Film
Presenter(s): Jacky Dang, Sophia Morrissette
Advisor(s): Eric Young
According to the Center for American Progress, the percentage of Asian-American women in the United States is one of the fastest growing populations (Phadke 1). However, even with over 15.9 million Asian-American women in the country, this minority population continues to face unique challenges set by the ideal societal image in America. In 2017, The Talk Project published “The Intersection of Race and Gender in Rape Culture: How Rape Culture Affects Asian Women” which discusses the hypersexualized stereotypes Asian women face such as “submissive” and “exotic.” Author Hannah Ji writes that the recurring issue with the propulsion of these stereotypes is that “the submissive docile images of women imply women without voices to say no. They take away the agency of control and consent that every woman has a right to,” (Ji 1). Therefore, given this limited knowledge of Asian-American realities, my project explores if the media stereotypes have also affected this segment of the female population in the United States as well as how or if intersectionality plays a vital role in shaping their lives. First, in order to study specific stereotypes, various independent, and Hollywood films as well as television shows that featured Asian American women are examined. After isolating the three most prominent stereotypes—the “kick ass,” the “exotic,” and the “tiger mom,” – I conducted interviews with Asian American women, varying in age, sub-ethnicity, and occupation, for a documentary. After collecting the data, the documentary intercuts the interviews with the subject’s actions in society. Our goal is to show these women more so in action in their communal, familial and occupational roles, and how and if they are affected by the society’s image of them.
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