The Stereotypical Asian Portrayal in Film

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In recent years, there has been an increase of racism showing in Hollywood films. Many famous films are guilty of perpetuating racial stereotypes that reflect on common prejudices. For example, the most common perception of Asians is the “small-eye” stereotype. Even though this stereotype is used for prejudicial behavior, this is a false assumption. An example of the “small-eye” stereotype being used, is character Mr. Yunioshi, from the 1961 movie Breakfast at Tiffany’s. Mr. Yunioshi, a charismatic caricature, was portrayed through this common stereotype during the scene where he kept bumping into all sorts of objects. This scene refers back to the “small-eye” stereotype and gives the portrayal that asians are hard of seeing based on their “small-eyes”. You would think that Hollywood would end it here; well, you’re wrong. Just when you thought it couldn’t get any worse, Mr. Yunioshi was played by white actor, Mickey Rooney; making this role an example of yellow-face in a popular Hollywood film. Yellow-face is when a non-asian person is impersonating or playing the role of an asian person. These types of practices were common in Hollywood films during the 20th century. It was considered easier for white men to participate in racial practices instead of hiring minority actors for an appropriate role. Even though such actions were taken place in Hollywood films, we can only hope that future films don’t make these common mistakes again. However it has us thinking, have people in Hollywood really learned their lesson?

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