Asians: Unrepresented In Media

“If your life was made into a movie, who would play you?”

A seemingly innocent question. But this small icebreaker is actually a big reality check. While my more privileged, more represented, more normalized white friends have the freedom to decide between a myriad of actors such as Blake Lively, Anna Kendrick, Natalie Portman, or dozens of other actresses, my response would always end up being: “Uh… Steven Yeun?”

But it doesn’t even matter, because Hollywood would probably cast Scarlett Johansson anyway.

I speak for myself and the other 17 million Asians in the United States when I say that I’m tired of being unrepresented or whitewashed in media. Particularly, us East Asians, as that is the perspective I’m most experienced with. We can’t help but feel mad when we’re cast aside so white people can get casted into every role. Asian representation is so limited in media, that critics have to take a step further in applauding a movie

I never want a repeat of Kendall Jenner, who is, again, white, being featured in Vogue India. I can’t stress how important it is for Asians in the audience to see themselves on the big screen in order to build a sense of importance and self-worth. It’s time we stop ignoring the minimal Asian representation in media and start speaking up to the bigger companies. The next Asians that are cast, and hopefully there will be many, should a) actually be Asian, and b) not have to fall under any Asian cliché. I want an Asian superhero who doesn’t feed the stereotypes of eating dogs or speaking in a choppy accent. I want an inspirational Asian student whose success comes from hard work and not their race. I want a strong Asian female lead who fights battles and jumps buildings and doesn’t have to wear tight-fitted clothing. I am an east Asian American female, and we exist to play a major role in society, not to be your