Asians in the Media: Past, Present, and Future: Introduction

Although Asians Americans have immigrated to the United States from as early as the eighteenth century and now comprise almost six percent of the population, Asians have faced, and currently still face, many forms of stereotyping, racism, and discrimination. One of the outlets that contribute to an overall negative portrayal of Asians is the media. In films, music, and television shows, Asians are, for the most part, underrepresented and/or pigeonholed into some form of stereotype, archetype, or trope. “Yellow facing” and the idea of “white superiority” have furthered the negative views of Asians in the media. The earliest portrayals of Asians were extreme, portraying Asians as either evil and domineering or highly submissive. Over time, these archetypes have mellowed out into present-day stereotypes that are less overtly racist but still deprive Asians of a sense of individualism. As Asians continue to become a larger and more integral component of American society, it is the hope of many Asian Americans that the media will cease limiting Asians to stereotypical roles and start to depict them more as their own persons.