Interracial relationships are symbols of assimilation that have helped Asians establish their significance and place in America. Television, specifically comedy programs, are a cultural forum that allow marginalized groups a platform where they can create and take part in the American narrative. There has been little analysis on what popular televisual representations of interracial relationships mean for Asian Americans. I bridge this gap by focusing on the post-2010 Asian television invasion, specifically four major television comedies, The Mindy Project, New Girl, Master of None, and Crazy Ex-Girlfriend, that have an Asian American lead character who engages in an interracial relationship. Through a semiotic analysis of media representations I find that Asian American identity is very much still dictated by gendered tropes and stereotypes associated with Orientalism and the model minority paradigm, often with females perpetuating and males challenging these notions. This constructs images of Asian Americans that depend on age-old gendered and racialized stereotypes. Because television is an important tool in shaping American popular culture it affects perceptions of Asian Americans and restricts their role as Americans with agency and individuality.
About the presenterTakreem Zulfiqar
Takreem Zulfiqar was born in Faisalabad, Pakistan and moved to the United States in 1999. She grew up in Glen Burnie, Maryland. She graduated from the University of Maryland, Baltimore County where she completed a dual Bachelor of Arts in American Studies and Biological Sciences. At UMBC, she began her interest in Asian American studies with a focus on media representation and identity politics. She plans to attend graduate school for Public Policy.