Identity: East-Asian women representations in 1950s/ 1960s Hollywood film

<p dir="ltr">The portrayal of Asian Women in the golden age of Hollywood Cinema, the 1950s and 1960s is severely stereotyped. This history of stereotypes dates to post-war perceptions of Asian women as returning soldiers brought back wartime stories from the East. These stories manifested into Media and Film. Films reflect their time and portrayals of Asian women are reflective of the American attitudes towards Asians. This thesis explores Hollywood films and how they shaped the public’s perceptions and influenced cultural views, often depicting Asia as a land of romance with “exotic beings” (Said, 1978). The ‘China Doll’ stereotype depicts Asian women as submissive, docile and gentle while the ‘dragon lady’ is sexually alluring, manipulative and strong. These stereotypes were created by Western male fantasies as “Men look at women. Women watch themselves being looked at.” (Berger, 2008, p. 47).</p><p dir="ltr">South Pacific (1958) directed by Joshua Logan is a wartime story based on the events of Pearl Harbour in the 1940s during the Second World War. The highly saturated colours of the film create a distant paradise for the viewer which is ‘exotic’ and beautiful women. Liat is the female character who embodies the ‘China Doll’ as she is silent, gentle and submissive as her mother sets her up for marriage with a U.S Marine without her even questioning it. Flower Drum Song (1961) along with South Pacific was produced by Rodgers and Hammerstein with were innovative in their approaches to allowing for interracial romances on screen. Mei Li is a Chinese immigrant who arrives in San Francisco for an arranged marriage with a wealthy Chinese American man but she discovers he is in love with showgirl Linda Low. She is diverted to Wang Ta whom she falls in love with. She is a perfect example of the ‘China Doll’ as she is very obedient, submissive and docile. The way she is portrayed she seems like she cannot make her own decisions and requires a man to lead her. This is explored with the transition between tradition and modernism. The World of Suzie Wong (1960), directed by Richard Quine is a love story between British Expat Robert Lomax and a Sex worker in Hong Kong. He is an artist and he gets Suzie to pose for him in various sexual poses. He exoticised her in his art. This film is examined through the lens of the stereotype. </p>