STORY OF THE WEEK

Meghan Attacks Hollywood Caricatures of Asian Women in Film

In Meghan Markle's podcast this week, she raised the subject of Hollywood stereotyping, alongside journalist Lisa Ling and comedian Margaret Cho. We see the same tired Asian archetypes employed again and again: the "dragon lady", "Asian temptress" or "lotus flower" - either aggressive and over-sexualised or quiet and submissive.

This toxic stereotyping doesn't just stop with Asian characters of course. Black women on screen, for example, have been subjected to the enduring stereotype, among many, of benign caregiver, employed to look after white people - "the mammy figure" - despite research revealing this figure was never based on any factual actuality.

Markle speaks with sociologist Nancy Wang Yuen who deep dives into the history of Asian stereotypes in cinema.

Her book Reel Inequality: Hollywood Actors and Racism (2016), outlines how the history of American wars in Asia have shaped Asian portrayals on screen, and how sex work around the military camps influenced the hypersexualised 
objectification of women on screen. This one-dimensional depiction of racial identities unsurprisingly seeps off the screen.

In 2020, the report "Normalizing Injustice" studied the way that crime TV perpetuated racist assumptions around black people. The study actually found that watching these kind of programmes can cause the viewer to be more accepting of the "overpolicing and excessive force" used on black people in reality. In a similar vein, Lisa Ling touches on the spike in hate crimes against Asian people during Covid and how quickly they were dehumanised, almost like a side character. 

Listen to the full episode here.

IN OTHER NEWS

While the presidential challenger may not have won the first round, there were other reasons to celebrate for the left wing in Brazil. For the first time in history, two trans candidates were elected to congress. Erika Hilton and Duda Salabert both promised to fight for LGBT rights. Two Indigenous women joined them, Sônia Guajajara and Célia Xakriabá, giving a voice for Brazil’s Indigenous communities at a time when the current president has deliberately underfunded Indigenous and Environmental agencies. 

Fashion Designer Launches 'Empowering' Clothing Collection for People with Dwarfism

Designer Chamiah Dewey has released a new range of clothing specifically for people under 4ft10. In her final year of studying fashion design, Dewey aimed to fill the gap in the market for people of below average height. Her research found that there were zero UK clothing brands for people with dwarfism - most either shop the kids collection, which often don't fit correctly, or make their own alterations. Two years later, Chamiah Dewey's collection made it to the catwalk of London Fashion Week. Her aim, more than just creating beautiful clothes, was to make people with dwarfism feel happy and confident in clothes designed with them in mind.
 

"Everyone deserves to wear clothes and feel empowered and normalised."

Ankle Tags Used to Target Young Black Men, London Mayor’s Report Finds

WORK SPHERE

Could Moral Burnout Be Impacting Your Work Motivation?

“Often, the trauma of moral injury [from past workplaces] carries over, affecting an individual’s trust within their new organisation”

Microaggressions May Be Subtle, But Their Impact Is Not

Discrimination in the workplace continues to be a problem for minorities, despite most companies now claiming to be committed to diverse and inclusive environments. According to research from Glassdoor, 61% of workers have seen or experienced discrimination at work. Microaggressions are a less overt form of discrimination, often making subtle references to stereotypes based on an individual's identity or background, and not always consciously.

While overt racism, homophobia, and other forms of prejudice in the workplace are commonly easier to target and address, it's crucial that we take action to address microagressions too in order to create a better working environment for all. For starters, leaders can learn to listen better and have the kind of open conversations they may shy aware from due to awkwardness and discomfort. They can take the time to learn more about the issues affecting their workplace, who they impact and how they can address this meaningfully.