02. The Hypersexualization of Asian Women in the Media

In our second episode, we track the reinforcement of harmful stereotypes through racist, sexist media representation, specifically in film. We speak with Dr. Willam Gow, a Chinese-American San Francisco-based historian, educator, and documentary filmmaker. Our conversation provides a brief overview of Asian femme representation through the decades, from the films of Anna May Wong to recent productions, like Crazy Rich Asians, as well as stereotypes like the Lotus Blossom, Dragon Lady, model minority, ABG, and others that have persisted because of film misrepresentations. In our discussion about the model minority myth in particular, we highlight how harmful ideas like this have affected not only the Asian American community, but also other communities of color, namely the Black community.