Asian American Male Beauty Standards in Media

Asian American Male Beauty Standards in Media

3. Copyright 2022 Tengun1000

Today, racism is imbedded into society through the use of media that allows for masked inequality and inferiority by using the word “different1." As a result of this, in “mainstream manosphere, men of color are usually absent… [or] viewed as deviant— simultaneously fetishized and infantilized." Or more specifically, Asian American males lack mainstream visibility due to the emasculation of Asian males through stereotypes that distance themselves from conventional beauty standards2. This leads to the marginalization of Asian masculinity as “...less than ideal compared with white men” And due to the nature of media, politics, and education being heavily influenced by white elites, these stereotypes are only being perpetuated in media1. However, with the up-and-coming popularity of podcasts, it will help lessen the perpetuation of Asian male beauty standards in comparison to Western norms by challenging and fostering conversation on societal norms. Podcasts can offer an avenue for Asian American males to share their personal stories along with spread a more nuanced representation of Asian American male beauty, resulting in increased visibility in mainstream media. The podcast “Discussing Different Asian Male Stereotypes” dives deep into the beauty stereotypes of Asian males: weak, nerdy, geeky; overly feminine (K-pop); and/or the ABB (frat boy) look4. These stereotypes arise due to nature of Asian American males wanting to fit in.

Theoretical Framework

a concept termed “media visibility.” Media visibility is what is available in the media about someone or something and the process that makes it possible8. This term has long been seen in the history of media. For example, play-writers reduced visibility of Chinese characters in the 1870’s to show hostility towards the Chinese, despite Chinese laborers being a vital essence to the American economy. According to Sohn, Asian Americans were known as “a silent minority” in America because of their unfamiliar culture, customs, language, and religion9. As a result, Asian Americans are often castrated or denied manhood due to lack of knowledge and media/literature representing them in a preconceived way. In fact, this suppression is more so “to define the white man’s virility and the white man’s superiority1" as Asian American men’s domestic labor helped white men stay free from womanly tasks and stay superior in manliness by overfeminization12.

Media Representation

Media, including podcasts, can heavily influence perception, attitude, and societal norms. This theoretical concept examines the way different groups may be portrayed in mainstream media and how these representations American males negatively. First off, Asian Americans struggle with a

As stated, Asian Americans struggle with visibility in mainstream media and the little exposure they get is typically not positively viewed. This is because the white elites predominantly control the media (+ politics and education) in order to keep this power differential between races and convince society for generations to believe that these depictions of male inferiority are true 1. As a consequence of continuous media depicting Asian Americans as "less than," it causes Asian American males to dislike being Asian or get stuck in this cycle of negative self-worth. Quoted by Daniel, a second generation Taiwanese American male, “…Asian guys are not really that attractive, to other people— to other guys". And I think that Asian guys in media too, are portrayed as more effeminate unless, you look at martial arts or whatnot, in a lot of cases not in all cases… stereotypes about Asian guys and cock size…” Another Chinese American male, Ted, expressed his thoughts about Asian American male beauty standards. When asked the question “Do you feel Asian American bodies are attractive?,” Ted responded “compared to the mainstream culture here, no. I don’t really know how to describe it, but if you compare a typical Asian American face, and what’s considered to be a more attractive American face, the features are definitely sharper in the American. The bone structure is different. A lot of Asians, well this is really bad, but they have a nerdy look to them.” From the perspective of a Chinese American female (Diana), “white men are ‘more aggressive’ and ‘more independent,’ essentially more masculine, whereas Asian males are ‘needy’ and subordinated… white males ‘are more readily seen as successful.’ This implies a white maleness as ‘normal’ and ‘ideal.’ …Asian males… are stereotyped as weak, quiet, and unable to lead1.”

Similarly, in the podcast, the personal experiences of the two hosts (Tran and Chan) come out to express how Hollywood has portrayed Asian Americans as “nerdy, weak, geeky, [and] not sexually attractive.” In fact, the hosts shared their experiences where they would try to rebel against this stereotype by working out, being a skater, changing their appearance often (to not be molded into one stereotype), hanging out with the frat boys, get into fights, and etc4. This idea is reflective of how society views or categorizes Asian American males today. Research states that Asian American men tend to draw on four main cultural points to develop and mold their identity: the “The White Frat Boy,” “Trashy Kevin,” “Nerdy Kevin,” “and Simu Liu.” “The White Frat boy” is defined as “detached, carefree attitude in how they engage with others… a certain build: muscular… lack of attention they give to people who appear less powerful than themselves.” “Trashy Kevin” (Asian frat boy) is similar to “The White Frat Boy” in dress code and hobbies. The similarities are “Air Forces, chains, partying, and having sex with many women. The difference is going to raves, love for boba, and tattoos10. This categorization is seen within the podcast where they talk about “being a bad kid,” “…some of the Asian kids [being] kinda frat boyish…4.” There is also “Nerdy Kevin” that is a persona mentioned in the podcast as well. “Nerdy Kevin” stems from the feminization of Asian Americans in the 19th century (more in-depth in the next section: Post-Colonialism) that encompasses the “nerdy and unathletic men…computer game geeks who enter careers in STEM and have trouble in their romance lives… inability to engage with women romantically or sexually despite desiring [such] relationship10.” This persona was also discussed in the podcast, “nerdy one with the glasses, holding a calculator I’m sure, pushed into the lockers, dropped his books, good at math, love video games and computers… don’t know how to talk to girls4.” Lastly, we have “Simu Liu,” which are the “…physically fit, muscular, and attractive man…tied [to height]… a respectful and selfless son, a man who cares for others and values the advancement of Asian Americans, a father and partner who provides for his family, and an individual who takes care of his personal health, career, and well-being.” This is the most normalized stereotype out of the four, as this leads us down the right path as society in viewing Asian American men10.

With the uprising of podcasts—especially those including Asian American voices— it can provide platforms for individuals to express themselves through authentic stories/representation and diverse experiences. People can challenge conventional beauty norms and present a broader spectrum of appearances to help foster more accurate and diverse portrayal of Asian American men. As we saw from the personal experiences of Asian American males, media representations heavily impact self-perception and social identity in this community of marginalized men. Podcasts can actively shape and spread a more accurate viewpoint on an accessible platform to help alter the preconceptions individuals and help other Asian American males find a sense of belonging. According to Whipple, podcast content creators tend to attract the younger generation and so podcasts can start by influencing the younger audience and spread awareness through that method. Although there does seem to be a general lack of mistrust in podcasts as a reliable source of information, it seems as if this could be due to the fact that people tend to distrust new technology. Podcasts are new enough that they can come off as an unreliable source of information consumption as of now, but as time passes, hopefully it will warm up to others as people also start researching more into podcasts as a source of media11.

Post-Colonialism

Asian American males since the past have been stigmatized as feminine or even labeled as gay. Historically, it started due to U.S. immigration practices and laws that got perpetuated through popular culture (films, TV, literature). When the industrial revolution in America in the mid 1800’s called for cheap labor, many Chinese immigrants came and helped complete the western portion of the transcontinental railroad by the designated time set by Congress. However, the Chinese were also viewed as economic threats for labor to the white population. In essence, the Chinese were caught in between two opposing forces: the American capitalists who were trying to employ Chinese laborers who were cheaper than white workers and the working class white workers who considered the Chinese a threat to their jobs. As a result, there were anti-Chinese policies set into place and anti-Chinese riots where people would beat up and/or shoot Chinese immigrants; raid, loot, or start a fire in mines, factories, and fields to get employers to fire the immigrants. The anti-Chinese policies do end up changing depending on the political climate (yes to foreigners, no to foreigners) but despite these strict regulations and anti-Chinese protests, many Chinese immigrants stayed or came to America to be self-employed (accomplish the American Dream) and did “professions typically associated with women: cook, waiter, tailor, and laundry[].” The laundry business was the easiest because having one did not require much money to open and little English is required. But, because these occupations— cooking, cleaning, and washing— were viewed as “lesser than” or female jobs, Chinese men who worked these jobs became “lesser than” and feminized12.

Media Objects

Media Objects

  1. Asian American Males vs. American Beauty Standards

14. Copyright 2022 Korean Comic

White male beauty standards focuses on hypermasculinity: golden skin, rugged6, blue-eyed, dark hair, tall7, broad chin, defined brow bones, young age, physical body (specifically low waist-to-chest ratio), pronounced cheek bones, and slim face5. Because these standards are what society in America calls attractive, many Asian American men are dissatisfied with their bodies because it is difficult for them to achieve the same large, muscular builds as White men due to biological differences. They also tend to have smaller eyes and flatter noses than White men, which they also show body dissatisfaction with15. In the Youtube video, Korean Comic references how Cha Eun Woo (an attractive Korean male celebrity) “looks like a girl” from the lens of an American. Men wearing makeup and grooming themselves is much more normalized in Korea (Asia in general) but in American culture, all these things are considered girly and is often correlated with being gay. As a result, the “American” says that they would never date a guy like that14. This topic was seen earlier when I quoted Asian American men feeling like they are not desirable, and an Asian American female confirming said belief. Korean Comics then goes on to talk about paleness vs. golden skin and how Koreans value paleness as a sign of wealth (staying in and not having to do hard labor) but for Americans, golden skin is a sign of wealth because it means that one can afford to go out to luxurious holiday vacations14. The two cultures desire opposing standards which makes it difficult for Asian Americans to feel as if they belong to either culture. The last topic Korean Comics hits on is physique. He explains from the “Korean” side that Cha Eun Woo has great body proportions and height but in the eyes of an American, he is too skinny and not “thick” enough 14.

2. Lack of Asian Representation in Films

This article talks about the lack of Asian actors playing Asian roles. It has been found that “…only 4.4% of speaking characters are Asian in popular American film… It’s all part of the same story in American media: the underrepresentation, misrepresentation, and usurping of significance of Asians by white actors.” It is said that audience/society even prefers it when white actors play the role of Asians. The article also brings up the question of how “…erasure of Asians is still an acceptable practice

13. Copyright 2018 Fang

in Hollywood” despite all the protests since the 1990’s. This all ties back to the concept of how white people keep Asian American representation invisible in media through their power of media control. As actor Sun Mee Chomet states, “it is the height of white privilege to think a white person is better equipped to play an Asian character than an Asian person.” However, due to the influence of social media, people are able to spread news about the underrepresentation that end up going viral and spread awareness13. There is a general increase in representation with the explosion of K-pop and "Crazy Rich Asians" that show signs of times changing16. Similarly, through the use of podcasts (and posting clips on Tiktok— a general trend that people have been doing and is successful in getting engagement), it could help lessen some of the underrepresentation by spreading more Asian American faces and experiences over the internet. But, these changes do not mean that everything has positively changed. For example, these changes have not positively affected Asian American males in the dating scene, showing internalization of these stereotypes (being able to watch and enjoy Asian content but they are ultimately unattractive to date)16.

3. Perpetuated Stereotypes in Media

16. Copyright 2021 Stewart

Stewart, the author, talks about his experience being half-Asian and being told by TV shows and American movies that he isn’t desirable— “Asian men were often the butt end of jokes and never serious love interests... From a young age, it was clear to me: America doesn’t find Asian men attractive. This notion was reinforced over and over as I got older and women, even those who were attracted to me, told me they aren’t normally attracted to Asian men, and as white people around me made jokes about how Asian men are sexually undesirable because they’re overly academic, unathletic, and insecure.” He then goes on to explain the idea that despite more representation for men in mainstream American TV and shows the recent years, the old stereotype still reigns. As mentioned in Post-Colonialism, the discriminated attacks against Chinese immigrants for taking white jobs was morphed into Asian American males being viewed as weak and feminine. And although there are a couple fierce Asian male characters, typically played by Bruce Lee, it just highlighted the lack of representation or there was a comical undertone. Not only that, but Bruce Lee was also rarely seen in sexual or romantic scenes, reinforcing this idea that Asian American males can be strong, but they are not desirable. Stewarts talks about how he would try to subdue his Asianness by dating white girls: “if I could date a white girl, I thought, I would be normal and accepted.” This connects back to the idea that these negative stereotypes cause Asian American males to grow insecure and reject their Asian identity16.

17. Copyright Dennis Ching

4. Anti-Chinese Propaganda

This is a poster from the late 1880’s from a company that is trying to promote their laundry product called Magic Washer. The poster depicts Uncle Sam, a famous character used to show patriotism, kicking out a group of Chinese immigrants because they don’t need to wash clothes anymore due to the creation of this new laundry product. This poster accurately describes how the Chinese were viewed and treated during these times: evil-looking and animal-like. This viewpoint is shown through

the expression on the Chinese immigrants’ faces and their animal-like fingers. This also shows the superiority of Americans as they show Uncle Sam showing off a proclamation, a gloating sun in the background—seemingly approving at this behavior—, a house in the distance with an American flag, and the words “The Chinese Must Go17." This connects back to the section “Post-Colonialism” that talks about the history of Chinese immigrants in America. Not only were Americans raiding; looting,;and setting fire to mines, factories, and fields; but they were also lynching the Chinese. At some point, there were so many violent incidents happening that local newspapers stopped reporting17. Although this type of behavior is not seen today, Chou states, “the overt Jim Crow racism that ruled through segregation, derogatory language, and violence… has [now] been replaced by the subtleties of contemporary racism1."

5. Nerdy to ABB (Asian Baby Boy)

18. Copyright 2019 Park

As stated by Tam, the “Nerdy Kevin” stereotype stems from the idea “…that they’re nerdy or they just play video games and things like that. Or they’re scrawny…with glasses…” This is in comparison to the ABB stereotype (“The Trashy Kevin”) who have dangling earrings, the fade, the tattoos, kind of fit but not muscular fit, wear black ripped jeans, drink, smoke, and are “lowkey [a] fuck boy10.” From the Tiktok, you see how Suhan goes from an intimidated, nerdy (based on the books and glasses) male to a confident, half-exposed, black jean wearing male who looks “lowkey [like a] fuck boy.” Even from the audio, you hear “God you are such a nerd… no wonder you only hang out with boys18.” This can imply that because Suhan is Asian and male, he cannot talk to girls since he is too nerdy and shy, hence only hanging out with guys. This can also indicate that the girl in the audio believes Suhan is gay, referring back to the idea that often times, Asian American males are portrayed as gay due to the stereotype that they are weak and feminine. Then, as Suhan switches to the “Trashy Kevin/ABB” look, the audio changes to a song that talks about beach boys. Beach boys in this instance would be more closely related to White guys and the frat boy look10.

References

  1. Chou, R., Lee, K., & Ho, S. (2015). Love Is (Color)blind: Asian Americans and White Institutional Space at the Elite University. Sociology of Race and Ethnicity, 1(2), 302-316. https://doi-org.proxy.library.vanderbilt.edu/10.1177/2332649214553128

  2. Liu, A. (2021). MRAsians: A Convergence between Asian American Hypermasculine Ethnonationalism and the Manosphere. Journal of Asian American Studies, 24(1), 93-112. http://proxy.library.vanderbilt.edu/login?url=https://www.proquest.com/scholarly-journals/mrasians-convergence-between-asian-american/docview/2494379888/se-2

  3. Tengun1000. (2022, September 27). Discussion about East Asian male beauty standards: Why is there a marginal preference towards the “pretty boy” look rather than the “masculine” type? https://www.reddit.com/r/QOVESStudio/comments/xptfyh/discussion_about_east_asian_male_beauty_standards/

  4. Tran, M., & Chan, L. (Hosts). 2020, October). Discussing Different Asian Male Stereotypes [Audio podcast episode]. In The AM Podcast. Spotify. https://open.spotify.com/episode/04I4BQDrYAtJgPPLKiYOfH?si=1451c09f8298466d

  5. Yonce, K. (2014). Attractiveness privilege : the unearned advantages of physical attractiveness. Smith College. https://scholarworks.smith.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1822&context=theses

  6. McGhee, J. (n.d.). In-Depth: Looking Into Modern-Day Male Beauty Standards. Westminster Paw Prints. https://westminsterpawprints.com/features/2021/12/10/in-depth-looking-into-modern-day-male-beauty-standards/#:~:text=However%2C%20in%20Western%20society%2C%20the

  7. Ali, M. (2021, July 8). What does the “perfect man” look like now? Www.bbc.com. https://www.bbc.com/culture/article/20210707-what-does-the-perfect-man-look-like-now

  8. What is Media Visibility | IGI Global. (n.d.). Www.igi-Global.com. https://www.igi-global.com/dictionary/media-visibility-in-the-digital-context/108569

  9. Sohn, Y. M. (2023). Asian American Identity in Drama and Their Four Waves: Beyond Identity Crisis Toward Fluid Identity (Order No. 30311939). Available from ProQuest Dissertations & Theses Global. (2829648130). http://proxy.library.vanderbilt.edu/login?url=https://www.proquest.com/dissertations-theses/asian-american-identity-drama-their-four-waves/docview/2829648130/se-2

  10. Tam, C. W. Y. (2023). Happy Mediums: Young Asian American Men’s Quest to be Average or Well-Rounded (Order No. 30523031). Available from ProQuest Dissertations & Theses Global. (2842773777). http://proxy.library.vanderbilt.edu/login?url=https://www.proquest.com/dissertations-theses/happy-mediums-young-asian-american-men-s-quest-be/docview/2842773777/se-2

  11. Whipple, K., Ashe, I., & Cueva Chacón, L. M. (2023). Examining Podcast Listeners’ Perceptions of the Journalistic Functions of Podcasts. Electronic News, 17(1), 40-66. https://doi.org/10.1177/19312431221137650 

  12. Park, M. (2013). Asian American Masculinity Eclipsed: A Legal and Historical Perspective of Emasculation Through U.S. Immigration Practices. https://digitalcommons.wcl.american.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1164&context=tma

  13. Fang, J. (2018, August 8). Yellowface, Whitewashing, and the History of White People Playing Asian Characters. Teen Vogue; Teen Vogue. https://www.teenvogue.com/story/yellowface-whitewashing-history

  14. BEAUTY STANDARDS IN AMERICA VS KOREA BE LIKE. (n.d.). www.youtube.com. Retrieved December 17, 2023, from https://youtu.be/4EoYuT6h40M?si=ikycVmxQeq-zyFWj

  15. Le, T. P., Iwamoto, D. K., & Soulliard, Z. A. (2022). Body positivity for Asian Americans: Development and evaluation of the pride in Asian American Appearance Scale. Journal of Counseling Psychology, 69(5), 614-629. https://doi.org/10.1037/cou0000622

  16. Stewart, J. (2021, August 5). How America tells me and other Asian American men we’re not attractive. The Seattle Times. https://www.seattletimes.com/life/i-grew-up-thinking-being-asian-detracted-from-my-masculinity-heres-how-america-tells-me-and-other-asian-american-men-theyre-not-attractive/

  17. The Chinese Must Go – Magic Washer | American History. (n.d.). Blogs.shu.edu. http://blogs.shu.edu/americanhistory/project/the-chinese-must-go-magic-washer/

  18. Park, S. (2019, September). TikTok. https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZT8u79wBQ/