To All the Boys I've Loved Before breaks and reinforces racial boundaries
Netflix's new film, To All the Boys I've Loved Before, was released to stream last month, and audiences (both young and old) are loving it. This is not just any romcom, TATBILB both includes and excludes important Asian representation.
The film, which was adapted from a novel by Jenny Han, stars Lana Condor as protagonist Lara Jean, an Asian-American and biracial teenage girl.
With the release of Crazy Rich Asians around the same time, Asian women are finally seeing the tip of the representation iceberg they deserve to see in Hollywood.
"That the character of Lara Jean happens to provide a much-needed narrative for a generation of lovesick Asian girls-- and prove to the film industry that a movie with an Asian lead can be a smash hit-- is just an added perk," Larissa Pham said in a Vice article.
While TATBILB features an Asian-American in the lead role, the film has received pushback for its lack of an Asian male love interest.
When Asian men are represented in the media, they are often feminized and emasculated in order to make their white male counterparts appear more manly. Out of Lara Jeans five love interests in the film, four are white and one is black.
Author of the novel, Jenny Han addressed the lack of Asian male representation in an interview with IndieWire, where she said that she understands the audience frustration, but that is simply the way the story was written.
IndieWire notes that while the race of the characters are not specifically stated in Han's book, it is disappointing to see an Asian author fuel the idea that white men are the epitome of masculinity and handsome good looks.
The film, which was adapted from a novel by Jenny Han, stars Lana Condor as protagonist Lara Jean, an Asian-American and biracial teenage girl.
With the release of Crazy Rich Asians around the same time, Asian women are finally seeing the tip of the representation iceberg they deserve to see in Hollywood.
"That the character of Lara Jean happens to provide a much-needed narrative for a generation of lovesick Asian girls-- and prove to the film industry that a movie with an Asian lead can be a smash hit-- is just an added perk," Larissa Pham said in a Vice article.
While TATBILB features an Asian-American in the lead role, the film has received pushback for its lack of an Asian male love interest.
When Asian men are represented in the media, they are often feminized and emasculated in order to make their white male counterparts appear more manly. Out of Lara Jeans five love interests in the film, four are white and one is black.
IndieWire notes that while the race of the characters are not specifically stated in Han's book, it is disappointing to see an Asian author fuel the idea that white men are the epitome of masculinity and handsome good looks.
Thanks for your post! I agree. I watched this movie and loved it, but I found myself being critical of the same things you touched on. I noticed that she had a white father, which I guess could be attributed to "the way the story was written," but it begs the question "why was it written this way?" Did they writers think it would be "more relatable" to a white audience if that dad was white, and the love interest was white? Did they worry it would make the film "too Asian" if there were more Asian characters then Lara Jean and her sisters? This is the way Hollywood thinks. And, as you pointed out, four of the love interest are white and one is black, and the one who is black is also gay, so therefor he is no longer even a possibility of being a love interest for her. His character is flat, undeveloped, and felt like it was just thrown in there to cover all the bases. This is similar to the romcom that came out "Sierra Burgess is a Loser," where the main character has the stereotyped black gay friend who we never actually learn anything about. Hollywood makes small multicultural change, but are they really challenging dominant narratives and representations of people of color in film?
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