I exist, therefore I am visible.

[rogueslayer452]

++ Both Crazy Rich Asians and To All The Boys I Loved Before are Asian-led, with the former being an all-Asian cast, films (on the big screen and Netflix, respectively) that have gained a lot of positive reception from audiences and critics alike. Both have succeeded in charming audiences with being adorable and hilarious romantic comedies, something that we haven't had in recent years since the genre itself has dwindled significantly in light of superhero and action films dominating the box office. It also proves once again that representation absolutely matters, and that it is successful. But it's absolutely disgusting knowing that production companies still wanted to whitewash these projects. Ugh. I'm glad the creators stood their ground and didn't give in.

There isn't much Asian representation in Western media to begin with, the Asian-American experience in particular. We need more of this kind of exposure, which hopefully will get more stories out there that focus on other aspects of different Asian cultures, without erasing/whitewashing or any of that offensive nonsense.

++ Lately, I've been watching a bunch of booktube videos. Not any one person specifically, just randomly searching things. I don't quite know how it started, I think there was a video recommendation of someone reviewing a book that I watched and I just continued going down the rabbit hole. It's very fascinating since it is a different side of YouTube that I wasn't that familiar with, since I do watch a lot of YouTubers but most of them are entertainers in some form. This is just a book community on YouTube talking about, well, books. Though it's interesting, after watching a number of different booktube videos specifically reviewing or talking about YA™ I'm realizing that it's not my preferred genre. Don't get me wrong, I've read books that have been categorized as young adult throughout the years (as seen in this brief but fantastic video discussing the evolution of young adult fiction), but the recent YA™ subgenre that has exploded in the market lately is completely different and while it's not to say that I won't read it if it captures my interest since I'm definitely not dismissing the entirety of YA as a whole, it's just not something I normally gravitate towards. My personal reading preferences tend to lean more towards horror/suspense, mystery/crime thrillers, with some science fiction and gothic literature added in.

Comments

[rogueslayer452.livejournal.com]

Just... why whitewash things? It's gross and unnecessary.

I don't get it, either. I think the simplest answer is just that Hollywood and the entertainment industry as a whole is racist (and sexist, homophobic, etc.) and stuck with never wanting to change. Them continuing being set on whitewashing roles despite so much backlash and controversy surrounding it is a huge red flag. Production companies just don't care about the importance representation, only that they get money. And to them, they see no value when it comes to minorities having their stories being told.

It's something that desperately needs to change.

I still read a lot of YA but I notice that as I'm an older reader for the genre now I'm also a lot more picky about what I'm reading and am more critical if the story feels off in some way.

Yeah, that's probably what's happening with me, too. I'm able to detect a lot of the patterns and repetitiveness in such stories that, while it might be good for those younger than me, I'm just far too critical to really buy into it most of the time.

[elizalavelle.livejournal.com]

I guess one thing that white Hollywood is having trouble dealing with is at minorities are not so minor anymore. I think white people may be the minority in terms of population soon. Representation of people of colour is important and it has the benefit of making them money every time they do it. I just don’t get why there continues to be such resistance to it. There's ample proof that having representation of different races pays off and yet it seems to be a fight every time.

Some of the YA tropes just work less as you get older. Teenager in love after 10 minutes who wants to ruin their life over the romance? Yeah that shit isn’t romantic as an adult. But there is some fantastic YA out there so it can be done.

[rogueslayer452.livejournal.com]

I just don’t get why there continues to be such resistance to it. There's ample proof that having representation of different races pays off and yet it seems to be a fight every time.

I don't get it, either. Some people are just so willfully and proudly ignorant that even with solid evidence that such representation is widely successful they just turn the other way pretending to not see it.

Some of the YA tropes just work less as you get older. Teenager in love after 10 minutes who wants to ruin their life over the romance? Yeah that shit isn’t romantic as an adult.

Yeah, this is very true, you definitely gain a different perspective of those kinds of tropes once you get older or, at least, start getting wise and know how to think critically of the things you consume. And I have no doubt that there are some really good YA out there, including YAs that handle such overused tropes better, you just have to search high and low for them among the many that don't. It's why I'm rather selective of things I read to begin with.