SECTION THREE: Girl Power

SECTION THREE: Girl Power
The stories in Section Three seek to redefine the female Asian American superhero—offering
up depictions that are strong but three-dimensional, dealing with real-world issues like family
expectations, peer pressure and body image, as well as the more extraordinary ones that
costumed crimefighters face. In doing so, it combats the exoticization and sexualization that
mar the characterizations of heroines like the X-Men’s Psylocke, Batman nemesis Lady Shiva
and independent comics icons Shi and Kabuki.
YOU ARE WHAT YOU EAT, pg. 100
Story by: Lynn Chen; Art by: Paul Wei
In this story, bulimic teenager Ting receives a mysterious birthday
gift from her grandmother—a mystical sash intended to help her
overcome her eating disorder, by guiding her toward a healthy
equilibrium of qi. But Ting unexpectedly realizes that eating foods
traditionally believed to have "hot" properties while wearing the
belt causes her body to radiate extreme heat, and consuming
foods with "cold" properties causes her to generate paralyzing
cold—powers she uses to help others in need. As a side effect, she
finds that her appetite for doing good has given her a less selfdestructive way of curbing her weight: Exercise.
The story takes a humorous look at a very serious problem—some
studies show that Asian American women aged 18-28 may be nearly
eight times as likely as the norm to exhibit binge eating disorder,
something that author Chen, an actress who has appeared in
movies such as "Saving Face," has experienced firsthand. Even
more troubling: Due to Asian cultural taboos against discussion of
mental illness, very often such problems remain undiscovered
until serious harm results. (Eating disorders are just the tip of the
iceberg: 15.9% of U.S.-born Asian American women have
contemplated suicide in their lifetime, exceeding the national
estimate of 13.5% for all Americans; lifetime estimates of suicide
attempts are also higher among U.S-born Asian-American women
than the general population, 6.29% versus 4.6%.)
Note: The issue of body image is also addressed by the introductory one-page comic for this section of the
book, written and drawn by Kripa Joshi.
Discussion Questions
1. What are some of the pressures Asian American women face that might lead to body-image issues and
eating disorders?
2. What are some of the reasons why psychological and emotional problems might go unnoticed among
Asian Americans and other immigrant communities?
3. In the story, Ting is unable to discuss her problems directly with her parents or her friends, but is able
to speak about them freely with her grandmother. Why do you think that is? What are some of the
communication gaps that exist between immigrant parents and their American-born children? What are
some of the cultural gaps that exist between the children of immigrants and their more acculturated
friends?
THE POWER OF
FOOD
1. In "You Are
What You Eat,"
Ting reads up on
traditional Taoist
beliefs about the
"hot" and "cold"
properties of
different foods,
after a magic
belt lets her
experience them
firsthand
2. Kripa Joshi's
introductory
comic for the
"Girl Power"
section features
her signature
character, "Miss
Modi," realizing
that size can
sometimes be an
advantage
SAMPLER, pg. 107
Story by: Jimmy J. Aquino
Art by: Erwin Haya
A DAY AT COSTUMECO, pg. 119
Story by: Jeff Yang
Art by: A.L. Baroza
In "Sampler," June Park is a spunky, no-nonsense young woman who
works with her brother at the family business. But this isn’t an
ordinary laundromat: Park Cleaners services the "special needs"
of the local superhero community, e.g., by removing alien stains
from nanotech-infused Lycra. When a couple of thugs try to rob the
store late one night (seeking costumes to sell online to souvenirhungry fans), June discovers her innate ability to "sample" the
residual superpowers of others, left behind on personal items like
clothing.
In "A Day at CostumeCo," a girl named Val who's struggling to be
"normal" despite being surrounded by superpowered family and
friends is dragged by her mother to a shopping expedition at the
local big-box store outfitter for heroes, CostumeCo. Despite her
dreams of being ordinary, Val begrudgingly overcomes her
embarrassment and accepts her destiny as a heroine in order to
save the ones she loves.
Both series feature protagonists with similar outlooks on life—
ironic, practical and uninterested in the showy, flamboyant side of superhero existence. June expresses her
disgust at how the masked marvels ignore her working-class neighborhood when they don't need their capes
cleaned; Val wants to fit in with the "regular" kids, resisting her parents' supernormal expectations. (Similar
themes are explored in the "Ordinary Heroes" section of this book.) At the end of the day, however, both find
themselves putting family first—a common theme in Asian American culture. Among the issues invoked by these
two stories: The social and economic divides that separate residents of ethnic enclaves from the urban
"mainstream," and which can lead to civic isolation; the often overwhelming pressure placed by immigrant
parents on their children to succeed and embrace certain career paths; and the desire by young Asian
Americans (perhaps particularly women) to fit in with their peers, which may place them at odds with cultural
traditions.
Discussion Questions
1. In "Sampler," June Park lives in a largely immigrant Korean neighborhood in her city, and complains that
superheroes don't take crime in her neighborhood seriously. What are some of the reasons that ethnic
neighborhoods may receive a lower level of law enforcement? What are some of the other issues faced
by residents of ethnic enclaves?
2. In "CostumeCo," Val's parents want her to grow up to be a superhero. What are some of the professions
that Asian immigrant parents tend to prefer for their children, and why?
3. What are some of the ways the children of immigrants might find themselves different from their peers?
What might they do to try to be "just like everyone else"?
UNDER
PRESSURE
1. June
discusses her
frustrations in
"Sampler"
2. Val deals
with her own
issues in
"CostumeCo"
Lesson Plan
Rationale: In the long tradition of superhero comics, many of the most prominent representations of females
have been stereotypical in nature—characterized by exaggerated sexuality, victimhood and subordinate
status. Such traits have been particularly associated with the media image of Asian women, and the comics
are no exception to this rule. The stories in the “Girl Power” section attempt to redefine the role of comic
book girls and women away from this standard, making it a particularly appropriate platform for the
discussion of the intersection between gender roles and racial stereotypes.
Grade Levels: Middle school and above
Objective: The student will be able to demonstrate an awareness of how the media perpetuates gender and
racial stereotypes of Asian women; identify how young boys and girls respond to these stereotypes;
appreciate how gender representation in comics has changed over the past few decades; compare the roles
of the female heroes in "Secret Identities" to those of prominent Asian/Asian American women characters
in mainstream superhero comics.
Make the Connection: Women characters have always been a part of the comic book medium, though their
depictions have often not been central, and rarely without controversy. Indeed, the portrayal of women in
comics has frequently been constrained to such questionable roles as “damsel in distress,” “love interest,”
"scantily clad bombshell" or "exotic 'bad girl'"—not entirely surprising given the male-dominated
demographics of the comic book medium. The images of Asian women in comics have been particularly
problematic, when they have been included at all.
Direct Teaching: On the board or overhead, list the names and images of popular Asian women heroes and
characters from mainstream American comics. This may require some research on your part. Some
characters to include are Batgirl (the second to wear the costume), Shi, Lady Shiva, Kabuki, Psylocke,
Jubilee, Katana, etc. After listing and showing these characters, have students discuss whether these
images reinforce or redefine common stereotypes of Asian women. Give examples.
Assign one of the stories from the “Girl Power” section of Secret Identities. Before reading, ask the students to
jot down traits that are associated with the Asian female heroes you listed on the board. What
characteristics do most of these heroines have in common? After reading, have students compare and
contrast the characters from the book to the Asian women characters you discussed earlier. Your discussion
can also include stories from other sections of Secret Identities. Other stories to consider include female
characters as depicted in “The Hibakusha” (page 45), “Flight” (page 131), “Jia” (page 133), “Parallel
Penny” (page 136), “Twilight” (page 143), and “Meet Joe” (page 155).
After they read these selections from the book, ask the students the following questions:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
Did any of the women in Secret Identities perpetuate stereotypes of how Asian women are portrayed
in mainstream media? If so, how? If not, why not? Which ones ran counter to such stereotypes, and
why?
What stands out (appearance, background, attitude, etc.) about female heroes in Secret Identities
versus those in mainstream superhero comics?
Stereotypes of Asian men tend to be different from stereotypes of Asian women. Describe how.
How do racial stereotypes change the way people of different ethnic backgrounds are perceived?
How do gender stereotypes change the way people of different sexes are perceived?
How might these two stereotypes work together to create particular distortions of perception?
BRINGING LIGHT
Top to Bottom:
1. Enayet and
Rahman (right
and left) in NO
EXIT 2. The man
whom history
has recorded as
the first Muslim
missionary to
America, Dr.
Mufti Muhammad
Sadiq; an
Ahmadiyya
believer from
India, he boarded
a ship from
England on
January 24,
1920 to the U.S.;
while traveling,
he converted six
Chinese fellow
passsengers to
Ahmadiyya Islam.
SECTION TWO: Resources and Further Reading
Books and Magazines
Asian/Pacific Islander American Women: A Historical Anthology / by Shirley Hune and Gail Nomura. New
York : New York University Press, 2003.
Audrey: The Asian American Women's Magazine / KoreAm Publishing, California.
Dragon Ladies: Asian American Feminists Breathe Fire / by Sonia Shah. South End Press: 1999.
The Hypersexuality of Race: Performing Asian/American Women on Screen and Scene / by Celine
Parreñas Shimizu. North Carolina : Duke University Press, 2007.
Making More Waves: New Writing by Asian American Women / by Elaine H. Kim et al. Beacon Press: 1997.
Making Waves: An Anthology of Writings By and About Asian American Women / by Asian Women United of
California. Beacon Press: 1989
Unbroken Thread: An Anthology of Plays by Asian American Women / by Genny Lim et al. Massachusetts:
University of Massachusetts Press: 1993.
The Woman Warrior: Memoirs of a Girlhood Among Ghosts / by Maxine Hong Kingston. Vintage: 1989.
YELL-Oh Girls! Emerging Voices Explore Culture, Identity, and Growing Up Asian American / by Vickie Nam.
Harper Paperbacks: 2001.
Articles
Fitzgibbon, Marian and Melinda Stolley. “Minority Women: The Untold Story” NOVA Online. Published: December 1,
2000. Accessed: April 9, 2009. <http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/thin/minorities.html>
Hall, C.C. “Asian eyes: Body image and eating disorders of Asian and Asian American Women.”
Eating Disorders: The Journal of Treatment and Prevention, vol. 3, no. 1, pp. 8-18. 1995.
Le, C.N. “Women and Gender Issues.” Accessed: September 24, 2009. <http://www.asian-nation.org/
gender.shtml>.
Kim, Ellen A. “Asian Americans and eating disorders: A silent struggle” Seattle Post-Intelligencer. Published:
January 28, 2003. Accessed: April 8, 2009. <http://www.seattlepi.com/lifestyle/105995_eatingdisorders.shtml>.
National Asian American Pacific Islander Mental Health Association. Eating Disorders Information Sheet.
Accessed March 30, 2009. <http://www.naapimha.org/issues/AAGirls.pdf>
National Eating Disorders Association. <http://www.nationaleatingdisorders.org/>
Robbins, Trina. “Gender Differences in Comics.” Image & Narrative. Published: September 2002. Accessed April
6, 2009. <http://www.imageandnarrative.be/gender/trinarobbins.htm>
Sun, Calvin, dir. Asian American Beauty – Female Body Image Parts 1 and 2. Published: April 26, 2007.
Accessed: April 9, 2009. <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mv-WI6Vlrpk>
Yang, Jeff. “Supply and demand in Asian American parenting.” San Francisco Chronicle. Published: February
12, 2009. Accessed: February 28, 2009. <http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2009/02/11/
DD0715RJGP.DTL>