Asian Women in Films

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Table of Contents

Introduction
Historical Background
The Modern representation
Examples of movies/films that feature Asian women and their roles
Hollywood versus Asian women
Conclusion
Bibliography
Footnotes

Introduction

It is widely known that the media plays a major role in determining how people interact in our societies as well as how they think. Movies, television programs and shows as well as the print media mirror the societal norms and what it considers important^[1]. The media has for a long time misrepresented Asian women especially in the United States. Although the population of Asians living in the United States continues to grow, they are still considered as the minority group.

Presenting Asian women as sex objects is worrisome because apart from misrepresenting them, stereotyping is also endorsed. As noted, the media plays a major role in determining how people in a society perceive things; in the same way it makes people to have false beliefs about these women. The film “Dragon Lady” portrays Asian women as having sexual appeal, exotic, calm and pretty; all these elements may not always hold true for the entire population of Asian women.

It is easy for people to meet an Asian woman and make her a representative of other women of Asian origin; however it is important to know that each of these women is unique in her own ways. It is unfortunate that the Asian women not only have to carry the burden of how they are misrepresented in films but also the beliefs held by the society concerning women in general^[2].

Historical Background

The culture of stereotyping Asian women in films can be traced back to the colonial period. Colonization can be defined as ownership of something. Many writers argue that Asian women were viewed as goods that can be possessed^[3]. They were portrayed as people without an identity. A clip in the film “Ancestors in the Americas” regards Asian women who migrated into the Untied States as a single unit^[4].

This implies that they were all the same hence individual differences were disregarded, if one of them acted in an unacceptable manner, she could be used as a representative of the entire Asian women population. Asian women are brought out as sexual objects by the military soldiers in the war films. The media has played an active role in supporting stereotypes in the society through films that are aired. The characters of these women tend to be more on the negative side than on the positive.

In ancient times, women were seen as meek beings who conducted themselves in a way that showed that they were lowly. She was expected to have some skills so that she could get along well with her husband^[5].

Three things were done on the third day after a baby girl was born: placing the baby below the bed, giving her a broken pot which she was expected to play with, and announcing her birth. Laying the baby below the bed indicated that she is submissive and simple meaning that she had the responsibility of humbling herself before others. By giving her the broken pot, the society expected her to provide labor and be hard working. Announcing her birth to the ancestors gave her the responsibility of continuity and monitoring worship at home^[6].

These ancient customs characterized a simple way of life of the women and the ancient rites and rules. A woman was expected to act in a way that proved that she was meek and humble in the society particularly when it came to dealing with men^[7]. A woman was expected to be morally upright so that she could serve her husband better. Films that feature ancient times prove this since they clearly bring out the role that women played.

Cho Heajong, a student who went to the United Stated to take a graduate degree tells of her experience with the women in America^[8]. She says that women who were considered “sexy” could get whatever they wanted from men since they used their sexual appeal to seduce men. On weekends, those who were considered beautiful could go out with men leaving behind those who were considered “ugly”.

This behavior was shocking since those who did not have dates were depressed because they felt unloved. Women who came to study here had to pamper themselves to look pretty so that they could at least have a date^[9]. Foreigners like Koreans and Asians could be affected by peer pressure since they wanted to fit in. Those who did not agree to be led astray were considered backward and ugly.

It is from here that women from Asian origin also engaged in sexual relationships with Americans so that they could feel powerful like other women. The men were more powerful since they had better education and were lucky to land in good jobs. Generational changes have not changed the way people perceive women since it is hard to come across men seeking attention by using their sexual appeal.

Although women in the ancient world were seen as meek they were motherly and they were a sign of peace in the society, after this generation came a mother’s generation that was characterized by aggressive women who could manage their businesses well, later there emerged a generation that was characterized by women who were caught between motherly love and independence^[10].

One thing that characterizes these women is that they have been seen as lesser beings by the society despite their efforts to reach a point of self-actualization. That is why the modern day films will portray Asian women as sex objects despite the efforts to stop this vice^[11].

Films produced between 1950s and 1960s portray Asian women as evil goddesses. They are seen as cunning hence they get what they want through socially unacceptable means.

Apart from being seen as prostitutes, the movies objectify the Asian women characters by making them to appear having slanting eyes, swollen hips, kinky dark hair, and white skin which has been made darker by makeup. “The world of Suzie Wong” is a movie with an Asian woman depicted as a prostitute; she is desperately in love with a man who does not love her as much as she does.

Many films either depict Asian women as sexual objects or oppressed. These women are paradoxically given two choices: to be primitive and desperate or to be deceitful and morally corrupt.

They are rarely portrayed as sophisticated women who are sure of what they want for their life like their white counterparts. The stereotype is deeply rooted since it owes it origin to the colonial period. This vice could have been there before the colonial times since the society discriminated women and saw men as superior to them, women were therefore oppressed^[12].

The play “The return of an old Acquaintance on a Rainy Night” attempts to show that women are independent beings hence they can make decisions without depending on someone else’s opinion. The phrase “Woman is not the moon” suggests that she will not depend on someone else’s brightness to brighten herself^[13].

She can comfortably rely on herself to shine. This film aimed at warning or enlightening those who saw women as lacking an identity or as commodities that could be possessed. This film is opposed to the idea of using a small portion of the population to represent the entire population.

The Modern representation

Although there has been great efforts to counter the stereotypes on Asian women in the modern world, research shows that sexploitation of Asian women is still noticeable^[14]. Although the number of films misrepresenting Asian women has reduced, there are still some films that depict the same. In the clip “How many Asian American Actors can you name?” many students interviewed only named a few Asian women, in addition, those that were mentioned played roles that were stereotypical.

Lucy Liu is a renowned Asian American actor whose character has raised controversy, while some see her as an icon other view her as a curse. She plays a sexually charged role in “Ally Mcbeal” where she is depicted as a sex addict who uses sex to exploit men to get whatever she wants.

Some see her role in this film as one that attempt to enlighten the society about the sexploitation of Asian women while others argue that she comes out as an icon who is able to identify opportunities and exploit them to her advantage. Still, it is evident that whatever the intended message, her role depicts her as a sexual object; a trait that is assumed to be inherent in majority of Asian women.

The conflicting opinions have not affected her popularity since she still remains to be one of the most celebrated Asian American actors. It is hard to change people’s thoughts concerning the issue of stereotypes since they have already been made to believe that whenever an Asian woman is given a role in a film, it must be sexually inclined^[15].

Examples of movies/films that feature Asian women and their roles

The characters described below feature in films that depict their sexual powers. It is evident that all of them play roles that portray them as exotic, cunning or sex objects. These are just but few examples that aim at proving than indeed Asian women are misrepresented in the film industry. The image of Asian women is tainted since the society tends to view the character’s behavior as a representation of the behavior pattern of the entire population of Asian women.

One thing that is evident is that despite having other positive traits, the negative ones are emphasized more than the positive ones. Emphasis on this aspect makes the society to disregard the positive aspects since the films tend to focus more on the negative aspects. Evidently this aspect makes the movies more interesting hence the playwright has to present them as such. The following are some of the examples^[16]

In the movie “Charlie’s Angles” Lucy Liu stars as Alex Munday. She is one of the agents working for a strange detective. Alex is among the three agents who work for the detective. They tend to wear tight fitting clothes while working to fight crime. She is portrayed as independent, brave and sexy.
Ziyi Zhang stars in the movie “Memoirs” as character Chiyo. She is hopeful that she will become a Geisha in Japan. She identifies herself with wealthy patrons with whom she has sexual relationships. She appears to have beautiful blue eyes, a stunning physique and is talented in dancing.
The movie “2003 film X2” features Kelly Hu who plays the role of Lady Deathstrike. She is seen as evil since she is determined to kill her boyfriend. The playwright objectifies her presenting her with robotic limbs while her fingers have razor-sharp claws. She is brought out as having supernatural powers due to her great speed and strength. The clothes she wears are tight and suggestive of her sexual powers.
Isabella is a character in the movie “Miami Vice”, her real name is Li Gong. She has a sexual relationship with Ricardo Tubbs, an undercover agent who is in search of drug lords. She is portrayed as pretty, exotic, and a threat.

Hollywood versus Asian women

Hollywood movies tend to be more inclined to fantasies than reality. This aspect works best for viewers who do not have a rich background of the Asian culture. The directors of this film industry have a way of manipulating the process of film-making. For a long time, Hollywood has portrayed the image of Asian women to the world.

It is unfortunate that most of the people who produce these films have little information concerning the Asian culture and its women. The films produced are stereotypical since they portray Asian women as exotic mistresses.

Among the movies that have misrepresented Asian women include “The last Samurai”, “The world of Suzie Wong”, and “Love is a Many Splendored Thing” all of them have been produced by Hollywood directors and in some way, they do not depict the true nature of Asian women. Hollywood has a big market for its products hence these films are watched by many people across the globe; this means that they influence many people since they are easily accessible.

The Asian women are depicted as dependent hence they regard their white counterparts as their only saviors. They are brought out as poor and having no sense of identity. Their plight makes them to fall in love with American men since they believe that they can make their dreams come true. These women hold that once they marry the white men, they automatically climb up the social ladder. The American man will be attracted by her obedient nature hence he will be sure that he will dominate her.

The films will often show the American man feeling superior and having a conviction that he can manipulate her as he wishes. The women are subject to maltreatment since they have been given a chance to realize their “American Dream” by the white man. She acts according to what she has been told. Some of the films even suggest that these women are there to be seen but not to be heard.

The movie “Love is a Many Splendored Thing” by Henry King features an Asian woman, Doctor Han Suyin, who falls in love with a married journalist. Their love is affected by the journalist’s wife, their cultures, racial discrimination and political factors. Initially, Suyin was an independent woman who did not need a man to take care of her.

At some point, she turns into a meek and a submissive character ready to give in to a man’s demands. Many characters in the movie are opposed to this relationship because of the cultural differences. As the movie ends, the director’s message is passed well since he proposes that Asians and American should not have interpersonal relationships^[17].

The movie “The World of Suzie Wong” directed by Richard Quine is also a Hollywood production that stereotypes Asian women. Suzie Wong is presented as a prostitute who was initially pretends to be a Chinese seducer. To climb the ladder and gain more power among her colleagues, she attempts to seduce Robert Lomax, a famous artist to sleep with her.

She comes out as a sex object who seeks empowerment through sleeping with men. Later in the film, she transforms into a desperate woman who cannot support herself unless she is supported by a man. She is a Hollywood stereotype since she is ready to act as a slave who does exactly as told without questioning.

The stereotype is further evidenced by the fact that she her language is poor and wanting. This is seen in instances where she attempts to communicate in English but exempts articles. Her language is poor to the extent at some point; it becomes hard to understand what she intends to communicate. By portraying her that way, viewers can be tempted to think that all Asians speak in broken English although this does not apply to all.

This makes people to have misconceptions which can be hard to prove wrong since as stated earlier, the media plays a major role in determining how people think^[18]. It is interesting to note that once people watch two or more films that depict Asian women as sex objects they conceive a misconception that is hard to erase or to make them to see the issue from a different angle.

Conclusion

The art of cinematography has been misrepresenting Asian women for a long time. The women are either depicted as sexual objects or lacking a sense of identity. Historically, Asian women were portrayed as lesser beings.

The issue of misrepresenting these women started way before the colonial era since women were still degraded. During the war, Asian women were used as sex objects by the soldiers. Although there has been efforts to reduce the number of films that misrepresent Asian women, these efforts have not been fruitful since the films are still produced.

Hollywood is one of the best selling film producers. It is also known to produce films that undermine the Asian culture and its women. The women are portrayed as submissive and sexual objects. They desperately fall in love with Americans so that they can realize their “American Dream” In the ancient world; women were seen as lesser beings that could be easily manipulated by men.

Bibliography

Chao, Ban Zhao Pan. Lessons for a woman. New York: Century Co., 1932.

Chen, Edith Wen-Chu. Encyclopedia of Asian American Issues Today. New Jersey: ABC-CLIO, 2010

Danico, Mary Yu and Ng, Franklin. Asian American issues. California: Greenwood Publishing Group, 2004.

Haejoang, Cho. Living with conflicting mother, motherly wife, and sexy women in the transition from colonial-modern to postmodern Korea. Honolulu: University of Hawaii Press, 2002.

Hamamoto, Darrell. Countervisions: Asian American film criticism. Philadelphia: Temple University Press, 2000.

Honig, Emily and Hershatter, Gail. Personal Voices (women). California: Stanford University Press, 1988

Honig, Emily and Hershatter. Personal Voices (Family relations). California: Stanford University Press, 1988.

Huang, Guiyou. Asian American literary studies. Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press, 2005.

Knapp, Ronald and Lo, Kai-yin. The inner quarters: Oppression or freedom. Santa Barbra: University of California, 2005.

Larson, Stephanie Greco. Media & minorities: the politics of race in news and entertainment. New York: Rowman & Littlefield, 2006.

Footnotes

Chen, Edith Wen-Chu. Encyclopedia of Asian American Issues Today (New Jersey: ABC-CLIO, 2010), 56.
Larson, Stephanie Greco. Media & minorities: the politics of race in news and entertainment (New York: Rowman & Littlefield, 2006), 122.
Honig, Emily and Hershatter, Gail. Personal Voices (women). (California: Stanford University Press, 1988), 4
Hamamoto, Darrell. Countervisions: Asian American film criticism (Philadelphia: Temple University Press, 2000), 111.
Honig, Emily and Hershatter. Personal Voices (Family relations) (California: Stanford University Press), 7
Chao, Ban Zhao Pan. Lessons for a woman (New York: Century Co., 1932), 82-90
Danico, Mary Yu and Ng, Franklin. Asian American issues (California: Greenwood Publishing Group, 2004), 89.
Haejoang, Cho. Living with conflicting mother, motherly wife, and sexy women in the transition from colonial-modern to postmodern Korea (Honolulu: University of Hawaii Press,2002), 1
Danico, Mary Yu and Ng, Franklin. Asian American issues (California: Greenwood Publishing Group, 2004), 311.
Haejoang, Cho. Living with conflicting mother, motherly wife, and sexy women in the transition from colonial-modern to postmodern Korea (Honolulu: University of Hawaii Press,2002), 4
Chen, Edith Wen-Chu. Encyclopedia of Asian American Issues Today ( New Jersey: ABC-CLIO, 2010), 222.
Knapp, Ronald and Lo, Kai-yin. The inner quarters: Oppression or freedom (Santa Barbra: University of California, 2005), 5
Honig, Emily and Hershatter, Gail. Personal Voices (California: Stanford University Press, 1988), 5
Huang, Guiyou. Asian American literary studies (Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press, 2005), 66.
Danico, Mary Yu and Ng, Franklin. Asian American issues (California: Greenwood Publishing Group, 2004), 321.
Hamamoto, Darrell. Countervisions: Asian American film criticism (Philadelphia: Temple University Press, 2000), 105.
Hamamoto, Darrell. Countervisions: Asian American film criticism (Philadelphia: Temple University Press, 2000), 321
Chen, Edith Wen-Chu. Encyclopedia of Asian American Issues Today (New Jersey: ABC-CLIO, 2010), 89.

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