Where do I fit in??? - From Mulan to Sandra Oh

In my 201 class we concentrated on the downfalls & critiques of the political spectrum types of Feminism rather than theory. In this class we are to critically engage how pop culture can be a place of dissent for Feminism. I believe that because I am a first generation (immigrant born?) – I don’t know the proper term, but anyways, I am the first in my family tree, on both sides, to be born in Canada. Sadly, I think I am so far assimilated that I don’t question things nor did I realize that Canadian or second wave Feminism didn’t really ‘include’ my cultural/ethnic background until 201. So what are Asian (defined here as encompassing China, Japan, Korea etc.) Feminist doing in pop culture to create dissent? …..wait is there even a group of Asian feminist? Bell Hooks cites “the central problem within feminist discourse” as the, “inability to either arrive at a consensus of opinion about what feminism is or accept definitions that could serve as points of unification” (1). Furthermore, “many women are reluctant to advocate feminism because they are uncertain about the meaning of the term” (1). There is no black and white definition of what Feminism is – meaning this is what makes pop culture a very fluid vehicle great for our fluid definition of Feminism to create interruptions.

The “Exoticize This!” website is a fine display of empowering nihilism because Asian women have often been portrayed as excessively subservient prostitutes or geishas, however the webmistress takes those definitions, exaggerates it and throws it back(2). The first time I saw Sandra Oh (a visible Asian in television/sound film pop culture) she played a pregnant lesbian in Under The Tuscan Sun – way to push those boundaries! However now in Grey’s Anatomy, I think she’s been type-casted as the very smart, hard working Asian, fulfilling all Asian parents’ dreams for their children to be the occupations of all upper-middle class occupations; a super successful physician. Is Sandra Oh speaking up for any Asian Feminist or even creating questionable dissent in pop culture like Cagney & Lacy taking up space in generally male-dominated roles? I think what Sandra Oh is creating on Grey’s Anatomy is comparable to a repeat of Cagney & Lacey in that Sandra is taking up space in the generally male dominated roles in Medicine, however at the same time she is fostering racial stereotypes (4). Is there anyone making Asian Feminist interruptions on my behalf in pop culture or are we still left out? Black people have 50, Lesbians have the L-word…….where am I within this mass production? Otherwise I only have Lucy Liu, Michelle Yeoh, and that Hawaiian “exotic” looking lady in the Rock’s movies who are sex kittens that can perform Karate and have awesome tea pouring skills….Hey! as I tell my friends I tea with: anyone who can pour me tea will make a great Asian daughter one day!

1. Hooks “Feminism: A Movement to End Sexist Oppression” pp. 22-27 [Feminist Theory: From Margin to Centre (Boston: South End Press, 1984), 17-31]
2. Hooks “Postmodern Blackness”
3. Rhodes “‘Substantive and Feminist Girlie Action’: Women Online” p 132.
4. White “Ideological Analysis and Television” pp. 181 – 183.