christine

ok friends I love this discussion but I am going to go on a walk

linking a tweet for a bit more clarity around what I meant. tired for today but if other people are having this kind of conversation somewhere else please do lmk I'd love to hear morehttps://twitter.com/christineist/status/1497410188701171714?s=20&t=cRZAIKEUMfquQNCd8zVZEQ …

Things that stand out to me: • In american film category, representation goes from caricatures to more complex characters who are also seen as romantic prospects • In asian film category, great to see a move away from hyper masculinity towards softer, more emotional roles

also I just made this based on my past consumption, I am in no way an expert so feel free to tell me if I am overlooking something

• most striking contrast is in "Before 2000s" which makes sense given how far america has come with race & identity politics • However, ordering by date watched would roughly track top down american film to top down asian film. I consumed the 2000-2010 images during puberty

• as I see it, the difference in portrayal lies in: dignity, self respect, confidence, being taken seriously, being a main character, complexity of emotion and character development, romantic prospects, fitness, style, charisma, competency and fluency

idk obviously none of this is news!! but as I have begun to watch a lot more asian film, this exercise has been very interesting for me to understand my own consumption & reflect on the ways I may have internalized these images

I know there aren't that many asian american actors since we are often encouraged to be in traditional stable careers, but in general I feel we have a lot of room to define this narrative for ourselves, and in a way that demonstrate our solidarity as well as our many subgroups.

And not just for aa men but in general, I feel a lot of frustration with current asian american representation... we are straddling 2 worlds, things come up like "oh you can't speak Chinese?", or how we're "practically white"

I want to know, who is creating content? who is pushing the narrative? where are these conversations happening? how can we make for a stronger cultural identity? We should all generate content and play around, see what is compelling, make it easier to define for ourselves

some of the things that irk me include overly focusing on China as a homeland (as child of immigrants my connection isn't as strong), catering to western audiences/trying to prove we are worthy of their respect with a show of wealth, an element of surprise! we are cool after all

I got a bit lost in my rant

I think that's most of it, I probably have a few more thoughts but I've lost steam, end rant for now!