What’s “Scantily Clad” About Media
November 26, 2004
If you hear Fox TV’s explanation, their lack of APA actors on one prime-time television drama was because there is some sort of issue with APA actors being “scantily clad.” Recently, actor Chow Yun-Fat also expressed his dismay at being typecast along with Jet Li and Jackie Chan as Hong Kong cops – what columnist Kimberly Chun refers to as “second bananas” in this issue.
But while Chun may bemoan the opportunities available to our community, one could also take a revelation from columnist Phillip Chung. He looks at things the other way around, and says Sandra Oh is Academy Award material. By his way of thinking, regular supporting roles can do more to support an actor’s livelihood and to ensure recurring images of our community, than only the occasional blockbuster parts.
Actually, this APA dilemma is not that new. Back in the 1920s and 1930s, Anna May Wong took on her own “scantily clad” roles like Thief of Baghdad. She was criticized from within the APA community for portraying the exotic oriental villain or vamp. At the same time, Hollywood denied her real Asian American roles and instead cast white actors in “yellowface” in a movie such as the Good Earth.
Demeaned and rejected, Wong left for Europe in search of better cinematic opportunities, as did Bruce Lee leave for Asia in the 1970s after appearing almost exclusively behind a mask in Hollywood’s Green Hornet series.
These days, more Asian actors are trying to find a home for their careers in America, and although they haven’t yet found that blockbuster success, more and more APA productions are making it to the mainstream’s Big Screen, including the stereotype shattering Better Luck Tomorrow and Harold and Kumar.
It is true that media institutions – including the Public Broadcasting System (see cover story) – continue to be biased in keeping out Asian American images. But our community’s actors and actresses keep fighting though. The diversity of APA images is growing into all areas and all personalities.
So while we’re not sure whether we agree with Chun or Chung, we would advise the Fox network that those scantily clad bodies on their primetime shows would be more attractive with more Asian bodies.
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