Growing up as an Asian American
On Wednesday, Feb. 4, my family and I sat down waiting through annoyingly long commercials to see the pilot of Fresh Off the Boat. It was exciting. We had never seen a TV show with people we could identify with. Being part of a Filipino-American family, there were no shows that accurately represented my life on screen. I didn’t look like the children in shows like Modern Family, Gossip Girl, How I Met Your Mother, or Friday Night Lights. Most of the TV shows had a white American protagonist and lacked minority groups, which is why my family was excited for the new Asian American TV show that we hoped would portray our family.
In the ABC sitcom, Fresh Off the Boat an Asian American family attempts to fit in with their predominantly white neighborhood in Orlando, Florida. The protagonist Eddie Huang is the oldest of three boys and throughout the TV show he struggles to fit in with the community because of his family’s different cultural beliefs. Being a first generation citizen, Eddie has difficulty displaying his hip-hop loving personality while he’s trapped in the body of a short, flat faced, and pale Asian American. His main struggle derives from his appearance and the preconceptions that come with it. As an Asian American, Eddie is expected to earn straight A’s, eat Chinese food for lunch, and know all about Chinese culture. Being raised in the United States, Eddie is unsure if he identifies with his parents’ culture or American culture.
The night of the premiere, my family was one of 7.94 million Americans tuning in to see the show at 8:30 p.m. We laughed through the entire 22 minutes that aired. Eddie’s family had the same struggles as our family — only more dramatized to fit ABC’s requirements. We laughed over the fact that my mom was very similar to Mrs. Huang or how the predominantly white neighborhood had preconceptions about the Huangs that were completely incorrect.
The family in Fresh Off the Boat represents the 17 million Asian Americans in the United States who make up about 5.6 percent of the total population (2010 US Census). For every seven non white people in America there is one non white person on screen. This is because minority group actors are represented by smaller agencies and therefore unable to attain larger roles in the media. Minority groups are underrepresented on TV and in movies, which deprives viewers of someone to relate to in the media.
Originally, this was because producers believed that Americans wanted to see people like them. With the growing population, however, there is also a growing audience. New statistics from the show Fresh Off the Boat prove that TV shows with a more diverse group of actors have larger audiences. TV shows with more than 20 percent minority casts made more money worldwide as well. ABC continues to prove this through their popular TV shows Blackish and Modern Family. This is only the beginning for growing diversity in the media.
The author of Fresh off the Boat, Eddie Huang, said “This is our ground zero. Network television never offered the epic tale highlighting Asian America’s coming of age,” representing the growth in society and acceptance of different cultures. With the increase of diversity in the media, producers also try to avoid stereotypes. In Fresh Off the Boat, the pilot episode attempts to subvert stereotypes through the protagonist.
In the episode, Eddie has difficulty fitting in with his classmates because of the food his family eats. His mom prepares Chinese noodles for lunch and puts them in a plastic Tupperware. In the middle of the show, Eddie’s parents figure out that their son has not been consuming his food at school, rather he throws it out everyday in order to avoid embarrassment. At school, his friends enjoy eating Lunchables, which is store bought, boxed, and preserved food. In an attempt to fit in and sit with the “cool” white kids, Eddie decides to throw away a key part of his culture. At the end of the pilot episode, Eddie is able to convince his mom to bring him to the Supermarket in town and buy him Lunchables, like the other kids. Mrs. Huang points out that the Supermarket is nothing like the stores they normally shop at and brings about a change in their way of life. Eddie was willing to change his ways and his diet in order to fit into a community. The real question is how far are we willing to go to fit in and why are we so willing to give up our own cultures and ideals to become an American?
While Eddie cannot represent all of Asian Americans, the producers make a good attempt to do so. He represents the growing and changing of first generation children in the states. Living with his culturally rigid parents, Eddie has issues getting his way. Mrs. Huang makes her sons go to the CLC, also known as Chinese Learning Center, during the week because school is “too easy” for the boys. According to Eddie CLC is “an after-school program for reading, math, science, and violin.” To Eddie and any other preteen, it sounds like torture. Throughout the TV show, Eddie fights his parents’ strict and traditional ways in order to fit in.
As a first generation Filipino-American, I always had a longing to fit in. Similar to Eddie, I was willing to give up things that my family held so dear. In elementary school, when I learned that Uggs were cool I asked my mom right away to get the newest and coolest shoes; I wanted to be like everyone else. After moving to Massachusetts, I learned that most students didn't eat spring rolls from a Tupperware, and they bought lunch instead. Similarly, I requested that my mom refill my school account every few months so I could buy greasy cafeteria food like everyone else. Through the years in Massachusetts, I learned that I could not give up everything. I am still unique in the food that I eat with family, the holidays that we celebrate, and the rules — like not sleeping over at other people’s houses. While I have shaped myself to fit the popular American culture, there are still many traditions and cultures that I keep. I am not embarrassed to be myself and that is just something that takes time to learn.
Although Eddie is an immature boy, sometimes he has his moments. While trying to convince his mom to buy Lunchables, he points out the real reason why it is important to fit in. For Eddie, changing one’s culture is necessary in order to get a position in society. In simpler terms, Eddie said, “I need white-people lunch. That gets me a seat at the table. And then you get to change the rules and represent.” Without something to agree on or something to relate to it is difficult for two cultures to come together. Studies show that immigrants and first generation immigrants give up their culture as a result of culture shock (Teens Health). Culture is defined as how someone interacts with others, the food they eat, the clothes they dress in, or how they speak. Many of these things are altered in order to fit in with the majority.
Differing from other TV shows, Fresh Off the Boat teaches a lesson about cultural appropriation and why immigrants should be proud of where they come from. At the end of the pilot episode, the producers wanted to get one important message across; it's hard to maintain a culture while surrounded by people with other beliefs. In the end, it is important to be true to oneself and one’s culture rather than trying to be like everyone else. For 13-year-old Eddie Huang, “When you live in a Lunchables world, it's not always easy being homemade Chinese food. But it's also what makes you special. My family was gonna create their place in Orlando, and we're gonna do it our way, because you don't have to pretend to be someone else in order to belong."
Photos: Pexels
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