HBO’s Girls Reminds Us That The Only Ones Who Matter Are White

By Moye | Monday, April 9, 2012 | 39 Comments

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Editors Note 1/31/2013: The YouTube videos embedded have been swapped out with different clips since the original videos are no longer available. –Joz

There’s a lot of hype around Lena Dunham’s new HBO series, Girls. And I refuse to be a part of it. (Please note that due to my hypocritical nature, this means I’ll probably be drinking the Kool-Aid starting April 15th.) Why, you ask. But her indie film, Tiny Furniture, was critically acclaimed! And this will be such a realistic and hilarious and honest portrayal of young cosmopolitan women in the 21st century, unlike Sex and the City! They even tweet on the show. And you know what I say? White girl problems.

Keep in mind that I’ve never seen Tiny Furniture. I’m passing judgment based on the numerous trailers I’ve seen (which all happen to use the same footage, just at different times and occasionally, flipped in the opposite direction), and here’s what I figured the show to be out: a young, post-college white girl is forc to survive in the Big Apple after her conservative yet comfortable looking white parents cut off her allowance. Also, the guy she likes is a jerk. Cue tiny violin. And cue scene where she dances around with her white girlfriends. (Yup, it’s there at the 1:08 mark in the YouTube video.) Here’s what the LA Times describes,

Premiering April 15, it’s a sexually graphic, emotionally luminous half-hour dramedy about a quartet of female friends…stumbling toward adulthood. [The series] pivots around Hannah Horvath (Dunham), an unemployed aspiring writer who has a bad habit of sabotaging herself.

Just by reading that, it would be easy to assume that Girls could apply to any young woman. We all have friends, we are all aspiring somethings and we all sabotage ourselves one way or the other. But the trailer reminds us that once again, despite the quirky humor, the not-exactly-model-like leading lady, the awkward sex (except maybe the Judd Apatow name gives this away)–this is a story about white girls. The LA Times article even states, “one likely criticism of the series is that it dwells on privileged white-girl problems.” And it’s not just the sea of white faces that annoys me. It’s the fact that this common story about twenty-something women who don’t always get it right is somehow only worth telling through their culture.

As Asian girls, we get Tina from Glee and once, Lane Kim from Gilmore Girls: adolescent female characters forced to go to extremes to stand out, whether it’s faking a lisp and dressing like a goth or breaking free from strict, Christian parents. But why can’t we (or any non-white girl) be included in a buzzworthy show like Girls? Does this humorous, groundbreaking and hyped story only apply to white women? It’s called Girls, for chrissake: the most generic, all-encompassing term you could apply to the female gender. In the New Yorker, Margaret Talbot comments on the “sexual revolution” that these HBO characters go through:

Girls also paints a revealing picture because of what, or whom, it leaves out. The show’s young women are protected, in part, by privilege: they went to good colleges and, to a greater or lesser extent, have the financial and moral support of families that believe in them. The sexual revolution has mostly been a boon for upper-middle-class women like them, who have been able to use its freedoms to delay marriage and to find mates they can stay with for the duration, while enjoying active sex lives in the meantime.

In other words, the only women who can afford to experience the awkward journey to sexual awareness, employment and comfortable happiness in New York are the white ones. But did it cross anyone’s mind in the writer’s room that maybe–just maybe–it’s a little weird that a show set in New York can contain absolutely zero non-whites? Of course, all we’re seeing is the trailer footage so hopefully there’s some black character wearing Ray-bans in a coffee shop in some scene. But if Sex and the City has taught us anything so far, it’s that when you see four best girlfriends hanging out together, chances are, everyone else is white. For example, check out the new Lola Versus trailer starring Greta Gerwig.

Again, we have a quirky white woman navigating awkward relationships with her snarky friends in New York and aside from the African American bouncer in a strip club (oh, great), the city is completely vanilla. I think I saw some ethnic looking person in the background of one scene, but that could have been a speck of dirt on my monitor. And no, this movie is not set in some podunk town in Montana. This is New York. And apparently it didn’t cross their minds that their portrayal of New York doesn’t coincide with what the reality is.

The same goes for Girls: how insulated is Dunham’s world that the stories she finds worth writing only feature privileged white girls? If this show somehow reflects her personal life, does she not realize how alienating this can be for other young women in America? She probably doesn’t and because of this blindness, I won’t be paying attention to this show.*

*Okay, I will.

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EntertainmentTV

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http://www.facebook.com/tienvnguyen Tien V Nguyen

”
As Asian girls, we get Tina from Glee and once, Lane Kim from Gilmore Girls: adolescent female characters forced to go to extremes to stand out”

We will gladly trade either of those for: http://www.8asians.com/2011/09/21/2-broke-girls-matthew-moy-plays-a-typical-asian/
MaSir

Moye,

I understand your frustration. I think at a certain point Asian-Americans may have to create their own network TV channel and shows. You get to see some of that on the AZN Network but there’s still a long way for us to go as an ethnic community. At some point, you can have to pull a “Bruce Lee” move and create your own enterprise within your community. Once the AA community reaches a critical mass of followers I’m pretty sure that mainstream networks will start to pay close attention to us. Sad but true.

As much as I think AA women get enough exposure already, I will say it’s often hyper-sexualize, which I’m sure you along with many other AA women get sick and tired of seeing, even though men do not. Sucks that I have to say at least when it happens, you’re sought after for *something*, as objectified as that sounds.

Can’t Asian-Americans just be portrayed as normal Americans like everyone else? What a damn shame…
http://twitter.com/VotePositive Vote Positive

In spite of all the shortcomings you mention, it’s entirely possible that Girls could be a very entertaining show. I intend to check it out myself, even though I DO NOT SUBSCRIBE TO CABLE. Ya catch my drift?

anyone who still subscribes to cable/satellite, or who otherwise pays money to see content that does nothing to advance the image of Asians is just a part of the problem, and has no right to complain about diversity-negligence in the media. I’m sure that you’re not one of those people, right Moye?
http://www.facebook.com/people/Chrissy-Suzukawa/711723403 Chrissy Suzukawa

But have you seen Grey’s Anatomy, Big Bang Theory, Hawaii 5-0 (& LOST), Modern Family, American Idol, CSI (& even better Law & Order), How Do I Look, the NEWS???
Anyway, why is it that so many Asians complain about white people being racist? Its just not fair to white people. I can’t even understand the problem with this new TV show. Just don’t watch!
xolang

Yepp. I deliberately stopped watching most of Anglo shows back in 2009.
Not only did I spare myself from a lot of the same crap, but the decision gives me back a lot time and money wasted on this stuff.
To fill in the “entertainment void” I watched other AA or Eurasian productions [meaning Eurasian countries].
girlxi

No show about girls who are anything but white, right? The main characters are white so why does their world (NEW freakin’ YORK) has to white too?
http://www.facebook.com/people/Karen-Zhou/1136228087 Karen Zhou

Plenty of shows are all-white but it does not take away the meaningful message in the show. I grew up in the 90′s and enjoyed shows like Full House, which is an all-white cast and takes place in San Francisco. You may ask why a show set in SF(which has a huge Asian population) would all star all white people. I am Asian and enjoy all kinds of shows whether or not they star only whites. You can also ask why shows like Family Matters take place in Chicago featuring all black actors. It’s the universal message behind shows like these: family values and love for one another, and being there for each other.
m_wei

what say you on the superficial diversity of shows like “Two Broke Girls?”
http://twitter.com/MixedBlooms MixedBloomsWebseries

Agree with a lot of what you wrote. When I started seeing the billboards all over town I was really disappointed to see it was all white girls. I’m a white girl, but I don’t usually relate to uber white girl culture. I’ve always had friends of many ethnicities, so it just bugs me when it’s ALL white in a show. I hope there are some recurring characters of color that we don’t yet know about in GIRLS. It just boggles my mind when tv creators don’t pay attention to these things– especially when their show takes place in such a diverse city!
girlxi

I haven’t seen that show (my brain cells are already dying from reading about it). The stereotypical “FOB” depiction of the Asian guy is their “White” perception of their “White” world. Because in a white world the Asians have Asian accent, wear dorky glasses, short, and are amazing in math? I guess… Look at The Big Bang Theory… the guy… don’t know his name… but the one who isn’t white… he sure have an accent.

If there is a show with diversity, the Asian girl is probably a goth, a quiet one, or a sexually-driven-you-dishonor-your-family-girl.
http://www.facebook.com/people/Ahmed-Sanchez-De-La-Cruz-Kim/58700922 Ahmed Sanchez De La Cruz Kim

I understand how some people can be upset, but like don’t let the media influence you all to that point of despair. In the end, it’s not real. This is so cliche but yeah, just remember so many things out there to worry about than entertainment.
A sign of maturity is to not let these things bother you, and to stay true to yourself no matter what outside forces do, whether it be positive or negative.
http://www.facebook.com/people/Ahmed-Sanchez-De-La-Cruz-Kim/58700922 Ahmed Sanchez De La Cruz Kim

You’re right. AAs ought to bring out their full potential and resources into those type of projects. If the opportunities just aren’t there in the mainstream, there’s no reason to not push into the non-mainstream scenes.
http://twitter.com/B_Quizzle Brian Quan

Perhaps we should all step out of the echo chamber of mainstream media? Lena Dunham also got her start on middling web series like writing and directing Delusional Downtown Divas (which was rather derivative of Ab Fab really). It’s not really a racial blindness that drives her worldview, but one that is exceptionally personal in nature. How often would someone in her circumstance really interact with a multi-cultural set of people?

The real problem is Asian-Americans aren’t out there creating and supporting interesting stories that tell our own unique voice and experiences. Why should we be inserting ourselves in a pastiche of generic plots? I’ve noticed there’s been no mention of Derek Kirk Kim’s web series Mythomania. Perhaps a spotlight on interesting Asian-American characters and stories is needed?
http://twitter.com/captainsharmie captain sharmie

I entirely agree. I’ve been skeptical of the show because of the title, but upon watching a trailer i noticed how whitewashed the casting is… it’s pretty depressing. way to make television all about white people again. it’s not like we’re living in a diverse age or anything…
http://twitter.com/MixedBlooms MixedBloomsWebseries

That being said, I do want to check out the show because I’m a female writer-director and I want to see this young female writer-director (Dunham) succeed (it’s not easy to be female in the biz). I hope despite it’s one obvious fatal flaw, it manages to be relatable to a wide array of people. And, hopefully, as Dunham grows as an artist (and person) she’ll become more aware of the many other cultures right outside her door…
sternhead

“superficial diversity”, mentioned above, is more fatal. You could pen a show “informed” by your own life.
http://twitter.com/bluestjeanne Hayden Jeanne

As a white woman, I didn’t immediately notice this problem with the show Girls, but I am so glad to have had someone post a link to this article on the site that featured it. Thanks for your thoughtful commentary.
http://www.facebook.com/erikakharada Erika Harada

LOL at all of your examples. Whose faces do they use to market those shows? Who are the ones who get the most screen time? I think it’s hilarious that you’re using Modern Family as an example, by the way. Have you even seen the show?
http://twitter.com/natthedem nctodc

”If there’s another f*cking show or movie about New York and everyone’s white, I’m gonna f*cking die. That is so unacceptable.” – Sandra Oh, Raygun Magazine
zdrav

There ARE many Asian-American voices out there telling their stories. There are almost an infinite number of Asian voices in Asia who tell their stories as well.

But those AA voices don’t get insanely-hyped HBO series, and those Asian-Asian voices get remade into white-starring stories.
zdrav

“Full House” was about a family and it was mainly set in a house, so you’d expect some racial homogeneity unless the husband and wife were an interracial pairing.

What annoys me most about “Girls” is how it’s being hyped by the middlebrow press as a “Voice of a Generation” piece of work when it’s really about very privileged young white women.

As the author of this article says, it’s apparently only the white people who matter. And only white people who are wealthy, college-educated, and live in NYC.
zdrav

AA women aren’t allowed to be fully realized characters; they’re only sexual interest objects for white men.

This is generally true of all female actors in the media, but more so for AA women.
http://twitter.com/MixedBlooms MixedBloomsWebseries

Right, that can feel obviously forced, too. I did make a show (web series) that was more informed by my experience. It’s about a bi-racial family who runs a flower shop. I’m not bi-racial, but many of my friends are in bi-racial relationships, so I guess you could say its a reflection of my world. It’s called MIXED BLOOMS.
Illuminarie

I have no idea how a show in NYC can be all white. As a former New Yorker (I’m black btw) my closest friends were Chinese, Pakistani, Bengali, Cuban, Puerto Rican. You have to try really hard to not have friends outside of your race in New York.
http://pulse.yahoo.com/_X2ZV4GS3KU4JZP36FRC7LRZZR4 daMang

I totally agree! That’s why I hate the show “Friends”. And that’s why I think losers watch TV and not the internet…
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Andrew Hvatum

I doesn’t matter. Asian Americans are 2% of the population, and thinking about the shows that you listed, I’d guess they have about 2% of the rolls, sounds about right.

It’s not Hollywood’s job or mandate to represent white people 60% of the time, African Americans 20% of the time, and Asians 20% of the time – rather it’s to make a profit. It’s the same deal in Korean or Chinese media, you don’t see white people getting lots of leading rolls in Korean TV series. If anything, they usually use a half white half Asian actor so as to make the presence of a “white” person not seem to jarring.

Erik Harada’s complaint, that they do not use Asians to market these shows, demonstrates just how far gone and totally unrealistic some people’s expectations are. Not only must they have rolls in a larger proportion to the number of Asians in the population, but Asian actors must be used to pitch the shows to a 98% white, Hispanic and black audience… I just don’t see any way to ever satisfy such expectations. They run counter to all sense and logic.
Andrew Hvatum

Really, what about the number of White-Female Black-Male pairings, for example Day Break, where Tay Diggs is married to a white woman. There are many others, and many more than where there are white men with black women. The idea that the media just presents white men as the choicest partner is laughable and doesn’t even stand up to a quick examination.

You also see more Asian-Women with white men than the other way around in the media. Neither of these are surprises, they reflect what has been the case in society in general for as long as statistics have existed measuring it. The same disparities in pairings exist in every country I’ve been able to find statistics on (Russia, South Africa, Australia). I don’t know why these disparities exist, but it obviously isn’t the media since it exists across language and cultural barriers.

I think the media is just mirroring what exists in Society in general. We don’t live in a communist society where the media exists to promote the governments social engineering ideal of how people should interact, it mostly just reflects the experiences of the people (individuals) who produce the media we consume.
Andrew Hvatum

As a personal theory, I think the disparity in inter-racial marriage exists because of the preferences of Asian men AGAINST black and white women (or the preference of black women AGAINST white men). From personal experience, I know a number of Asian-American men who are set on the idea of finding an Asian woman to marry, and are very unlikely to settle for anything else.

You see it on forums and this site as well, it’s almost always Asian men who express vague concerns about maintaining the “asianess” of Asian-Americans, far fewer Asian females seem to care about this as much. So if Asian females don’t really care one way the other about having a white or Asian husband, but Asian men find the idea of a white spouse unattractive, you’ll end up with exactly this kind of disparity.
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http://twitter.com/blackhauscinema BL∆CK_H∆US_CINEM∆_†

So would you like the writer of this show not to write about her own experiences? It is so absurd to think that people demand superficial diversity. If you don’t like it, work your ass off and write your own show. As an film maker I know that her intentions were never to alienate any races. On that note… is it racist for the BET to cast mostly african americans?

Give me a break! The only way to achieve equality is to drop colors and see each other as people.
m_wei

which university do you attend that has only 2% Asians?
m_wei

“it mostly just reflects the experiences of the people (individuals) who produce the media we consume.”

you’re definitely keeping it real with the fact of the demographic of the producers guild…
m_wei

are these “number of APA men” exist in reality, or are they like the big foot?
Bruce Carson

So far as I can tell he is right. Just look at this site, at least as far as I can tell, it is Asian American MEN who get their feathers ruffled by WM-AF pairings, and think more Asian women should stick with Asian men. If they act on those beliefs, then things work out exactly as they have: fewer Asian men having white female partners.

Is it so hard to believe? Or is it just unsatisfying to blame this disparity on simple honest choice, and not some massive conspiracy or discriminatory brainwashing of white men and Asian women.
m_wei

I can agree it’s simple honest choice if you can agree that blonde trophy wives love black NBA celebrities because they’re simply good people and not because of their money or fame or anything like that.

Support BM/WF love!
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http://twitter.com/VotePositive Vote Positive

You don’t necessarily need to stop enjoying mainstream media. You just need to stop paying for it if it does nothing to advance the image of Asians as Relatable human beings in general or Asian-Americans as true Americans Instead of perpetual foreigners.

8 Asians