Wanted: Asian actress to lead in tragic love story. Must be able to do a good suicide scene. Must have long black hair. Slim, petite figure. Pale skin. Big, exotic eyes. Must be able to be convincing as a prostitute. Can play the ages of 16-24. Must be able to do a Chinese accent. Think Suzy Wong.

The Asian I.
Anna May Wong is a god in Asian film. Anna May Wong's characters are the devils in the Asian American film. During her career as a silent film star, Anna May was able to transcend racial barriers and obtain leading roles. However, these roles revolved around archetypal images of Asian women: the seductress and the servant. Even with the passage of time and the evolution of Asian American roles, these images are still sought after in the film industry. The constant barrage of these mythical images reconstructs the same barriers that Anna May strove to break down. However this time, instead of trying to transcend racial barriers, modern Asian American actresses are trying to break down the racial stereotypes that Anna May's role have created. The Asian I, a creation of the silver screen, is seen by millions of viewers. Yet, the images that these viewers see are the perceptions from a narrow group of individuals: the white male. From their eyes, they see their fantasy of the Asian seductress and servant and create them onscreen. However, the fulfillment of their fantasies of Asian females creates a nightmare for the Asian American female. While the character of the Asian female only lives onscreen, the expectations of those images are transposed to the ordinary lives of Asian Americans.

The Asian Eye.
There is little substance in Asian characters. These characters have almost a requirement list: accented English, long black hair, eyes that always look averted, and a slim, petite figure that would look good in a thigh high slit Chinese chi pao. These images are outdated for Asian American females who now are wearing business suits, not Mandarin dresses, and are lawyers, not prostitutes. However, the fantasy still exists in the filmmakers and writers who control the story. They like to see the lead heroine as a seductress or a subservient woman. After watching Sayonara for the first time, filmmaker Jamie Kibbon became fascinated with the idea of marrying a Japanese woman and the fantasy of being pampered for the rest of life. The film portrays Japanese woman as completely subservient to their mates, who use their lives to worship their husband. He wanted to live out a dream: own an American house, have a Japanese wife, and a Chinese cook. He, and the other white male filmmakers, have taken their desire to the camera. Through their direction, we have seen films such as The World of Suzy Wong, Walk Like A Western, and The Year of the Dragon. All these films have an Asian female falling in love and sacrificing herself for the white male hero. These fantasies that they create onscreen translate to images that the public accepts. When the men see their fantasies come alive on the screen, it gives hope that these fantasies come true. The images that they have created and present to the audience are inflated so they romanticize the Asian and white love story, but serve more as stereotypes for other films to emulate.

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Would the male lose his attraction to the Asian if there was no Asian eye?

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Rita Hayworth understood the tricky eyes of the camera. Despite being touted as one of the most beautiful women in Hollywood history, she was convinced that makeup artists, lighting specialists, and camera angles were responsible for her beautiful image. She had accepted that what the camera saw was not what she saw, but the men in her life refused to make the delineation: "Ever man I ever knew went to bed with Gilda and woke up with me." Gilda was her most famous role where she created the image of Rita Hayworth as a goddess. These men failed to see beyond the camera lens and refused to see with any other vision but their fantasized eyes. For Asian American women, they must compete with the camera lenses that depict them as a prostitute, the seductress Suzy Wong, or a subservient girl. These images, like Gilda, are creations. With the help of bright lighting and some good black eyeliner, any female can capture the exotic look.