Photo: Guy Tang/Instagram
While scrolling through Netflix in search of the next reality show to help me escape the horror and banality of quarantine living, I happened uponBling Empire. I cringed at the thought of yet another series showcasing the life of the outrageously rich. Now? During a pandemic? But I couldn’t resist the all-Asian American cast.
Admittedly, the cast is also what made me pause before pressing play. It’s hard to describe the feeling I get when I see an Asian person on reality television. I get intrigued, but then I start to feel uneasy. There’s only a small niche Asians tend to fill onscreen — we’re either rich, foreign, nerdy, kicking ass or mute — andBling Empireobviously checks the “rich” box. I dread the suffocating boxes we’re put into, but also yearn to see more Asian-American representation on screen.
To say that there aren’t multifaceted stories out there about the Asian-American experience would be wrong because they do exist. But to see another one about wealthy Asians seems tired, especially when most Asians cannot relate.
Courtesy of Netflix
netflix
Kelly Mi Li and Andrew Gray share their relationship struggles while Kevin Kreider, a South Korean adoptee, tries to learn about his birth parents. We also get to see elements of religion, personality and gender roles unravel in unexpected ways.
Netflix
Getting to see the type of wealth very few people in life ever experience is, no doubt, captivating television. But the series also shows that we don’t need to see more Asian-American shows and movies marketed solely based on how rich the cast is — and we don’t have to be pigeonholed into themes that stereotype us and don’t represent who we truly are as a community.
Bling Empireis now streaming on Netflix.
source: people.com
