Hollywood and Mainstream Representation

Notice: 300 words for this discussion post + 60~ words for a response on a student’s post of this assignment
(The 300 words discussion post is DUE by Wednesday 10 PM. The student’s post will be uploaded as soon as you finished the 300 words discussion post, and response to the student’s post is DUE by Saturday 11 PM)

Hollywood and Mainstream Representation
The guidelines for this module is broader than usual — a major part of that is that we’re dealing with popular culture, especially in the mainstream, and it seems almost pedantic to address this kind of lived phenomenon, which I think is generally inescapable.

However, as there can be different levels of awareness/understanding around Asian American visibility in the mainstream media today, there are still some assigned readings to provide a general foundation for the discussion, so please familiarize yourself with those pieces.

The first piece by Kenneth Lowe (https://www.pastemagazine.com/movies/whitewashing/bias-does-not-come-out-with-the-whitewash/) establishes some (relatively recent) pop cultural context around the discussions that have taken place on Asian American visibility. By the way, this is a topic that spans decades and in many respects, treads the same issues/concerns. One of the key differences that I think makes this notable is how the tenor of the discussion has changed in the last several years.

Hua Hsu’s piece (https://www.newyorker.com/culture/cultural-comment/crazy-rich-asians-and-the-end-point-of-representation) looks at the success around Crazy Rich Asians and places that into a broader history of Asian American self-representation — for example, its significance when connected to earlier moments of Asian American cinematic history such as Justin Lin’s film Better Luck Tomorrow in 2002 and Wayne Wang’s Joy Luck Club back in 1992. Both were works that featured predominantly Asian American cast and crew. Joy Luck Club was arguably a more visible (and accessible) cultural product, while Better Luck Tomorrow became notable as an independent film that ultimately found mainstream distribution.

The Variety piece by Rebecca Davis (https://variety.com/2020/film/news/disney-mulan-asian-americans-in-hollywood-1234805159/) looks at how a film like Disney’s 2020 remake of Mulan poses some interesting issues when considering how the film technically incorporated underrepresented groups but simultaneously ran afoul of a number of other issues… demonstrating the need for nuance around understanding what “representation” actually entails.

Finally, Nancy Wang Yuen’s article about Minari (https://www.nbcnews.com/think/opinion/what-hollywood-s-treatment-minari-says-about-asian-american-dream-ncna1259482) returns the discussion specifically around Asian American narratives — in this case, a Korean American one — that became a point of conversation around diversity, representation, and how these films are (or aren’t) recognized by the mainstream entertainment establishment. While you are not necessarily required to have watched any of the films referenced throughout the pieces, this is one of those areas where having more pop cultural literacy will prove to be useful!

So once you have completed the initial readings, ideally, you should try to do some outside research yourself. For instance, the articles touch upon shows or films that you might not know. Spend some time familiarizing yourself with the materials. Moreover, there have also been other recent issues with on-screen representation of Asians and Asian Americans in Hollywood that have not been addressed, as well as increased opportunities for inclusivity. While Crazy Rich Asians in 2018 marked a transition point, in the following years there have been an uptick in notable Asian American film productions (e.g., Lulu Wang’s The Farewell released in 2019) as well as various awards acknowledgements — such as Minari receiving some Oscars recognition. These last few years have seen much more visibility around Asian American narratives (such as Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, while also highlighting some outliers that don’t fit into neat categories — for example, what does it mean to have a lauded filmmaker such as Chloe Zhao who is of Chinese descent but her films aren’t specifically about Chinese or Asian American experiences?

So dig around and see what’s available. This prompt does tread some familiar themes from past modules, but now you’re specifically being asked to reflect upon mainstream pop culture visibility. Share your own thoughts on the reading, integrating any relevant external research as well. What did you find noteworthy?

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