I was on my way to pick up a “Pussy Grabs Back” poster I had printed at Kinkos this morning, when my eyes started welling up with tears. It’s not that I’ve been in denial since the election, it’s that my M.O. tends to be emotional detachment. My body does this self-preservation thing without my heart’s approval. It has its advantages and disadvantages.
I started thinking about all the messages of sexism, racism, and fear that Donald Trump spews out, and how as a person, the person who is being inaugurated today, he will undeniably make decisions for our country guided by these isms that do not represent we the people, but he the politician. He lost his moral compass along the way at some point and has been too cowardly to ask for help or seek to be a better, more compassionate version of himself.
I didn’t cry this morning. My anger about our sexist, racist president turned on me and crushed my heart instead. I was left feeling hopeless, and I know that’s a dangerous place to be. It’s paralyzing. There’s too much grassroots organizing needed for me to stress eat at every all you can eat buffet in this country. SO, in an attempt to avoid eating my way through the next four years, I’m going to shed light on a bright spot.
I’m reminding myself that progress doesn’t come in four year cycles, and it doesn’t all start or stop with a single administration. As terrible as the current state of politics in this country is, overall, compared to the 90’s when Margaret Cho’s “American Girl” show didn’t last more than a season, we are now living in an America where shows like Master of None and Fresh Off the Boat exist, AND…
I started watching Elementary recently and am partway through season two. Lucy Liu as Dr. Joan Watson warms my heart. Besides the fact that the Watson role is traditionally played by men in every other Sherlock Holmes adaptation, Liu is Asian! It’s so rare to see an Asian on t.v. playing a role that doesn’t lean on Asian stereotypes. We’ve come a long way people.
I was 20 when the Charlie’s Angel’s movie with Liu in it as Alex came out. She was smart and sexy, because Hollywood doesn’t do just smart women. I’m 36 now and although Liu as Watson is still both smart and sexy, there’s way Way WAY less emphasis on the sexy. Plus I have yet to see Watson do a slo-mo hair flip. She’s stylish and any extra sexualization is due to the biased lens of the viewer.
It might seem like a stretch, but I see the evolution of how Asians are portrayed in movies and on television as a reflection of the progress this country has made when it comes to race and stereotypes. Yes, we still have a long way to go, lots of work to do, but hasn’t it always been that way? And we’ve gotten this far. So, even though I’m sad today and wish the tears would flow to carry away my heartbreak, I do know that progress is possible. I plan to be a vocal and active participant in ensuring our country’s democracy is sustained. I have to, to survive and thrive.
