It's been a while since I've updated my blog site. My first semester of senior year as a college student didn't go as planned. Just like the rest of the college seniors out there. I was going to upload this earlier but college is a pain and I needed some R and R after the semester.
This is my capstone paper but I thought some people might be interested in reading it since it's Asian American pacific island heritage month (May). At least till midnight it is. Enjoy my spin on the Bechdel Test. Don't worry I explain that too.
(A visual representation of my test if its too confusing to read)
The Chung Test: A Cultural Spin on the Bechdel-Wallace Test
This semester we read and analyzed Alison Bechdel’s Graphic Memoir, Fun Home, which was remarkable and exquisitely drawn to her memory. Though, Bechdel is not just known for writing graphic narratives like Fun Home and Dykes to Watch out for; she is also known as the co-creator of the Bechdel- Wallace Test. The Bechdel-Wallace is an abstract measure of female representation in films inspired by Alison Bechdel and her friend Liz Wallace.
What exactly is the Bechdel-Wallace test? What is it used for? Their test includes three important rules: “the film or show must have at least two female characters, they both must have names, and they must talk to each other about something other than a man (Fernandez). These rules may seem brief and hard to follow but they are important for gender representation on screen and in scripts. Many films from the 90s and early 2000s were criticized because they do not pass this test. However, there are several films from my generation that pass the test. The main point to note is that more films that have been made have failed the Bechdel test than passed it.
As audience members, we do not realize that the films that we love do not pass the Bechdel test or criticize feminine standards in film and TV shows. We are audience members who watch to enjoy and escape from reality. Regardless of how enjoyable movies can be, there have been hundreds of films that have failed the Bechdel test in the last decade. One might even recognize a few of these examples that have failed the test. According to the Bechdel Test Movie List of 2010, iconic films such as Batman Begins, UP, and The Lion King do not pass the test (“Bechdel Test Movie List.” 2021). These are iconic DC Comics and Disney films that we know are popular and continue to love today. Yes, they are iconic and Disney movies are heartwarming and adorable, but a good majority of the DC and Disney films have seen to be lacking in female representation in the past decade. This is the problem that the early 21st century has faced and needs to be recognized in the media more often.
The requirements that the Bechdel-Wallace test follow are extremely brief and can be seen as too feminine. Nevertheless, the Bechdel test is not supposed to be seen as perfect or complete. In an online article titled "The Importance of the Bechdel Test" published in The Medium by Paige France, she states that:
“The Bechdel test isn’t perfect, so in the future we must iron out the edges and create a more comprehensive approach to combat misinterpretation. As Bechdel once said, we must represent women as “subjects and not objects.” By giving creative power to women, we inspire more complex and compelling female subjects. Even 35 years later, The Bechdel test is a promising reactant to blaze the trail for meaningful representation in film” (France).
France states that females are often misinterpreted in the media, especially in Hollywood. The Bechdel test is trying to get rid of this problem that society has created. However, as audience members, we know that this misinterpretation of female storylines will never go away.
I was inspired by Bechdel’s test to create a cultural spin on her test and am calling it The Chung Test. The Chung test includes three similar important rules: the film or TV show must have at least two Asian characters, they must not be ‘stereotypical sidekicks’, and lastly, at least one of them must not discuss their Asian culture or heritage. The test that I have created parallels with Bechdel because it is a twist on the requirements and represents the lack of Asian roles in films and TV shows in Hollywood. Tests like mine are needed to reset and reregulate cultural stigmas and standards for present and future, directors, script, and Asian actors.
The first requirement of the Chung test is that the film or TV show must include at least two Asian characters. As an audience member, I have seen dozens of films and TV shows with only one Asian character that is not an extra or ensemble member of the cast. These characters from famous shows and movies do not pass my test. The most well-known character that comes to my mind is Lane from Gilmore Girls. Lane is the main character, Rory’s best friend. Lane’s storyline is based on her Korean culture and we never see her around any other Korean characters besides her obsessive tiger mom. Another iconic TV show character who is Asian American is Dr. Christina Yang from Grey’s Anatomy. She is famous for being best friends with the main character, Meredith Grey. Lane and Dr. Yang do not pass the Chung test since they are the only Asian characters showcased in the show who are not extras. Shows like these may be popular but they lack diverse casts and storylines. Everyone should have a chance to be in the spotlight and not as a best friend or extra.
Our future generations need to see that their race, gender, and culture are accurately seen in films and TV. Meaning that they should be allowed to see themselves as selves and not others or extras. As a nation, we rely on sources of media to show us who we can be and what we can do as individuals. Fortunately, in the past five years, there has been an influx of this positive cultural consumption in the past with Asian culture in film and TV. Young Asian Americans are now able to see themselves as warriors, princesses, and whatever else they want to be when they grow up.
The second requirement of the Chung test is that one of the characters must not be a stereotypical sidekick. As a 4th generation Chinese American student, I was introduced to the Asian American stereotypical sidekick at an early age. Now this concept is not new to us, for centuries, we, have been stereotyping Asian characters in books, movies, TV shows, and other forms of media as quirky sidekicks or conservative friends. Everyone deserves to be the main character; they are the main character they just don’t know it. Some of the most iconic Asian sidekicks from my childhood were Tina Cohen-Chang and Mike Chang from the hit FOX show, Glee, the older version of Claudia Kishi from the Babysitter’s Club, and Lane from Gilmore Girls. Not only are these portrayals of Asian stereotypes seen on screen, but they are also in books Gilmore Girls and The Babysitters’ Club series started as book series and were turned into TV adaptions in the late 90s. These characters from movies, books, and TV shows do not pass my Chung Test because they are Asian stereotypical sidekicks who are made fun of or have exaggerated storylines about being Asian.
These quirky stereotypical sidekicks are sources of “Oriental Comic Relief” like what sitcoms do. Oriental comic relief is when an amusing, scene, incident, piece of dialogue, or element to the storyline is intensified to create the drama in a stereotypically way whether it be through hand gestures or cultural aspects. In a study done by Melissa Schieble, she found out that, “For one, audiences see the “other” in these performances, thus rendering themselves sophisticated and cosmopolitan. Second, media stereotypes prevent us from confronting the real needs and consequences of exploitation including the poverty, racism, and classism” (Schieble 48). Schieble is saying that when we see ourselves as the “other”, we see ourselves in a negative character in our world, in other words, not a protagonist. Schieble states that media stereotypes denote society from having a realistic idea of who a certain race, gender, or ethnicity is and have been for generations. This needs to stop because it can become intentionally racist and harmful to a community or oneself.
The last requirement for the Chung test is that the film or TV show must include at least one character who does not discuss their Asian culture or traditions. In the last decade, several Asian Americans in the film industry have taken note of this stereotypical critique. I have hardly ever seen Asian American characters on the covers of films or TV shows that weren’t introduced as having an Asian storyline. People like Sam Levin, a writer for the Guardian, have taken close note of this; in an article, he wrote in 2017 he stated that: “There is also sometimes a comical overgeneralization of Asians. Rosenburg provided an example of an Asian character described as an artist who remained “focused while he composes his drawing” The breakdown added: “makes you wonder what kind of life he had back in Asia” (Levin). Levin makes a great point that we talk too much about Asians as Asians and not as people with occupations. I strongly agree with Levin, since I am an Asian American who is an avid reader and watcher of American films.
Major networks have been like Disney, CW, and Netflix have been doing an amazing job at spreading awareness about the lack of representation in Hollywood of diverse actors. We now have animated movies about South East Asian warriors like Raya and The Lost Dragon that came out recently this year and the Disney PIXAR short film Wind. This short film is about escaping to a better life from immigrant status. The hit CW channel has also rebooted the famous martial arts TV show “Kung Fu” with an all-Asian cast and female lead. All three of these examples pass the Chung Test because they do not have stereotypical sidekicks or main characters who talk about being Asian, and lastly, they feature Asian casts. This is just the beginning of the end. We must continue to tell positive stories about Asian Americans that are seen as more mainstream than traditional.
Representation has always been important to all cultures and races. We have become a nation that normalizes this stereotyping in all circumstances from media to job interviews, and it is not okay to say that this stereotyping is okay. Asian Americans deserve to have lead roles, be main characters, and impact audiences in other ways besides “being Asian”. As of now, my generation has gotten better at representing mainstream storylines for Asian Americans in films and TV shows, however, this has not always been the case. When John M. Chu greenlighted Kevin Kwan’s novel, Crazy Rich Asians, as a production. The world became obsessed with Asian American actors who they never knew before, like Awkwafina and Henry Goulding. However, this was a recent current event that happened in 2018. Fortunately, Crazy Rich Asians are one of the first films that I’ve seen that passes all three criteria of my Chung test, the film includes an all-Asian American cast, which is a bonus. Can you believe that this happened less than five years ago? It took us that long for this major event to happen to Asian Americans in Hollywood, not surprising though.
The Chung Test is not meant to be perfect or complete. I created it so that audience members can have a better understanding of what has been going on in Hollywood for ages and what we can do about it to make storylines more mainstream. On the screen, audiences deserve to see more Asian actors as main characters or full-time roles instead of extras or sidekicks. Like how Bechdel’s test is made to show that females “should be subjects and not objects” (France and Mak). Which goes along with the theme that has been reiterated several times that Asian Americans need to have their meaningful storylines in the spotlight. If we continue to have meaningful non-racist representation in the media, then we will hopefully stop this idea of misinterpretation.
The Chung test shows audiences that there has been a major lack of Asian representation in the entertainment industry. Audiences have seen too many Asian Americans portrayed as sidekicks, stereotypes, extras, and misrepresented storylines in films and TV shows. Though, this change has only been made in the last five years. That means that this generation gets to experience seeing themselves as warriors, main characters, princesses, and whatever other role they want to be. However, this change needs to continue to be made for the next several decades and generations for Asians and in the entertainment industry. Hopefully, more films and TV shows will pass the Chung Test during and after my generation.
Works Cited
“Bechdel Test Movie List.” Movies in the IMDb Top 250 - Bechdel Test Movie List, 2021, bechdeltest.com/top250/.
Fernandez, Daniel. "About the Bechdel Test Fest." Http://bechdeltestfest.com/about/. 2010. Web. 07 Apr. 2021. <http://bechdeltestfest.com/about/>.
France, Paige. "The Importance of the Bechdel Test." The Medium. Ed. Hayden Mak. 28 Sept. 2020. Web. 13 May 2021. <https://themedium.ca/arts/the-importance-of-the-bechdel-test/>.
Han, Qijun. "Negotiating Identity in the Diasporic Space: Transnational Chinese Cinema and Chinese Americans." Continuum 32.2 (2017): 224-38. Print.
Levin, Sam. "'We're the Geeks, The Prostitutes': Asian American Actors on Hollywood's Barriers." The Guardian. 11 Apr. 2017. Web. 07 Apr. 2021.
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