Most of the time, Asians are portrayed as one of the four: Chinese, Japanese, Indian, and Korean. This leads to inevitably neglecting other Asian nationalities as those from Southeast Asia (i.e. people from Thailand, Malaysia, and/or Philippines look very different from the first four nationalities cited, and are somehow unrepresented/do not have enough representation)
Yes! This is an important topic. I think Chinese, Japanese, Indian, and Korean are the main four because of popular culture (e.g. Bollywood, anime, kpop). Other Asians should also be represented equally. You could possibly talk about how beauty standards of the four main Asian nationalities differ compared to other Asian nationalities. For example, from personal experience some Koreans taunt Filipinos because they tend to have darker skin (there's colorism within Korean beauty standards). – seouljustice8 years ago
Put this under the TV section because I think there are more TV show examples that can be used. One specific show that came to mind is The 100, which is a dystopian show that supposedly features all nations that survived the end of times as one group - the people of 'The Ark'. But you can only ever find Chinese people as representatives of Asians. There are quite a lot of shows that can be used. Basically, just pick a show that has an Asian character and more likely they will be any of the most common four I've mentioned. – Ruth8 years ago
This is an important topic! I agree with Ruth, I would put it in the TV sections. There are so many examples of misrepresentation of Asians in western culture in television.
-Lindsey – lindseyjane8 years ago
If you intend to look at writing/literature, especially Shakespeare, it would be worth exploring Jerry Brotton's book: This Orient Isle: Elizabethan England and The Islamic World (Milton Keynes: Penguin Random House, 2016) Concerning the representation of the East in Shakespeare's work. May spur some interesting thoughts for you?! – AngelicaHill8 years ago
Thank you, AngelicaHill! Should be really helpful. – Ruth8 years ago
It's also worth noting that Emily Kuroda and Keiko Agena, who played Mrs. Kim and Lane Kim (respectively) on "Gilmore Girls," are both Japanese, yet they were cast to play Koreans, and their Korean-ness was emphasized repeatedly throughout the series. Why, then, would you cast Japanese women (as great as Emily and Keiko both are)? Something to think about. – KKillian8 years ago
Yes! That is a very good point. Thank you, KKillian. – Ruth8 years ago