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Diversifying Hollywood: Crazy Rich Asians (2018)

Now that we know why diversity is so important, we can look at positive examples of media that represent diverse storylines and actors. This blog will examine Crazy Rich Asians through both its positive impacts on Hollywood and its viewers, as well as some of the negative drawbacks of its specific representations of class and rank.

Storyline!! (diversity is profitable??)

Change in Hollywood (comedy)

What about class?

Audience impact (fashion and fans)

REPLAY! (specific scenes that reflect all four ideas above)

#crazy rich asians #class #diversity #representation

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Breaking Down Barriers: Actors WITH their native accents in Hollywood!1!1!

In the Hollywood industry, it is unfortunately common to see actors of color get turned down for roles and jobs on screen due to their accent (Davé, 2017). Some directors choose not to hire accented individuals because they believe the accents to be difficult to understand for most audiences.

Crazy Rich Asians has broken down this barrier by casting actors with their native accents. As diversity has been more widely accepted in recent years, the stigma for accents in mainstream media has lessened.

It can be heartwarming for many Asian American audiences to hear their voices (literally) represented in pop culture. It's one thing to see someone who looks like you on the big screen, but for them to act and sound like you makes the picture come to life and hold a deeper meaning for many.

In this specific scene where Rachel has lunch with her college friend, Peik Lin and her family, the notion of accents as a comedic point is poked fun at on an almost satirical level. Peik Lin's father, played by the famous comedian, Ken Jeong, jokes at having an accent, which feels uncomfortable in the scene. The joke almost dares the audience to laugh, making the accent satirical.

The scene carries on and highlights Peik Lin's mother, who has the 'heaviest' accent in the movie. She is completely understandable and contributes to the homeliness of the family.

Davé, Shilpa. “Racial Accents, Hollywood Casting, and Asian American Studies.” Cinema Journal 56, no. 3 (2017): 142–47. http://www.jstor.org/stable/44867828.

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Asian Empowerment and Class Portrayal: Crazy Rich Asians (2018) Opening Scene

In the opening scene of the movie, mother of the male main character, Eleanor Young is portrayed as the wife of a prominent Singapore business tycoon. Her family holds a high status within the East Asian economic sphere.

The scene empowers her as an Asian woman, who was judged by the conoussiers and manager of the hotel for her heritage and accent. Her purchase of the hotel and becoming 'Lady of the House' is huge for her status on a racial representative aspect.

However, this narrative has a somewhat negative representation of the Asian demographic as a whole. Painting Singaporeans as rich and wealthy does not account for the general experience of typical Asians. Many within the wide demographic are below the poverty line within their country; the representation of the Asians in this movie are fantastical. While empowering Asians through representation, the movie also paints a false picture of luxury for them.

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Asian Americans Joining Mainstream Media Through Comedy

(but this time, not at their own expense)

The lack of representation of the Asian American demographic in Hollywood is slowing being broken down through the trend of comedy movies. But not at the expense of making Asian characters conform to stereotypes for a laugh.

Through the years that Hollywood has been producing movies that heavily influence the public's perception of the world, the industry has built a notoriety of using minorities as a means to a laugh track. Hollywood has only enforced the stereotypes against Asians in their representation (Hillenbrand 2008), making the comedic relief characters a person of color with an accent, (which people find it funny to turn accents into tokenism???), or making the (one) Asian character be stereotypically good at math or academics.

In making a rom-com movie with an entirely Asian cast, Crazy Rich Asians doesn't rely on the stereotypical "oriental" aspect to get a laugh out of the audience. The movie is just funny, at no one's expense. Which is how comedy movies should be.

It is through this representation that Asians are (finally and well-deservedly) joining the ranks of the best Hollywood actors/writers/producers.

Hillenbrand, Margaret. “Of Myths and Men: ‘Better Luck Tomorrow’ and the Mainstreaming of Asian America Cinema.” Cinema Journal 47, no. 4 (2008): 50–75. http://www.jstor.org/stable/20484412.

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Crazy Rich Asians (2018) Influences Fashion and Audiences

Characters from the movie have influenced the wardrobes of audiences, prompting attention to Asian designers and cultural aspects of style.

There is a fine line between cultural appreciation and cultural appropriation. The viewers of Crazy Rich Asians who seek to embody the style and coolheadedness of main characters in the show are appreciative of the ethnic roots of the storyline and the impact that has on the wardrobe of the characters. This is seen through the focus of classy styling, rather than direct appropriation of cultural clothing and fashion.

We love when media influences parts of our everyday lives like clothing and style!!!! That's what makes a good movie :) We also love supporting minority designers!!!!1!!!!!!1!!!

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Why is diverse representation in mainstream media important?

While we know that many 'woke' consumers of media are critical of shows/tv/movies for lacking it, do we truly know exactly why diversity is so important?

Representation in the media of cultural minorities is so crucial because it validates the existence of these groups and showcases their experiences. Media is an extension of our society. It should reflect the people who are in it. To whitewash or exclude these groups in the media denies their existence, causing them to be overlooked in reality. While it may seem like fake tv, what we watch influences our real lives.

Diversity is so crucial to the youth population of media consumers because of the impact that media has on explaining the world in which we live. Young people are malleable in the sense that they learn from what they see. In watching tv shows or movies, they apply what they see to the real world. If they see an actor that looks like them (i.e. race, gender identity, etc.), or represents them in some capacity (sexual orientation, religion, etc.), they can see themselves and relate to the character, a critical aspect of connecting with media. In only casting white actors or writing stories that don't showcase ethnicity, the mainstream media will only cater to the singular demographic, losing a wide range of the mainstream audience.

#diversity #hollywood #mainstream media

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Crazy Rich Asians (2018) Trailer

#Youtube

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Diversity: Positive AND Profitable?

Hollywood is increasingly relying on the same tropes and plots with actors/actresses that are from the same demographic, straight white relationships (Shimizu, 2017). The rom-com industry has pumped out the same copy-paste movies for the past 20-30 years.

Crazy Rich Asians provides a step into the right direction towards showing the stories and characters of Asian Americans in pop culture. In creating a movie focused on diversity, a different story is told to the audience, who are interested in something different. Not only is diversity a positive influence on diversifying representation in pop culture, it is profitable!

Shimizu, Celine Parreñas. “Gnawing at the Whiteness of Cinema Studies: On Asian American Media Now.” Cinema Journal 56, no. 3 (2017): 119–24. http://www.jstor.org/stable/44867824.

#crazy rich asians #asian american #diversity #hollywood