This post is sponsored by UPtv, but all opinions are my own.
Just a few days ago, I was talking to my daughter and she said to me, “Maybe I’ll be an actor.” Wow. When I was a kid, I never would’ve thought it was possible for someone who looked like me to be an actor – stage or screen. See the tweet from Constance Wu? Yes to all of that! And here’s some more history that’s happening – Fresh Off the Boat is the first Asian American led network TV show to get syndicated! To me, that’s pretty amazing.
I grew up with very few Asians or Asian Americans in any kind of media. I’m thrilled that my daughter is growing up with a different media landscape where a major motion picture stars people who look like her AND there is a TV show like Fresh Off the Boat, which is now syndicated.
But why should that matter? There were several moments where I was moved to tears while watching Constance Wu as Rachel in Crazy Rich Asians. Rachel’s story deeply resonated with me. I know the feeling of being a foreigner, even in spaces where you feel like you shouldn’t feel that way. Seeing that played out on the big screen was validating. I felt seen and heard.
credit: UPtv
When Fresh Off the Boat arrived on the network TV scene, I was so excited. There were moments where I felt like I was watching my family on TV! It was the third time in my life that mainstream media reflected my family and my story. I didn’t feel so invisible watching Eddie and his brothers navigate the duality of living an Asian American life.
Seeing Asian representation in media, film and TV means so much to me. It signifies to me that the world recognizes Asians and Asian Americans. We are beautiful, worthy, seen and heard. My story is part of the American story that gets told. As that story gets told, we see that even in our differences, we have so many commonalities. The best part of this representation, though, is that we get to see the many different stories told. There isn’t just one narrative of the Asian American family. The more representation, the more stories that showcase the broad range of Asian Americans. I can’t wait to see more!
You can catch episodes of Fresh Off the Boat on UPtv on Wednesdays at 8 pm Eastern.
