Stereotypes In Nora Lum's 'Green Tea'

Thoroughly exhausted of the stereotypical model of docile and fragile Asian American women, these women have increasingly asserted their voice through brash displays of their characters through different forms of media. Orientalism has historically been a guide for how Western culture interprets and accepts the facets of East Asian cultures, which ultimately draws upon the negative aspects of East Asian culture in order to accentuate the characteristics Westerners want to advertise themselves as, such as superior and masculine. “Green Tea” is the collaborative work of Awkwafina, otherwise known as Nora Lum, and Margaret that satirizes society’s dominant notions of Asian American women, as prevalently seen through their representation in media
As an Asian American woman involved in an industry focused on and dominated by black men, Awkwafina breaks boundaries. Often portrayed as being docile and fragile, Asian American women directly contradict the stereotype of black masculinity (Wang 41). The intersections of race and gender create a stereotype of Asian American women, which would typically harm Awkwafina’s career, but she uses this as an advantage as she incorporates her culture into her music video and challenges society’s dominant view of how she should act. Awkwafina deviates from the trend of Asian American rappers appropriating black culture in their music videos and instead, fully embraces her Asian culture.Though Nora Lum’s glasses are prescription, she purposely adorns herself in unique chemistry goggle-like glasses as she sees glasses being “the power symbol of the Asian kid” (Cho). Awkwafina refuses to abandon her Asian cultural influences, as most Asian American rappers do in favor of black cultural appropriation, and retains a level of whimsical quirkiness not often portrayed in rap music videos. Awkwafina’s co-collaborator, Margaret Cho, shares aspects of her identity, giving power to the message behind the music
Margaret Cho begins the video with “with every pussy a pair of shoes will go to a child in need” (Green Tea, 0:05) referencing TOMS humanitarian efforts of providing third world children with shoes. The white man’s burden is the Eurocentric belief that white people are tasked with the challenge of saving those they perceive to need help, which translates to anyone of any other race; this serves as a guiding mechanism for American involvement in other countries, such as its Operation Babylift (Nelson 3). “Green Tea” provides another perspective centering around the idea of the white savior while also using vulgar language to challenge what Asian American women are expected to say. Though the mission of TOMS is philanthropic, the underlying context suggests Western superiority—an idea that guides Orientalism. The Giving Tree is referenced in context of Asian American women’s perceived submissivity. The music video serves to attack a long history of perceived Asian American women’s fragility and submissivity, such as seen in M. Butterfly through Gallimard’s expectations of Song (Kondo 17). The Giving Tree elicits the idea of giving without expecting anything in return and still being content, thus feeding into the stereotype that Asian American women are expected to submit to men. Along with these symbols, the lyrics mention Asian