asian roles being played by Asians until 1972 when “Frank Chin's The Chickencoop Chinaman became the first Asian-American play to be produced in New York City.”

As the technology of film and television improved, more and more Asian male actors were casted in bigger roles. Some main examples include Bruce Lee in the movie Fist of Fury (1972)  and Jackie Chan in Rush Hour (1998). Bruce Lee shifted Hollywood’s perspective on an Asian male character. He shifted the “stereotypical Asian man portrayals of comedy, undesirability, and submission” to showcasing “martial arts skills in his roles that revolutionized the way people saw Asian men on camera.” 

Unfortunately, Asian women were still being given roles that hypersexualized their character. The author of ''The Climate of the Country”, which is a novel based in a Japanese-American internment camp during World War II, was featured in a New York Times article and explained that “there are negative consequences of leaving out important parts of the history of a marginalized group, which can be a contributing factor as to why there is a lack of representation of Asian Americans in the media." I firmly believe in the importance of seeing people who look like you in the media because it influences how you view yourself and how you act towards others.

The Joy Luck Club (1993) and Crazy Rich Asians (2018) became very well-known movies that shared more about Asian culture. Several Asian actors and actresses starred in these movies, breaking stereotypes. People like Constance Wu, Michelle Yeoh, and Gemma Chan are some of the many actresses that became global stars that represented much of the Asian community. However, the issue of racism behind the screen is still relevant to several Asian actors. In an interview with ABC News, Traister, “an actress and SAG-AFTRA Colorado local president”, and other Asians and Pacific Islanders spoke out about how they have felt “invisible” in the media industry. They had also explained that because of the huge lack of API representation in the media industry, it “erases the community from Hollywood's portrayal of America.” To add, Traister explained that if Asians are not able to see themselves both on and behind screens, they do not “see a true reflection of the American scene and the human condition represented in our stories, it's too easy for others to objectify us.”

Just as things started to change for the Asian community, the world was struck with a global pandemic. In 2020, Asians all around the US were challenged with being blamed for Covid-19. The Chinese, in particular, were given even more hate because the first case of Covid-19 was discovered in China. Many people began referring to the virus as “The China Virus” or “Wuhan Virus”. Not only is calling Covid-19 those names false, but also xenophobic. People began relating the virus to all Asian people. This led to a huge rise in Asian hate cases. Some specific places that had a rise in cases were New York and California. Asian employment declined by 5.8% which is much higher than the “2.2% decline for the overall population.” Not only did many Asian Americans lose their jobs, but they were dealt with death threats, verbal, and physical abuse.