Asians are a unique minority in that they're (for the most part) stereotyped positively but gravely under-represented. As an ethnic group they are what Paek and Shah authors of the journal "Racial Ideology, Model Minorities, and the "Not-So-Silent Partner:" Stereotyping of Asian Americans in U.S. Magazine Advertising" call the "model minority". Historically they point out, "media representations of Asian Americans as model minorities were created in the racial logic of Cold War liberalism in the 1950s. Asian Americans were associated with a premium demographic profile: highly affluent, well educated, professional, and technologically skilled." In the white-man's world Asians have presented the perfect fall-back in that there can't possibly be obstacles against minorities if Asian's are doing so well. "It connotes that African Americans and Latinos could also achieve success, only if they would embrace a serious work ethic and sincerity concerning education just as Asian Americans do. Such inter-minority comparisons constitute a hostile discourse - used primarily by white policymakers- that may stimulate black and Latino resentment and exacerbate social conflicts among minority groups" the authors say.
The journal goes on to explain how there are two types of Asians. the "uptown" ones who wear fancy suits and have corporate jobs and the "downtown" group who are the newly-arrived immigrants holding blue-collar jobs in the poor, urban areas.
In my own content analysis with the 3 Seventeen, 3 Glamour and 3 Elle magazines, the low number of Asians in ads was astounding. There were 5 in total (out of 9 magazines filled with ads!)
The first was this DKNY ad, the only one featuring an Asian in the August 2009 issue of Glamour:
The second was this one for Vera Bradley which features the Asian girl on her Smartphone while her Caucasian friends are either talking on the phone or not really doing anything:
OPI, the nail polish brand, had two ads which featured Asian models to promote their "Hong Kong Collection". The first ad which was in the February 2010 issue of Elle features a very exotic-looking model with a sharp haircut and a super thin frame, the typical eastern vixen that might just attack you with ninja stars at any given point.
The second one was featured in the March 2010 issue of Elle and again it features a very "edgy" model promoting a very stereotypical image of Asian women.
It seems that (at least in the fashion industry) Asian women are presented as either extremely thin, mysterious beauties from the East or extremely thin Americanized beauties of the states as shown in this ad for Macy's featured in the October 2009 issue of Seventeen:
As Paek and Shah put it. "regardless of the frequent depiction of Asian American females in professional roles, the image of petite and exotic beauty remains a common visual theme."
Be it for political agendas or because advertisers have started believing the stereotypes they create themselves, there's no denying Asians have a very set image in ads. Paek and Shah state that "the "uptown" group includes well-educated professionals who reside in the suburbs and are integrated into mainstream society. The "downtown" group refers to blue-collar, working class immigrants striving to survive in isolated and poor urban areas." Whatever the class they may be in, the general image is that Asians are hard-working individuals, but this can also be detrimental.
The authors go on to say how "Asian Americans may be viewed as disposable workers who may be hired and fired at will because they are complacent about how they are treated and too passive to complain." It also promotes an image that Asian Americans are cold and solely focused on their work, "Asian Americans are overrepresented in "number-crunching" professions because the positions require minimal language proficiency; in contrast, Asian Americans are underrepresented in the humanities and social science fields, where high levels of interpersonal contact and language skills are required....One popular myth about Asian Americans is that their dedication to success keeps them from enjoying leisure pursuits. Advertising contributes to this image with the "workaholic" stereotype."
This is especially sad considering that although Asian Americans make up less than a third of the minority market, they have a two thirds purchasing power, so their voice should be heard and marketed towards if only for the sake of higher profit.
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