Fresh Off the Boat & The Limits of Asian Representation

Video Description

Get a whole month of great cinema FREE on MUBI: https://mubi.com/qualityculture In this video, I discuss ABC’s Fresh Off The Boat and examine how the historical lack of Asian representation caused it—and seemingly all Asian American stories—to be scrutinized with an intense microscope by Asian Americans. I also try to break down why it’s been so important for us to have a “perfect portrayal” and what I feel the solution to this elusive depiction might be. Support the channel, if you like ✨: https://www.patreon.com/qualityculture Sources: All-American Girl at 20: The Evolution of Asian Americans on TV | LARB https://lareviewofbooks.org/article/american-girl-20-evolution-asian-americans-tv/ Eddie Huang on Seeing His Memoir Become a Sitcom | Vulture https://www.vulture.com/2015/01/eddie-huang-fresh-off-the-boat-abc.html “Fresh Off the Boat” and “Black-ish” Reviews | The New Yorker https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2015/03/09/home-cooking-television-emily-nussbaum The Prevalence and Portrayal of AAPI… | USC Report https://assets.uscannenberg.org/docs/aii_aapi-representation-across-films-2021-05-18.pdf John Cho: ‘A movie that treats race in the background feels more authentic... | The Independent https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/features/john-cho-interview-b2124032.html 20 Years Later, Margaret Cho Looks Back on 'All-American Girl' | Character Media https://charactermedia.com/20-years-later-margaret-cho-looks-back-on-all-american-girl/ 0:00 From the Outside Looking In 6:51 A Fresh Perspective 13:16 Repeating History 23:55 The Perfect Portrayal