RRR, an Indian movie made in the Telugu language about the harms of colonization, made history at the 2023 Oscars. This movie is set in the 1920s, featuring two men who leave their families to fight against British oppression, one of which is fighting to save a little girl who was kidnapped by the British because of her musical talent. Throughout the film, we see her forced to sing for the British against her will.

Considering the themes of this film, the outrage caused by the lack of Indian dancers at RRR’s Oscar performance is unsurprising. Many were extremely excited to see a musical number performed at the Oscars. It was an opportunity to increase representation and share Indian culture. However, many of the dancers who performed were White, and none were of Indian descent. It seems that the Oscars may have overlooked the meaning behind the upbeat song. 

Originally, the two lead actors and dancers in the movie, N.T Rama Rao and Ram Charan, were asked to perform at the Oscars. However, according to the LA Times, both actors declined due to time constraints. The Oscars were originally planning to have at least two Indian actors in the performance. However, after Rama Rao and Charan declined, there was not an effort to find talented Indian dancers, of which there are many, to dance in the performance.

RRR winning the Oscar for Best Original Song is a cause for celebration. Indian creatives were recognized for their amazing work and given the spotlight at one of the most televised events in the world. But it is questionable how far we have truly come when Indian dancers are not represented on the stage. CBS interviewed Shivani Reddy, a Telugu American film and TV critic, about the lack of Indian representation and the backlash the Oscars faced after the performance. He commented, “It just felt very exclusionary that the one race they didn’t include was the one that was supposed to be represented because of the film and where it’s from. It’s unfortunate because there are so many South Asian dancers that I know that are in the industry trying to get into those spaces that just don’t get afforded those opportunities. And for the one time that we maybe could have gotten access, we were denied.” Joya Kazi, in an interview with CBS, explained that she had been submitted for consideration to either dance in or be part of the production team for the Naatu Naatu performance, but was denied by NappyTabs, the non Indian choreographers, because they wanted to only work with dancers they had worked with before. She explains that the Oscars and the choreographers “completely failed to acknowledge the fact that they left out people of India, in trying to make this feel like it was like a global performance.”

 Cultural appropriation versus appreciation has been an important topic especially in the last decade, and the lack of Indian dancers in the Naatu Naatu performance questions whether or not Indian culture will be continued to be taken by others to use for profit. The idea of making Naatu Naatu a global performance without including the people from whom the dance originated warns against the taking of culture for the entertainment of others.

It is important to consider the historical context that has shaped this single moment in 2023. So much wealth and culture was stolen from Indians during the colonialist rule of the British Empire. This is why it was crucial to have Indian dancers on that stage, instead of having non Indian dancers perform someone else’s culture. In the future, as foreign films become more popular, it will be interesting to see who gets the credit and the profit.

The post RRR Oscar Controversy first appeared on Hear Our Voices Magazine.

The post RRR Oscar Controversy appeared first on Hear Our Voices Magazine.

Rebecca F. Kuang is a Chinese American writer who has recently wowed audiences with her novels. Kuang graduated with a Mcphil in Chinese studies from Cambridge and an MSc in Contemporary Chinese Studies from Oxford. While continuing her writing, she is currently pursuing a PHD at Yale in East Asian Studies and Literature. Her newest novel, Yellowface, is set to come out on May 16th. In anticipation of Yellowface, we are taking a look at her past works.

The Poppy War Trilogy

The Poppy War Trilogy combines magical realism with the history of the Opium Wars to draw you into the characters’ adventures while also critiquing colonialism and war. The first book begins with a young girl named Fang Runin, also known as Rin, studying to gain admission to an elite boarding school against all odds. However, Rin does not get to remain a student for long. War breaks out, and Rin is forced to make devastating choices and face horrible losses as she fights for what she thinks is right.

Many in Rin’s country are addicted to opium, referencing the mid-19th century Opium Wars between China and Britain, and later France. In the 16th century, the British wanted to import many Chinese goods, but China had no interest in British exports. The British no longer wanted to abide by China’s trading rules, so they smuggled opium into China to addict the Chinese, forcing them to continue purchasing opium from Great Britain. This led to two Opium Wars, between 1839-1842 and 1856-1860.

Kuang’s Poppy War Trilogy proposes great commentary on both the physical and psychological trauma caused by warfare, the power of connecting to culture, and the dangerous and misguided thinking of colonialist powers.

I would recommend these books to anyone who loves great characters, military strategy, and cool magic in their novels. This trilogy does a great job of creating an immersive world that also incorporates historical influence!

Babel: An Arcane History

Babel: An Arcane History, is set at Oxford University in London. Robin, an orphan from Canton, is admitted to Oxford University’s translation department along with three other students, all who are fluent in two or more languages. Babel, the translation department, upholds all of London. Its infrastructure is completely powered on translation instead of electricity. 

Robin and the other main characters are forced to come to terms with the fact that they are helping to uphold a colonialist empire as they notice the cracks in the environment around them and come into contact with a rebel group. Babel is filled with rebellion, friendship, colonialist critique, and the daunting events that follow when someone chooses being complacent to an imperialist empire over the friends they love. Kuang continues her historical commentary from the Poppy War Trilogy, weaving in aspects of the Opium Wars. 

I would recommend this novel to anyone who loves magical realism, political commentary, and books set in academia. I learned a lot from Babel about the power of language and empathy.

Looking forward to Yellowface

R.F Kuang’s new novel Yellowface, departs from her previous genre of magical realism. This novel will be set in the literary sphere, in which the main character June steals her recently deceased friend Athena’s manuscript to publish herself. I am excited to see what R.F Kuang’s new satirical approach brings to Yellowface –  if it is anything like her other novels, I know it’ll be a wild ride!

You can purchase Yellowface and R. F. Kuang’s other works here.

The post Looking Forward To Yellowface by R.F Kuang first appeared on Hear Our Voices Magazine.

The post Looking Forward To Yellowface by R.F Kuang appeared first on Hear Our Voices Magazine.

When Never Have I Ever, an HBO comedy co-created by Mindy Kaling, first came out on Netflix, I was overjoyed. It was exciting to watch a show starring an Indian American teenage girl, around the same age as I was when the first episodes came out. I drank in every small piece of representation I could get. I was obsessed with the fact that the South Asian girl had not one, but two love interests and was not simply reduced to the nerdy side character. However, as the show progressed, the main character, Devi, constantly hurt her friends and spurred on incessant drama, making it very hard to like the character I had wanted to see on television for so long. As much as I am grateful for the representation she has given us, the truth is, the South Asian community as a whole deserves better than Mindy Kaling. 

Recently, Mindy Kaling has released two new shows, which are gaining moderate popularity. The first show is the Sex Lives of College Girls (2021). Again, I loved this show, but not its only South Asian character. As someone going to college next year, I was excited to watch a show about the college experiences of a girl that looks like me. Bela, the South Asian main character, makes horrible decisions throughout the show. She is selfish, she is a cheater, and she is a bad friend. While she is portrayed as pretty and confident, a positive among the bad-looking nerd stereotype of South Asian girls, she is also portrayed as crazy. One of her most pertinent traits is her overt sexuality, which does break stereotypes, but is extremely exaggerated and consistently played for laughs. Bela is a caricature of a young woman whose suppressed upbringing causes her to rebound into the world of college hookups and casual sex. There is no nuance to her exploration of desire – her demand for sex becomes her primary personality trait, effectively reducing her to a trope despite Kaling’s efforts otherwise.

In a similar vein, Velma (2023), an animated Scooby Doo spin off, does a disservice to South Asian representation. Many watchers were excited for Velma to be presented as South Asian. But throughout the show’s runtime, Kaling repeatedly plays into the repulsive stereotypes that affect South Asian women, and that will become ingrained in the young South Asian girls who are watching this show. For example, when Velma says she is waiting to shower alone, the other characters respond with, “Because of your weight? Because of your handsome face? Because of your hairy gorilla arms?” While in shows like The Office and The Sex Lives of College Girls Kaling tries to break stereotypes, in shows like Velma, South Asians become the butt of her jokes.

I am tired of the little South Asian representation we get being riddled by negative stereotypes, things that I, and other South Asian people, often get made fun of in real life. When I was younger, there was a boy in my class who would tell me to shave my arms. People like that learn how to hurt their South Asian peers from the media. We need to be teaching the next generation how to be kind, not how to act on stereotypes.

I ask myself all the time why Mindy Kaling does this to her characters. Maybe it is internalized racism; maybe she thinks it’s funny; maybe she just does not know that her characters hurt us. Many people argue that the South Asian community should be grateful that we have any representation at all, but these people are rarely South Asian. Ask a South Asian person, and we will tell you that we deserve better than Mindy Kaling. 

The post We Deserve Better Than Mindy Kaling first appeared on Hear Our Voices Magazine.

The post We Deserve Better Than Mindy Kaling appeared first on Hear Our Voices Magazine.

A White man masquerading as a famous Chinese poet, a nerdy fiancé with an Asian fetish, and a conservative-turned-leftist Asian activist are all characters that are brought to life in Disorientation by Elaine Chou. This novel follows Ingrid, an 8th year PhD candidate as she struggles through endless pages of poetry she finds meaningless.The book, 416 pages of hilarious satire, opens up pathways to conversations that are often avoided regarding race and the AAPI community.

This includes racism in academia, represented by the main character Ingrid’s dissertation adviser, Michael Bartholomew. Bartholomew begins as a kind man, seemingly using his role as the head of the East Asian studies department to help Ingrid fulfill her goal of becoming a tenured professor at Barnes University. He encourages her to write her dissertation on a prominent alumnus of the university, poet Xiao-Wen Chou. Ingrid later learns that Bartholomew knew that the Chou, whom she had spent years researching, was not Chinese, but in fact a white man running around in yellow face. She decides to use her presentation to expose his covert racism, to which Bartholomew rebukes, “Yes, she really is that pathetic folks. A true specimen of the Oriental race. Meek.” (Chou 380).

Perhaps a more uncomfortable topic that the book grapples with is the fetishization of East Asian women. Ingrid begins the novel deeply in love with her fiance, a nerdy White man named Stephen whose job is translating Japanese literature into English. Ingrid believes he is fully in love with her for who she is, until she discovers that all of his past girlfriends were East Asian women. This causes her to spiral, rethinking all of the details of their past relationship. One detail stuck out against the rest, something that Ingrid had never thought much about before: Stephen liked her to dress up in a Japanese schoolgirl outfit when they slept together. In an article by Teen Vogue, writer Steffi Cao states, “From the tropes of the hypersexualized ‘dragon lady’ to the ‘mail-order bride,’ the image of Asian women in the West has typically been represented in the sexual, and strictly divided down the lines of a cunning prostitute-assassin, or a docile foreign wife.” These are the stereotypes that Ingrid learns she has been facing up against her entire life, even though growing up she just felt American. 

A character that seemingly plays into the “docile foreign wife” character is Cixi, who is married to Bartholomew. She is submissive, never arguing with her husband and always doing what he asks. However, when Ingrid is looking for proof that Michael is involved with a scandal, Cixi jumps in to help, giving Ingrid access to Bartholomew’s private things. Ingrid later discovers that Cixi is only playing into stereotypes to avoid Bartholomew’s threats. Cixi’s character demonstrates how dangerous stereotypes can be, and how becoming dependent on a stereotype can backfire on the person who is perpetuating bigotry.

I find Disorientation to be so important because I see it in our everyday lives. For example, the movement to rid college campuses of Confederate statues and the purchase of Twitter in the name of free speech by Elon Musk both parallel the free speech movement spearheaded by Bartholomew in the novel. According to a report by the Center for Countering Digital Hate, in the week after Elon Musk bought Twitter, the amount of tweets using the n-word tripled the average of uses in 2022. The recent wave of yellow face on social media also parallels the East Asian fetishization in the novel. In Disorientation, Chou counters these events by satirizing people who perpetuate bigotry.

Everyone has something to learn from Chou’s writing. Disorientation is a book I will continue to think about as we move into the new year.

You can purchase Disorientation here. You can find Elaine Hsieh Chou here.

The post Disorientation: Book Review(Spoilers) first appeared on Hear Our Voices Magazine.

The post Disorientation: Book Review(Spoilers) appeared first on Hear Our Voices Magazine.

The new generation of Asian American models have been using their platforms to uplift their communities.

 In 2022, R’Bonney Gabriel, a young Filipina woman, won the title of Miss Texas USA. After winning the title, Gabriel began using her pageant knowledge to run her own sewing class for women who have survived human trafficking and domestic violence. Neelam Gill, a Punjabi model, actively speaks out against the tokenization of people of color within the modeling industry. In an interview with Amuse, Gill stated that “ [Modeling] campaigns should recognize the world we live in.”

Hear Our Voices Magazine interviewed Indian American model Sarina Mahapatra about her experience as an Asian American in the modeling industry. Sarina is 18 years old and is signed with the agency Next. She has plans to travel around the world to model, and has already modeled in Milan and New York. 

HOV:

Okay, first question. How does modeling empower you?

Sarina:

[It’s] really nice for my younger self because as an Indian girl, growing up, 10-15 years ago, there were no Indian girls that you saw in magazines, on billboards, and even now, there are very few Indian girls. I feel like I’m…a piece of representation for other Indian girls so that hopefully they can see that being Indian is beautiful. I think it’s really hard right now where it’s the modeling industry that sets the beauty standards in society right now. But when the models are literally just white girls, a certain image of a girl, then girls who don’t look like that think, “oh, I must not be beautiful. I hope that other girls feel beautiful. They are part of society and the beauty standard, too.

HOV:

What are some examples of the campaigns and projects that you’ve done?

Sarina:

I did something for Just Cavalli, the big high fashion house. They started a youth line for teens, a more grungy, relatable line. And in the past, if you look at the models, they always are white. They also look a certain way with their body and everything. But it was really cool because I was like… I’m a teen, and I could be part of this new grungy, progressive, newer line. So that was really cool to be a part of, especially in such a huge house. I did one for Louis Jeans, which was a big comeback show. They’re a Dutch brand, and in the past, a lot of their models have been white models, very blonde, blue eyes. But this show had tons of people, but I was still the only Indian girl. And normally I feel taken aback by that, but actually, it’s empowering to be like, oh, wow, I’m the one representing girls like me. I’m representing the Indian girl here. The little girl watching this. I’m her in the future.

HOV:

What is it like working in a job that combat stereotypes about South Asian youth, for example, being super awkward and nerdy, et cetera?

Sarina:

I’ve noticed in the New York market, people are a lot more aware of the untruthfulness of stereotypes.. They don’t really make weird comments. But I’ve noticed that in Milan, because I was there for a month and I’m going back here again, people make really out of pocket comments, and people are like, “Let me try and guess your race,” or “I can’t believe you model.” And people ask, “Are your parents okay with this?” “Is this okay with your culture?” I say that they’re okay. People make assumptions about you based on your culture. So I feel like I have to have thick skin, but also go the extra step to explain, like, no, not all South Asians are nerdy people who can’t model. And it’s also nice because I did get into the college that I wanted to, and I made the choice to take a gap year and model for now, and I explained that to people. First they’re taking their comments back, but then they’re like “oh, wow, that’s really cool. I didn’t realize.” They’re almost apologetic, but also in shock, which is a little interesting.

HOV:

Do you feel like you’ve ever been discriminated against in the modeling world?

Sarina:

I mean, I’m sure definitely, because the thing that’s hard, too, is, like, you walked into a cast thing, and I’ve walked into casting before, and cast members look at me and they’re just like,”Thanks but no.” 

And I’m sure there’s tons of reasons why they say no, but at the end of the day, my agent tells me this all the time. They’re Looking for a certain look, and sometimes that look is not an Indian girl, and I can’t change that. I can’t change my race, I can’t change skin color or anything. . Like, the reason why I may get another job iis because I’m South Asian and the other girls aren’t. But it’s hard. I have noticed that the industry is getting a little bit better, but it still is hard to be like, oh, wow, maybe if I wasn’t Indian, I could have gotten that job. it’s hard to just keep telling yourself it’s not a personal thing and try to remind yourself. I mean, I talked to other girls about it too, and they say that it’s hard to tell yourself it’s not personal when it literally is about something personal. It’s your ethnicity, it’s your race. That is a very personal thing.

HOV:

Have you met a lot of other Asian models?

Sarina:

No, actually, I met one other Indian model with my agency, and she’s in a different market from me completely, so I met her once. It was really funny. Our agent had us meet because we were Indian, and that was the only reason why she had us meet which was kind of interesting. You guys should meet because you are Indian. I was like, okay. And other than that, I met a few models who are Thai, but I’ve actually never met another Indian model working in the industry.

HOV:

What has it been like traveling and being immersed in other cultures, such as in Italy?

Sarina:

Honestly it makes you grow so much.  It’s so crazy. I just graduated high school three months ago, and now I have lived in a different country. Going somewhere where the culture is so different, where there’s a completely different language, the market is so much different. Being 18, living alone, so much is unknown. It’s really crazy because I used to be a super scheduled person, and I get my schedule now the night before.  But I think it makes you grow a lot, and also it makes you realize how independent you are. I realize how much I can do alone. I don’t always need someone to be with me. I don’t need to travel with someone all the time. So you grow up a lot. And I think it also helped me kind of feel more in touch with myself and realize what I need. And also realize, too, when something seems off, if I’m going into a job, and let’s say the whole environment is just weird and the casting director is weird, I have been more confident in saying “no, this isn’t okay.”

HOV:

What are the best and worst parts of modeling?

Sarina:

Best parts? The people you meet. You do meet really bad people, but you also meet really great people. And everyone is so different. Everyone’s story is so different. Everyone’s culture is so different because you’re getting girls and guys and everyone from all over with completely different backgrounds, and then you’re all meeting. I have friends now from all over the world who I can talk to, and they have such different experiences. And I think also, in the creative aspect, I never really realized how much creative energy goes into making a design or making a piece of clothing. And then you go behind the scenes and you talk to the stylist or you talk to the designer or the photographer, and you realize how much goes into making a piece of clothing, a piece of art. And being a part of that is really cool. And to see the meaning because a piece of clothing, even if it’s something as simple as the color of a small piece of patchwork, has the biggest meaning to a designer.I think the worst part, though, is that your job is based on your appearance, which is hard because half the time, you can’t change your appearance. Usually a lot of it is genetic, and you can’t always change your height or you can’t change your weight or your measurements, and you’re constantly comparing yourself to others. I try not to compare myself, but it’s hard when you walk into a casting call, and you see a room full of girls, and they all are holding a card up with measurements. How are you not supposed to look? Or when your friend gets a job and you didn’t get that job, then you start thinking, oh, well, why didn’t I get it? So it’s hard, but you have to learn. You have to have thick skin, and it’s not personal. I just tell myself all the time, it’s not personal. It’s not me. And if someone doesn’t want you for the job, then it just wasn’t meant to be, I guess.

HOV:

What advice do you have for young Asian Americans looking to push the needle forward towards a more inclusive future?

Sarina:

I would say just whatever you want to do, just do it. And if an opportunity comes up just take it. I was really hesitant at first to do modeling full time because I had a very strict path in my head, and I also didn’t know anyone else who had gone down the path I’m taking now. I knew no one else who had modeled before, and I also didn’t know of any other South Asian women who were successful models. There’s one, Neelam Gill, who you guys should definitely check out. I love her, and she’s another Indian woman, and she talks about South Asian representation in the industry, too. I went down this path, and it was hard at first, and it still is hard, but I’m really happy I did. And I’m also hoping that I can keep following a passion of mine, which is making sure more South Asian models have representation in the industry. So I would say just do it if you want to, if you’re interested in it. And even if it’s not modeling, even if it’s like you want to start a podcast or you want to start, or a clothing line or just try it, because the worst that will happen is it doesn’t work out.  There’s so many other directions you can go right now, especially in the generation we live in.

Sarina Mahapatra is paving the way to make the modeling industry more inclusive to young Asian-Americans. She will serve as an inspiration to children wanting to grow up to become models.

The post Asian Americans in Modeling: The Price to Pay first appeared on Hear Our Voices Magazine.

The post Asian Americans in Modeling: The Price to Pay appeared first on Hear Our Voices Magazine.