In the past, the media has utilized orientalism to make profit at the expense of Asian women’s representation. In Aki Uchida’s “The Orientalization of Asian Women in America,” she states, “[t]he term Oriental takes on the connotation of exoticism and difference … However, the term Oriental is more than just that. The difference signified in the term is not only geographical and cultural, but sexual” (Uchida 161). The term cannot just be geographical- or cultural-based but it always has to have an erotic context, which is demeaning to women. Further, it shows that the gender hierarchy is always going to be men above women. In the movie The World of Suzie Wong, Suzie Wong is a character that is the epitome of the ideologies that the Western man has put upon Asian women. This film was released in 1960, when anti-miscegenation laws were not yet deemed unconstitutional. It is insane to think that only 48 years ago, interracial marriage was illegal. However, in this movie that was not an issue because it was set in Asia. Moreover, white men overseas were allowed to marry Asian women. This film depicts Asian women as deviant and obsessed with the approval of white men. Additionally, the usage of media adds fuel to the fire of white man domination, which can convey that it is acceptable if a white man is the one delegating the oppression.
Det. Larsen: “My boss, Lt. Davis.”
Mark Richards: “She’s Asian.”
Det. Larsen: “Vietnamese American.”
Det. Larsen: “Is that a problem?”
Mark Richards: “Could be.”
Det. Larsen: “How so?”
Mark Richards: “I don’t think many people are going to be too sympathetic to who I was.”