By Hanna De La Garza
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In films and television shows, it is common to see Asians and Asian Americans portrayed as being timid and unassertive. According to a 2020 poll conducted by the Morning Consult, a global intelligence company, 45% of Asian Americans identified timidness as one of the most frequent stereotypes for Asian roles in the media. One of the more comical portrayals of this is in the “Pitch Perfect” film franchise. The series features a character called Lilly Onakuramara, a rapper for the acapella group that the films are centered around. When she is not performing, she is known for speaking extremely quietly to the point that many of the characters struggle to understand what she’s saying. The character description in her poster for the first film states, “The Quiet One.” While including characters like this may seem harmless, they feed into certain beliefs that society already has about Asians and Asian Americans. This is damaging because it may lead to them being viewed as one-dimensional individuals. 10 | FALL 2021
model/ Jade Siegel
rowing up Asian in America, it is normal to see many differences between oneself and one’s peers. One of the most noticeable differences many Asians and Asian Americans find that they have is the inability to communicate assertively. Although many may view this as a personal character flaw, this is actually a common trait in personalities within Asian cultures due to sociological factors.
design by/ Aryam Amar
Exploring the differences in communication styles between Eastern and Western societies
photos by/ Rajvi Maisuria
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