Blog Entry #4: Stereotypes in Media, the "Lotus Blossom"
Media stereotypes surrounding Asians include the "model minority," "foreigners" (which comes from the fear mongering of the "Yellow Peril"), nerds and villains (villains include "Dragon Ladies" and "Fu Manchu"). There are many more stereotypes of Asians in media that I recommend you take the time to research. I'll be discussing the "Lotus Blossom" or "China Doll" stereotype in film and television, as that's one I've personally experienced on multiple occasions; in all honesty, I've experienced more than just the Lotus Blossom stereotype, like 99.4% of Asian American students.
The Lotus Blossom is the stereotype that Asian women are quiet, modest, and delicate, but still sexually available. This contradiction follows the contradictory theme of Asians being portrayed as hard working and smart, yet rarely receiving leadership rolls and being the punchline. Asian roles are often whitewashed, too.
The Lotus Blossom is the "good girl" that requires saving (typically by a White man). The Lotus Blossom originated from hard working Asian women with resolve trying to support their families or forced into prostitution that were sexualized by Western (White) men. This was particularly solidified during World War II when Japanese women were trapped into prostitution by the stationed U.S. Military. Asian women were seen as conquerable as their land and in need of "saving" by White men, like their land. This has led to the continued sexualization of Asian women in modern media as Western men were lead to the conclusion that Asian women exist to fulfill their desires and need their help.
It's needless to say that this construction is inaccurate to who Asian women really are. It's extremely harmful and one sided.
Modern examples of the Lotus Blossom or China Doll in media include the depiction of Asian women in porn and Mantis from Guardians of the Galaxy.
Asian women in porn are expected to be submissive and to "enjoy" it and often work in service jobs like massages (which lead to "happy endings"). This directly ties into the submissive expectations of the Lotus Blossom and the origins of the Lotus Blossom (which refers to Geishas--Geishas also being it's own subset stereotype of the Lotus Blossom).
Mantis in Guardians of the Galaxy is the butt of many punchlines; innocent; raised to be a servant by a White man who stole her from her home; her appearance is immediately commented on; serves to humanize Drax and further his character development; and a martial artist in the original comic (another Asian stereotype). Each of these stereotypes portrays Mantis as in need of saving and less than, yet still attractive; just like the Lotus Blossom.
While all stereotypes can be and typically are harmful, the Lotus Blossom stereotype is particularly harmful. It perpetuates the idea that Asian women, like myself, exist to please and serve others and that our value is on our bodies. Media tells us that to be desirable, we should be weak and incapable of taking care of ourselves. The only people that this construction benefits is misogynistic men who desire subservient women unaware of their worth. The Lotus Blossom wants Asian women to be meek in order to be sexual and desirable.
Asian women are diverse, strong, independent, smart, and capable. That's what makes us feminine.