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Marvel’s Shang-Chi with its Asian American superhero is an important film for Asian American representation. But is this really a cultural watershed moment or more of a marketing opportunity to ensure profit for Disney’s shareholders? Could it be exploiting the desire for more positive Asian representation? Time to buckle up as we dive into these issues in our new video, “Shang-Chi: Does the Legend Live up to the Hype?”. In our webinar we talk about filmmakers and films that pushed the boundaries further and paved the way for Shang-Chi’s success – why didn’t they receive the same attention? How much does Shang-Chi really challenge Hollywood stereotypes of Asian men? A movie like Shang-Chi is overdue and a milestone for the AAPI community, but there’s still a long way to go in terms of Asian representation on the big screen! The original Reference Library page for the Shang-Chi video has been updated with the recording of a webinar (below right) which was inspired by the Shang-Chi video (below left). The webinar delve more deeply on the subject of Asian American representation in the media and what additional steps the guest speakers feel are necessary to advance the visibility of Asian Americans. Reference Materials and For Teachers sections have both been updated with additional information.
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| Reference Materials | USC Annenberg Inclusion InitiativeOKCupid Data, quoted by BBC
What You See Isn’t What You Get: The Role of Media in Anti-Asian Racism, March 17, 2021, Nielsen What Is Toxic Masculinity? by Maya Salam, January 22, 2019, The New York Times How Marvel’s Shang-Chi Had To “Destroy” Its Own Racist Origins, by Eric Francisco, August 26, 2021, Inverse Asians and Pacific Islanders Account for Less Than 6 Percent of Speaking Roles in Hollywood Films, Study Finds, by Abid Rahman, May 18, 2021, The Hollywood Reporter References added on December 17, 2021 Bill Imada. “Asian-American representation today is an investment for tomorrow.” 2020 USC Annenberg, School of Communication and Journalism. 05 March 2020. Web. Dr. Nancy Wang Yuen, Dr. Stacy L. Smith, Dr. Katherine Pieper, Marc Choueiti, Kevin Yao & Dana Dinh. “The Prevalence and Portrayal of Asian and Pacific Islanders across 1,300 Popular Films.” USC Annenberg, School of Communication and Journalism. May 2021. Web. Eric Francisco. “How Marvel’s Shang-Chi Had To “Destroy” Its Own Racist Origins.” 26 Aug 2021. Inverse. Jiayun Feng. “China wants teenage boys to man up, but public fears toxic masculinity.” SupChina. 01 Feb 2021. Web. Jiayun Feng. “Are ‘fresh young meat’ a threat to national masculinity?” SupChina. 11 July 2018. Web. Manya Bonada. “The rise of Korean culture around the globe.” 01 Nov 2021. The Mercury. Web. Maya Salam. “What Is Toxic Masculinity? 22 Jan 2019, The New York Times. Mary-Ann Russon. “K-beauty: The rise of Korean make-up in the West.” 21 Oct 2018. BBC News: Business. Web. Richard Morgan. “Asian American masculinity is being increasingly celebrated. But many men still face stereotyping.” 22 June 2021. Washington Post. Sharon Heijin Lee. “Asian American Identity, K-beauty and what BLM means to Asians.” Mommy Diary. Podcast. Yu, Charles. Interior Chinatown, New York: Pantheon Books, a division of Penguin Random House LLC. 2020. |
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| For Teachers | A lesson guide for 9-12 grade teachers to discuss masculinity, Asian representation in film and cinema, and how images portrayed by the media might or might not influence the perception of Asian Americans.Shang-Chi Lesson Guide
Additional Resource added on December 17, 2021 Asian Americans on the Big Screen :Responding to Stereotypes Asian Americans K-12 Education Curriculum – Asian American Education Project |
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| Recommendations
Updated Dec 17, 2021 |
Films and television series that represented Asian Americans positively or negatively
Always Be My Maybe A Simple Favor Better Luck Tomorrow Blue Bayou Breakfast at Tiffany’s Charlie Chan’s Secret Chen is Missing Crazy Rich Asians Dr. No Doctor Strange Enter the Dragon Flower Drum Song Harold and Kumar Go to White Castle IP Man Joy Luck Club Kim’s Convenience Lucky Grandma (new addition) Minari Once Upon a Time in Hollywood Revenge of the Nerds Rush Hour Saving Face Searching Shang Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings Sixteen Candles Snake Eyes Sound of Metal The Big Sick The Brides of Fu Manchu The Cheat The Crow The Farewell The Goonies The Grandmaster The Green Hornet The Green Knight The Hangover The Replacement Killers The Wedding Banquet |
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A 1990 Production • Asian Americans • Cultural/Social • History • People • Webinar
Beyond Shang-Chi: Discussion on Superheroes, Masculinity, and Asian American Representation
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