By: Maya Lakhani
Edited by: Madeleine Hamilton
Entertainment today is rife with casual racism, with South Asians bearing a disproportionate share of the marginalization. Despite their growing presence, South Asian actors often experience limited representation and stereotypical roles. Many South Asian actors report having to fight for diverse roles that break away from stereotypical portrayals of nerdy or emasculated characters.. Western media often portrays South Asian characters with negative traits, which influence real-life circumstances and leave South Asians feeling incapable of developing various skills or seizing opportunities that White people can. Research shows that South Asians still face significant barriers to leadership roles, often feeling sidelined in decision-making positions and excluded from visible leadership positions. The marginalization of South Asians in the media influences societal perceptions of their worth and identity. For instance, in Harry Potter, characters like Hermione Granger are praised for their intellect and ambition, while South Asian characters, such as the Patil sisters, are relegated to minor, often inconsequential roles. This trend of reducing South Asian characters to secondary, limited roles can perpetuate harmful stereotypes and hinder career advancement in various sectors. In every single movie and show I watched as a kid, the misguided representation of racial characters in films created by White authors gradually became normalized. In Phineas and Ferb, Jessie, The Simpsons, there was one token brown character who talked in an over-exaggerated accent that made people laugh. The characters were reduced to showcasing aspects of their culture that differed from Western norms, with those differences being the source of humour.
South Asians embody wonderful traditions and character traits, yet Western films and TV shows have perpetuated a distorted and reductive portrayal of their identity. This ignorance is detrimental as it leads to negative perspectives that are false. For example, Ravi from the TV show Jessie did not even have an accent, he was forced to put on one for the sole purposes of comedic relief. What is so funny about an accent? But it goes far deeper than just an accent, his whole character was talking about kurtas and Indian food and was consistently followed by the laughter of other characters. He possessed character traits such as being nerdy and unathletic; he was seen as a loser. As a South Asian, watching these portrayals only ever made me feel incapable and disregarded and slowly all the goals I had when I was a kid felt more pathetic than possible. For many South Asians, the negative representations in media can lead to feelings of inadequacy and invisibility and shape the public’s understanding of what individuals from this community can aspire to. South Asian women, in particular, are absent from major, nuanced roles depicted in the media, which has a profound impact on self-image and ambition within marginalized groups. Media rarely portrays South Asians in roles that break these perceptions, such as leaders or athletes, reinforcing the idea that they don’t belong in these spaces.
Accents or cultural differences are treated as “funny” or “less professional,” contributing to workplace biases where South Asians are seen as unfit for leadership roles. Studies on media representation show that repetitive exposure to stereotypes reinforces implicit biases, making it harder for individuals from underrepresented groups to break free from these molds (Nadal, 2021). South Asians are often portrayed as being suited only for jobs such as convenience store clerks, taxi drivers, or similar roles, which diminishes the breadth of their talents and accomplishments. For example, Apu from The Simpsons gained attention for his exaggerated accent and stereotypical “Indian traits”, often played for laughs, while rarely being shown outside the confines of his convenience store, Kwik-E-Mart. Unfortunately, his character was reduced to these limited and cliched attributes—a fate shared by many Indian characters in Western media..
These stereotypes not only influence entertainment; they shape global perspectives and mainstream issues, contributing to systemic biases in hiring and leadership. Many minorities lack the opportunities to achieve authoritative roles and are therefore under the control of those who are deemed “more suited” or “qualified.” It is no secret that the majority of those who serve in presidential, political, corporate leadership, law enforcement, and other authoritative roles in the Western world are predominantly White males. This is largely due to the limited and repetitive portrayals of their capabilities in media, which fail to reflect their leadership potential or diverse skills. South Asians in diaspora communities often face discriminatory hiring practices where their accents or cultural nuances are judged as unprofessional. Even with high educational attainment, Asian Americans, including South Asians, are frequently seen as doers rather than leaders and are shown to make only $0.93 for every dollar earned by their White colleagues. This perception, rooted in systemic bias which is reinforced further in the media, hinders their access to leadership positions and further highlights the disparities they face in workplace representation and advancement.
This imbalance profoundly impacts how South Asians view themselves. When young people repeatedly see stereotypes in characters like Apu, they internalize the idea that their identity limits them to narrow, predefined roles. This erodes confidence and reinforces prejudices that shape real-world inequalities, from career choices to power dynamics. Media stereotypes do not stay confined to entertainment; they influence policies, harm marginalized communities, and damage self-perception. I cannot imagine the amount of young people of colour who may start to feel uncomfortable in their own skin, thinking they are incapable of achieving something great. The harmful narratives perpetuated by racist media portrayals are not harmless jokes—they stifle individual and societal growth, perpetuating inequalities that should have no place in our world today.
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Image Source: Free cinema seats image, public domain design CC0 photo, https://www.rawpixel.com/image/5927096/photo-image-public-domain-room-free