on representation in the academy BY KATRINA LEE @__WRITTEN.K ON IG When Katrina is not arguing with her brother about women’s rights or trying to fit writing courses into her English degree, she’s thinking up short story ideas in her mush of a brain. On regular Friday nights, she can be found raving about the Before trilogy and books that are purple inside and out.
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he 93rd Academy Awards made history. Fantastic news of the wonderful Youn Yuh-jung winning Best Supporting Actress, however, is juxtaposed by the recognition of a disheartening 63-year-wait for another Asian actress to be honored at the massive event. The first had been Japanese-American singer Miyoshi Umeki for her performance in 1958’s Sayonara. Recent Asian films that garner prestige have been ensemble films, like the championing Bong Joon Ho’s Parasite, which, with its groundbreaking media and critics’ attention, still saw its actors and actresses sidelined. In the social thriller’s footsteps, Minari by Lee Issac Chung is also nominated for best picture at the 2021’s Awards. It is no secret The Academy has suffered backlash and public skepticism due to its snubs — nominations and
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wins that frustrate, and fail to represent diversity in cinema despite public support. Yet, the Oscars are still one of the major parameters of cinema’s quality. It also entails a certain boost to an actor’s career advances to win one of those golden trophies. As such, the lack of recognition endowed to Asian actresses — regardless of nationality — congeals into a jarringly concerning pattern. The focus here is on performers being recognized for their exemplary work in acting, which connotes the Academy, the general public and the film critics’ acquiescent acceptance of Asian faces into their cultural-visual vernacular. Asian actresses, if lauded for their work, would break free from the stereotypical minority representation on the big screen— that has gradually consolidated into the status quo — as well as the homogeneity of the film industry. This rosy outlook
might be a distant reality, given the long-standing climate to exclude Asian actresses from nominations, let alone winning at the Oscars. The scarcity of both Asian female performers taking up leading roles, and given recognition confirms the deep-rooted problems in the film and cultural industries. The reasons for this disheartening reality are manifold. The first is that female leading roles in prestigious scripts are written to be in the majority, white. Most stories entering the public consciousness are still centered around white people, despite steadily improving landscape and proportion; indeed, the recent years the Academy has spotlighted black people’s narratives, which are important steps in the film industry toward racial awareness and representation. But what about Asian-produced and
