It is well established that media representation is a big deal. Television and film undeniably influence our lives and how we perceive the world. And as such, there has been a great increase in criticism that sheds light on mainstream media’s lack of diversity. Minorities always used to fulfill a token role that adhered to harmful stereotypes and they rarely played major characters. Fortunately, there’s been some progress in the representation of minorities in television and now we are lucky enough to see actors of our own ethnicities on television. It feels empowering to be represented in a positive and realistic way.
I was elated to see more Asian-Americans on recent television because I can finally relate to the characters and in some way, have myself represented instead of feeling like my race is invisible and too unimportant to portray. I was glad to see that many new shows have overcome the harsh Asian stereotypes and were able to portray Asian characters who were not defined by their race.
There is now an amazing ABC family show that is solely about an Asian-American family and that is an enormous step forward. “Fresh off the Boat” does an excellent job depicting the life of young Chinese-American Eddie Huong and his family and how they adjust to suburban living in New Orleans. There are several attributes that make this show a perfect example of representation. “FOB” portrays the kinds of micro-aggressions that Asian-Americans experience and how they struggle to assimilate, but still in a humorous light. The characters are lovable and realistic. Best of all, the show is very relatable as an Asian-American.
And particularly, I fell in love with “The Mindy Project” because the main character (and creator of the show) is a South-Asian woman, which is certainly not something you'll see everyday. It's the first show on a major network channel with an Indian woman as the protagonist. Mindy Kaling absolutely shattered the barrier of Indian stereotypes when she created this hilariously egotistical, hopelessly romantic, and independent-minded character.
In addition, Aziz Ansari’s new Netflix series, “Master of None” blew me away with the extent of its representation of Asian-Americans. In fact, one episode was dedicated to exploring how Indians are negatively rendered on television to fulfill stereotypes: the deli guy, the taxicab driver or the IT guy. "Masters of None" spoke the real truth about what it’s like to exist with these prejudices on a daily basis. Another episode explored Asian-Americans' relationships with their immigrant parents – a relatively untouched topic in television but something quite relatable At the same time, the series doesn’t only explore Indian identity – it is also a light-hearted romantic comedy that is almost comforting in its realism.
