How Media affects Asian Youth's 'Self Concept'

Submitted by Edwin on Mon, 01/12/2009 - 12:49

Post Topic
October 22, 2007 at 2:27pm

Think about how media affects the way Asian boys' and girls' self concept of who they are, what they think of Asians, and their sense of identity and values.

Research article about how TV exposure influenced college women's sexual self concept:
http://www.leaonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/15213260701375561?cookieSet=1&journalCode=mep

Another research study about mass media's affect on self concept:
http://www.eric.ed.gov/ERICWebPortal/custom/portlets/recordDetails/detailmini.jsp?_nfpb=true&_&ERICExtSearch_SearchValue_0=EJ233928&ERICExtSearch_SearchType_0=eric_accno&accno=EJ233928

To artificially spur discussion, here is a controversial 'best of' craigslist post that I don't agree with but find it interesting it made 'best of':
http://www.craigslist.org/about/best/pit/453035602.html

Another one:
http://www.bc.edu/schools/law/lawreviews/meta-elements/journals/bctwj/24_2/05_FMS.htm

"'Asian Americans in Television Media'. Abstract: The authors argue the existence of a significant link between race and urban geography. They contend that white racism and domination, rather than a lack of individual motivation or ability, created the concentrated populations of socioeconomically disadvantaged minorities that characterize today’s American urban landscape. This Book Review explores in detail one cause and enabler of inequity that the authors cursorily implicate: the entertainment media’s capacity to manipulate societal norms. After discussing the powerful role of television media to shape and influence perceptions and behavior, this Review examines the current paucity of Asian-American portrayals in news and entertainment television, and the stereotyped, harmful, and inaccurate nature of those portrayals that do exist. This Book Review concludes that television’s widespread influence can reduce social inequity and should be exploited, and proposes a system of tax incentives designed to compel, rather than dictate, positive change."

Re: How Media affects Asian Youth's 'Self Concept'

Submitted by Edwin on Mon, 01/12/2009 - 12:57.

Lindsey Sarang Yoo (NYU) replied to Alvin's poston October 22, 2007 at 3:40pm
Interesting..
I really enjoyed the articles, with the exception of perhaps the 3rd one. >:/

The media influences, no doubt about it, all Asian Americans. And it's interesting to see how one writer mentioned the difference between AFs and AMs; AFs are idealized and turned into exotic playthings, whereas men are constantly being relegated into stereotypical roles. The idealization of Asian women can lead to a greater acceptance of them in the white world than of Asian men, sometimes to the expense of the entire Asian American image. Asian women can benefit from their acceptance into the white community, but at the expense of their cultural background and identity.

The fact that the media only portrays Asian women as being attracted to white men and Asian men as being sexually unavailable, nerdy, unassimilable people can definitely, as demonstrated by the first article, have a powerful effect on Asian American females. It encourages women to seek out only white men and to see all Asian men as somehow inferior to the rest.

I said in the thread about Asian beauty that we can't completely blame some Asian women for being self-hating. They're brought up by family and friends AND the media to HATE their physical features and to be accepted aesthetically by the white community. Striving constantly to be accepted physically by white people can translate into a contempt for Asian culture. I'm sure bitterness also plays a part in this; a girl constantly criticized by the Asian community for not looking "white" enough (ironic..) will definitely feel some sort of anxiety and hatred toward that community. The MEDIA DEFINITELY exacerbates this hatred; what will Asian women think when all they see on TV is a scrawny, calculator-wielding Asian man in one scene, and then an Asian girl with a hot, buff white guy in another scene?

So then, as I said a long while ago, shouldn't we try to stand up against these superficial beauty bullet-points and find pride in OUR own unique Asian beauty and culture? Though I understand it's important to call out self-hating Asian women in the media, shouldn't we do substantially MORE than that?? Hating on Asian women without understanding how they've been influenced and brought up will definitely border on being ignorant and will most definitely be offensive and DIVIDING.

Instead, we should make like these writers (except the 3rd one..) and also address the roots; we should try to analyze and pull apart all the influences that may negatively impact Asian women and that may create self-hatred among the Asian community.

I agree, Alvin, that Asian men should have a big role in trying to change the way the media perceives Asian Americans. But a big part in that role will inevitably be in looking at the roots of self-hate in Asian women (and, perhaps to a lesser degree, in Asian men), instead of ONLY scrutinizing the individual Asian women in the media who do so much harm to their Asian community. A big part in the AM fight for a voice in American mainstream media WILL be, I believe, encouraging women to be CONFIDENT in their OWN idenities, not one that a white man or a white-dominated media relegates to them.

Lindsey Sarang Yoo (NYU) replied to Alvin's poston October 22, 2007 at 3:44pm
...Oh and I'm sorry if my post is a bit disorganized. I was writing a paper due in class tomorrow at the same time I was posting!

Ramona Kywe (Columbia College) replied to Lindsey's poston October 22, 2007 at 5:15pm
"I agree, Alvin, that Asian men should have a big role in trying to change the way the media perceives Asian Americans. But a big part in that role will inevitably be in looking at the roots of self-hate in Asian women (and, perhaps to a lesser degree, in Asian men), instead of ONLY scrutinizing the individual Asian women in the media who do so much harm to their Asian community. A big part in the AM fight for a voice in American mainstream media WILL be, I believe, encouraging women to be CONFIDENT in their OWN idenities, not one that a white man or a white-dominated media relegates to them."

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