Introduction
“You must be good at math, Rachel, you are Asian,” something I have heard my entire high school career. It may seem harmless and even as a compliment through the master narrative, the most commonly portrayed perspective. Contrary to the master narrative, there is the counter-narrative, the point of view that is rarely discussed or represented in the media. Through the counter-narrative, stereotypes that Asian people are smart and successful can be quite harmful. As I watched Everything Everywhere All at Once by Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert (2022), I could not help but notice the counter-narrative that the movie represents, but with hints of the master narrative found in its stereotypes. It made me reflect on Michelle Yeoh’s outstanding performance, but also her role as the tiger mom in the film. In this post, I will discuss the counter-narrative of the Asian-American or Asian-Canadian experience and stereotypes given to Asian people by the master narrative.
According to scholar Qin Zhang’s article, “Asian Americans Beyond the Model Minority Stereotype: The Nerdy and the Left Out” (2010), Asian people are not as represented in the media, but when they have representation, it comes with many stereotypes for men and women. The Asian woman is obedient, seductive, deceitful, or ruthless dragon ladies, while the Asian man is effete, isolated, and often a martial artist. Zhang asserts that although once Asian people were stereotypically less than White people, they are now seen as the successful model minority; “hardworking, intelligent, polite,” Zhang says. Barbara Lee, a writer/filmmaker who founded the Vancouver Asian Film Festival (VAFF), also discussed the stereotypes given to Asian men and women in her presentation, “Asian Representation in the Media” (2022), including the stereotype of the model minority: law-abiding citizens who are polite and have high levels of success. These stereotypes are created by the master narrative and its representation in the media influences people to actually think this way. Lee also mentions #Elimin8hate, an advocacy arm of the VAFF because despite being the model minority, Asians still face racism and discrimination and deserve better representation through the lens of the counter-narrative.
@ubc_cap – Asian Representation in the Media
Everything Everywhere All at Once – the “True” Asian-Immigrant Experience?
Everything Everywhere All at Once is a film about the Chinese American experience. Evelyn and Waymond Wang are immigrants who started their laundromat business and a family in San Fernando, California. This movie represents an Asian American family that I am familiar with: immigrant parents who own a small business, and their child who speaks fluent English and does not want to participate in every Asian tradition. Although I cannot speak on behalf of all Asian families who have immigrated to North America, this is the same family I grew up with. Although my parents are hardworking, they do not represent the model minority stereotype of Asians who are smart and studied their entire life. I believe this film did a great job of showing Asian American families that do not represent the rich and successful Asians stereotyped by the White norm, like another movie that Yeoh was in, Crazy Rich Asians by Jon M. Chu (2018).
A24 – Everything Everywhere All at Once Trailer
Kwan and Scheinert’s film represents the counter-narrative of Asian families in America, but they also have a common stereotype from the master narrative: the tiger mom. Tiger parents are authoritative parents who want to drive their children toward success. Their techniques, however, are often questioned because of cultural differences; tiger parenting may seem too aggressive in American culture. In the movie, Evelyn criticizes Joy for her tattoos and her weight. Evelyn was also raised with tiger parents since Evelyn’s parents disowned her when she chose to marry Waymond. Later in the movie, Evelyn is shown a universe where she and Waymond did not marry and they were both extremely successful. Evelyn’s parents were aggressive in their parenting by threatening to disown her if she chose to marry him, but it was for her own benefit.
A24 – Everything Everywhere All at Once Trailer
Contrary to popular belief, I was not raised with tiger parents. Zhang mentions that Asian Americans feel alienation and loneliness because of the stereotypes that are often portrayed by the media. Growing up, some of my friends have been hesitant to meet my parents, whether it was for a ride home or a sleepover. After reading Zhang’s article, I believe one of the causes is because of Asian representation in media. Although it may be the experience of some, the tiger mom is not the most common way of parenting, and it certainly is not generalizable to all Asian parents.
Why does this matter?
In this blog post, I discussed the counter-narrative given in Everything Everywhere All at Once, as well as the stereotypes about Asian people in the media that occur so often it is almost normalized. It is important to recognize the negative impacts that these stereotypes can have, whether they are considered “good” like being the model minority, although this stereotype has bad implications in itself, such as the nerd. Zhang argued that representations of Asian Americans in the media are the reason for the stereotypes which led to negative psychological effects for many Asian people. This is why media through counter-narratives are so crucial; it shows how these stereotypes are truly experienced by Asians, and that not all Asian people live the same life represented in master narrative media.