Most of you have probably heard of, if not watched, the newest Marvel movie, Shang Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings. The Movie surpassed the relatively recent Black Widow film in box office earnings as the highest-grossing film of 2021 with a whopping $360 million made worldwide. Given the circumstances of it releasing exclusively in cinemas for around the first 6 weeks, not to mention during a global pandemic, this is very impressive.
Personally, watching the movie was enormous fun - also due to the fact that it was the first movie I’ve watched in cinemas since last year. There’s just something different about watching a movie via the big screen rather than on your laptop or TV screen; it fully immerses you into the movie. I found myself captivated by the story; which may have annoyed the audience around me as I demonstrated my enjoyment through loud gasps and frequent laughs.
As I was watching the movie, I came to realize that to a large extent, “popular culture plays a role and has an effect on how people perceive ethnic groups.” (Dr Nancy Wang Yuen) In cinema, there is a legacy of harmful Asian stereotypes depicting Asians as exotic caricatures with no real story. Such stereotypes include the Lotus Blossom stereotype of weak obedient Asian women dedicated to serving the white male lead and the Dragon Lady stereotype, which is still commonly seen (although slightly adapted), depicting a villainous femme-fatale who uses her sexuality to deceive others. Perhaps the most infamous scene of detrimental typecasting is from Full Metal Jacket. Many have probably heard the lines “me so horny” and/or “me love you long time.” These phrases have persisted for 37 years after their debut, and are now used as derogatory remarks towards Asian women.
In older films, destructive stereotypes are everywhere - not to mention the use of yellow-face (white actors playing Asian roles) to enhance these toxic and misinformed traits. Such films include Memoirs of a Geisha, Miss Saigon, and Daughter of the Dragon. These harmful depictions are one of the root causes of yellow fever; the perception that Asian women are sexually submissive, leading to white men pursuing relationships with them. The consequences of such images are disturbing and can still be seen today. For example, the shooting in Atlanta that killed over 6 people whose killer claimed he was sexually frustrated and wanted to eliminate the temptation found in the Asian owned beauty parlours he had shot up.
In more modern popular culture, stereotypes of the nerd, the side-piece friend, the hyper-sexualized girls, the ones rebelling against their parents and the boys that never get the girl are ever prominent. These can be seen in famous shows and movies such as Jessie, Emily in Paris, and Mean Girls.
Shang Chi is significant in many ways, but perhaps its most significant feature is Asian representation. With a predominantly Asian cast and the first-ever Asian Marvel superhero, this cinematic work becomes more than just a movie for leisure. Debunking stereotypes and giving depth and uniqueness to characters, it has the potential to change the world’s view on Asians.
Shang Chi being a superhero film in itself is already important. In superhero movies, there is a history of Asians being villainous. Shang Chi’s origin comic: Master of Kung Fu, shows him being trained to be an assassin by his father, Fu Man Chu, inspired by a fictional villain from a series of novels by an infamous English-Irish author Rohmer, known to be racist. After Shang Chi finds out about his father’s evil character, he (playing perfectly into the stereotypical Asian character trope) swears to be his father’s enemy and fights him as an agent of British intelligence. With this movie, greatly adapted from the comics, Shang Chi being his own hero is so incredibly empowering for Asian children; to see themselves on screen, being the main character with actual human stories instead of the archetype side character that they may grow up to believe as the limit to all they can be.
When I first watched the movie, I only expected a male hero, but to my surprise, Shang Chi’s sister, Xia Ling (played by Meng’er Zhang) also plays an important role in the movie’s development. Xia Ling’s character does not play into any of the stereotypes aforementioned; in fact, in a cultural setting where males are still somewhat ‘preferred’ over females, Xia Ling serves to show Asian girls that they too are worthy and strong (the after credit scene was a powerful moment). Recently I found out that Xia Ling’s character originally had streaks of coloured hair, a problematic trope depicting Asian women as rebellious. Meng Er, after reading about this harmful image, asked to change the character’s hair. I didn’t even realize this image existed, but looking back at the movies I’ve watched starring badass Asian females, most of them do indeed have highlights of sorts. The crew’s efforts to differentiate Xia Ling and push back a myriad of different stereotyped tropes is inspiring and will hopefully set precedent for more female Asian characters to create their own identity and be individual, thereby empowering young girls sitting before the screen.
The movie comes at a time in which anti-Asian sentiments are on the high and many don’t understand the need for an Asian superhero, deeming it unnecessary. Yet despite Hollywood’s long-outdated excuses that movies with people of colour in main roles don’t do well, Shang Chi managed to become an international sensation, topping box office earnings. The movie defies, again and again, the restrictive and limiting perspectives on Asians as exotic, hard-to-understand people who are no more substantial than the white man’s image of them. It forces people to see that we are more than their stereotypes and basic character tropes - that we too are deserving of roles in media, that Shang Chi is a crucial turning point for a whole world of representation to come.
“That’s right, little man. You’re looking at visibility.”
Sources Used:
Comentários