One in Ten Thousand

Hollywood heartthrobs -- Leonardo Di Caprio, Brad Pitt, and Chris Evans -- find themselves adorning the walls of teenagers’ rooms. Whether it be from the latest magazine cover or photoshoot, their pearly whites and gelled hair encapsulate the faraway world of Hollywood. Yet, Hollywood’s glamour is simply a front. 

Established in the early 1900s, Harvey Henderson Wilcox and his wife named their first ranch “Hollywood,” and from there on, the city became filled with people looking to be the next best “star.” With the entertainment industry growing its origins from the backyard of a wealthy, white family, it inevitably began to propagate into a dominantly White-controlled industry hierarchy. The entertainment industry lacking diversity became the societal norms. Resultantly, difficulties for minorities and equal gender roles began to rise, as more looked to join the Hollywood landscape. 

Oppressive and discriminatory roles were commonplace in  Hollywood, infamous examples including the on-screen orientalist tropes attributed to the Asian-American community: submissiveness, fetishized sexuality, inability to speak English, and excessive academic ambitions. Anna May Wong, the first Asian-American to star in an audible motion picture, rose in Hollywood for roles as the “exotic slave girl” and “villainous Dragon Lady,” despite being a Los Angeles native. White-washing is another common technique, seen in Scarlett Johansson as Motoko Kusanagi in “Ghost in the Shell” or Mickey Rooney’s infamously yellowface role of the Japanese landlord in “Breakfast at Tiffany’s.” Within the already White-biased industry, “America projects a national image of freedom, equality, and diversity, but society prefers White employees, which is confirmed in Hollywood’s yellowface and casting practices” (Chong). The industry culture and respective practices have become normal occurrences in the business, and its influence has permeated into the general community. Although mainstream media allowed for greater diversity and accountability in Hollywood, ultimately, chances of stardom success are still dependent on race and gender, disproportionately affecting minority groups and uncovering the ties of stereotypes, money, and politics with the success of those in the industry.

In addition, respect for non-Western cultures is are mainly a secondary concern, the primary concern siloing into the lucrative profit that could be made off of these “exotic” cultures. Therefore, this perspective becomes harmful for minority communities, and simply ignores the cultural significance that is valued by many minority workers and audiences within Hollywood. The outcome leads to a dejected and unmotivated workplace for those who are personally affected by this treatment. “Hollywood’s typecasting stereotypes lead to a negative work experience for actors of color. Playing a racial stereotype can trigger cultural and racial traumas that actors of color experience in their everyday lives” (Yuen). To understand further, typecasting is the repeated assignment of specific and similar roles based on their physical appearance, stereotype, or previously attained success in such roles. This ultimately disadvantages entertainers who face judgment or institutional racism from fellow co-workers, industry executives, and general audiences. Racial stereotypes have been integrated into the larger society because of such portrayals onscreen in Hollywood. Though rarely the romantic leads, the comic foils, or the likeable sidekicks, supporting, side roles have been assigned to specific races regardless of their talent and reality. For example, movies that focus on the African-American narrative are often categorized to appease acknowledged tropes and marketed to be appealing for a segmented  audience. “With people of color stigmatized as economically dysfunctional and culturally pathological, their exclusion is more easily accomplished via color-blind or ostensibly ‘racially neutral’ explanations” (Hughey). Backward assumptions about a race immortalizes hegemonic perspectives in the industry, and dismantles the intersectionality of personalities and cultures existing in our reality. Therefore, POC (People of Color)(POC) are inserted into dominant ideologies and Westernized plotlines through token character positions that merely exist for diversity points in film critiques – or unironically, for praise. As mentioned before, typecasting has become prevalent in entertainment industry practices, and with more directors opting for this convention, more people find themselves becoming complacent towards their stereotypical characters to simply get their foot in the door. By utilizing typecasting within Hollywood, the representation of races on screen are often inaccurate or exaggerated. By enhancing these misconstrued ideals, those consuming Hollywood media assume the validity of these perpetuated stereotypes. 

Though poor treatment of individuals in Hollywood are largely perpetuated among minority communities, further mistreatment and unethical norms are especially dictated by gender roles. The widening gender-based pay gap becomes increasingly obvious, as certain actors are perceived as more “valuable” and fame-worthy than others. Martha Lauzen, head of the Center for the Study in Television and Film at San Diego State University states, “If society undervalues women's contributions, it is no surprise that the film studios do the same. In many ways, the mainstream film industry remains a staunch supporter and reinforcer of the status quo” (Puente). Men and women are often assigned stereotypical roles largely due to Hollywood’s system of management, which emphasizes the priority of favoring well-loved stars, mainly White men. Due to this, men become well respected and therefore receive more benefits compared to their female counterparts. For example, “Two people are credited as screenwriters on the original movie [Crazy Rich Asians], Peter Chiarelli (a White man) and Adele Lim (an Asian woman originally from Malaysia). But as reported by THR, Lim has walked away from the ‘Crazy Rich Asians’ sequel after learning that the studio's initial offer to Chiarelli was in the $800,000 to $1 million range; Lim was offered a fraction of that at ‘$110,000-plus'’” (Metz).  Moreover, this leads to payment not being determined by the skill and merit of the most deserving. The Hollywood system was designed to emphasize the golden standard of White, male actors, and their “inherent” relationship to success, consequently resulting in the differences in pay and treatment.

Movie watchers and industry members cannot deny the impact that mainstream media has channeled for more diversity in Hollywood. This change has allowed for unconventional stars to flourish and minority individuals to receive new opportunities that were previously closed to them. With this newfound culture affecting Hollywood’s idle past, films such as “Parasite” won Oscars for Best Picture, and “Minari” actress Yuh-Jung Youn won an Oscar for Best Supporting Actress. These were both first-time occurrences for native East Asians, specifically Koreans, to win a grand title on a dominantly Western platform. By highlighting the talented individuals from POC communities and showcasing it to the public, it renders the motivation for those who are struggling to keep on trying. However, this gap is still too wide, and honest intentions are still not publicly addressed. The voters who choose the Oscar winners show that “93 percent were white and 76 percent were men [of 6,000 voters]. The median age was 63.” Although the #OscarsSoWhite began to trend between  2015 and 2016, change was not made until 2020 stating that they would double women and minorities in the voting cast (News24). The hashtag began trending because the voting casts were released, but before, it was kept behind closed doors, without anyone knowing who was behind the final decisions. Additionally, this new “trend” to support non-Western films lie on the shaky foundation of many moviegoers and industry executives who rushed to exalt these films as an epitome of modern progressiveness in Hollywood and a repudiation of the industry’s racially insensitive past. Though these instant traction various POC films had a positive effect of bringing awareness about such culture to non-POC audiences, it also lost its genuine significance through the capitalization of its popularity and ultimate branding as a form of reparation for historic faults. It is important to note that despite the reality that the film industry is growing toward change, regardless, minorities will continue to have to surpass even greater challenges.  

Hollywood garners its attention from the people, and for the people. Although it is important to recognize the steps that Hollywood has taken to diversify their cast and genres throughout the years, there is still so much potential and space to do better. With the ongoing increase of aspiring entertainers in the industry, Hollywood has taken ignorant leaps in crossing gender and race roles to satisfy their consumerbase. Inevitably, people of color and specifically women do not have equal treatment to White communities and men within the industry, putting them at a heavy disadvantage. Additionally, racial stereotypes have been rooted into society because of Hollywood’s influence, thus enhancing misconstrued ideals. It is vital to understand Hollywood’s core influence as it creates the next generation of stars - and societal culture. With the growth of social media in the modern age, Hollywood’s power and ideals will only proliferate and eventually become the ideal way of thinking within society, and how others are viewed. With the transition into a new generation, minorities now have the chance to change their odds and become that one in a ten thousand, and to help raise the success rate for future stars. 
 

Sources
“Who Votes for the Oscars, and How Does It Work?” Channel, Channel, 24 Apr. 2021, www.news24.com/channel/movies/news/who-votes-for-the-oscars-and-how-does-it-work-20210424. 
Chong, Christina. “Where Are the Asians in Hollywood? Can §1981, Title VII, Colorblind Pitches, and Understanding Biases Break the Bamboo Ceiling?” SSRN, 24 Aug. 2016, papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=2828261.
Hughey, Matthew W. “The Hollywood Jim Crow: The Racial Politics of the Movie Industry.” Journal of American Ethnic History, vol. 39, no. 2, Winter 2020, pp. 112–113. EBSCOhost, search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=khh&AN=141373902&site=ehost-live
Metz, Nina. “'Crazy Rich Asians' Writer's Dilemma Illustrates How Hollywood Pay Gap Is Alive and Well.” Chicagotribune.com, 12 Sept. 2019, www.chicagotribune.com/entertainment/movies/ct-mov-hollywood-salary-gap-crazy-rich-asians-0913-20190912-sxziheyfurbnplxrd4gr7tbeju-story.html. 
Puente, Maria, et al. “Hollywood Pay Gap Shows Little Sign of Closing.” USA Today. EBSCOhost, search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=mat&AN=J0E014936707316&site=ehost-live. Accessed 6 Mar. 2021.
Yuen, Nancy Wang. Reel Inequality: Hollywood Actors and Racism. Rutgers University Press, 2017.