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     Tanaka: Asian media invisibility --- fashion magazines 
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Newsgroups: soc.culture.asian.american,soc.culture.japan,soc.culture.usa,
	soc.couples.intercultural,soc.culture.african.american
Date:    Mon, 16 May 94 15:16:51 GMT
From:    tanaka@nickel.ucs.indiana.edu (TANAKA Tomoyuki)
Subject: media bias against Asians (and Blacks)

i was thinking ...

i believe that what we see in the media influences our attitude
and behavior greatly (as i argued in my 800-line USENET article
on interracial dating).

for one thing, we can discuss the negative stereotypes in the
media:  in TV shows (Kung Fu,...) and films (Joy Luck Club,
Rising Sun, Gung Ho).

another point is that what we see in movies, TV, and magazine
advertisements shape our aesthetics of what we consider
fashionable, attractive, or desirable; that when we are
presented with overwhelmingly white (Caucasian) images, the
sheer quantity and predominance of it is significant.

just to check, i looked at 3 magazine-type things:

--- COSMOPOLITAN (Feb 1993)  out of the hundreds of photos and
	drawings, there are 4 or so BFs.  all others WFs and WMs.
--- ELLE (Jan 1993)  some black females and one BM appear.
	all others WFs and WMs.
--- J. Crew catalog (Spring 1994)  there is 1 small photo of a BM.
	all others WFs and WMs.

as i suspected, there were no photos or drawings of Asians at
all.  (actually i expected a few Asian females.)  i would guess
that there may be occasional Asian females in this type of
magazines, but Asians males are almost nonexistent.

this brings up a question:  in terms of numbers, what would be
a "fair" representation?   to reflect the current racial makeup
of the USA, 12% black and 3% Asian?    (affirmative action?)

perhaps someone can do a class project or something on this.
(please let me know if you do.)


maybe it is the case that such studies have been done already
and some are well-known (perhaps for Blacks).
only relevant thing i've seen is the following paper discussing
changes in Asian stereotypes in the USA.

	Stanly Sue and Harry H.L. Kitano.
	"Stereotypes as a measure of success".
	Journal of Social Issues.  Vol 29, No 2 (1973).


(In a few days I'm leaving on a two-month vacation (in California,
Japan, and China).  I'll be checking e-mail once every other week
or so, but I won't be reading USENET news.
If you post an article in response, please send me a copy too.)

;;; (Mr.) TANAKA Tomoyuki  (Tanaka is my family name.)
;;;
;;; E-mail address: <tanaka@silver.ucs.indiana.edu>
;;;             or: <tanaka@indiana.edu>

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Postscript

(Thu Oct 13, 1994)
	i looked at several more issues of magazines for young
	women and did see some Asian female models.
	i looked at a few more recent "J. Crew" catalogs, and in
	there it still looks as if Asian race doesnt't exist.