Intelligent. Fierce. Ambitious. Cristina Yang, played by actress Sandra Oh, has been one of my favorite fictional television characters from Grey’s Anatomy, a medical drama. Set at Seattle Grace Hospital, the show follows the lives of doctors and interns, with Cristina Yang, a standout among them. Watching Cristina Yang on the show inspired my middle school self to aspire to her acuity. and drive. I was determined to become a cardiothoracic surgeon like her, drawn to her compelling intensity that made me want to follow her path. Looking back, I realize Cristina Yang's significance didn’t just lie in her character, but also in her contribution to establishing Asian American representation. Cristina Yang's character demonstrated the impact of true representation in media, highlighting the essential role of authentic storytelling in fostering inclusivity.
Cristina Yang is, however, an anomaly for Asian American portrayal in popular culture. For over a century, visual media, especially from Hollywood, has disseminated the same Asian American stereotypes that lack dimension, diversity, and most of all, human connection with viewers. Overall, the majority of Asian characters were marked with exaggerated features, like slanted eyes, and spoke with accents that were often caricatured, using broken English that bordered on mockery. A classic example is evident in the depiction of Mr. Yunioshi in the 1961 film "Breakfast at Tiffany's." Mr. Yunioshi, portrayed by a white actor, was depicted in yellowface makeup, donning fake tan, dyed black hair, and traditional Oriental attire, with taped eyes to simulate slanted eyes—a mockery of a Japanese man. With these dehumanizing exaggerations, Mr. Yunioshi is not a character. He is a caricature. This is not the first or last time Asian actors were replaced or overshadowed by white counterparts. The 2016 film "The Great Wall" notably featured Matt Damon in a story set in China and centered around Chinese themes. As for Asian women, they were frequently illustrated as delicate, submissive, exotic, and sexual. One of the earliest on-screen depictions of an Asian woman occurred in the 1922 film "The Toll of the Sea". Anna May Wong's portrayal of 'Lotus Flower,' a Mongol slave girl, reinforced the 'dragon lady' trope, presenting Asian women as dangerously seductive and conniving. Even though these characters superficially resembled me, they lacked authenticity—reduced to mere embodiments of stereotypical Asian traits, furthering perceptions of Asians as “foreigners” and “outsiders.” Associated with such depictions, I felt reduced to my differences, to components of my race.
Why is authentic representation important? Without it, the media insidiously implants ideas and preconceived notions about minorities into people’s minds. Consequently, viewers take what they gathered from reinforced stereotypes about minority groups and incorporate those notions into the public’s perceptions. As an Asian American myself, I recall my classmates asking me why my eyes were different or if I ate dogs because they heard about Asians eating dogs in a video. Media portrayal of minorities often becomes the primary source of knowledge about these groups for many; hence why misleading depictions are so harmful.
Cristina Yang is an imperfect character, but that’s what makes her a dynamic character and more human. Screaming “SOMEBODY SEDATE ME” out of pure ecstasy after solving a medical problem, Cristina Yang is not always polished or dignified. Characterized by her humor, bluntness, and unabashed confidence, Cristina Yang dispels the image of Asians being unemotional and cold. One of the moments that stuck out to me and Lee was when Cristina Yang burst into tears, admitting she needed love and care. I felt tears in my eyes because she felt so real and I understood that feeling of needing love in moments of great loneliness. I found depth, relatability, and untimely, representation. When I see Cristina Yang, I don’t simply relate to her because she is also an Asian American woman. Diversity is not just about seeing someone resembling you on screen; that is not enough. Inclusion encapsulates an experience of relating personally and intimately with characters like close friends. Understanding how characters think and feel transports us in new directions intellectually and emotionally because these characters are not cookie-cutter stereotypes. They are human, like us.
The challenge of representation lies in avoiding the reduction of diverse characters and narratives to mere checkboxes or visibility for political objectives. Representation has become co-opted by mainstream media, multi-racial liberal agendas, and inclusion politics, but it should not be contingent on political implications. I want a genuine connection with characters based on their individual qualities, rather than solely because of shared Asian American identity or for representation advocacy. And, Cristina Yang comes closer to authentic representation, illustrating imperfectly perfect Asian American females. Through Cristina Yang, visibility isn’t about constructing moral characters but about representing people with all their flaws, complexities, and humanity.
Representation only for show is an injustice to storytelling itself. It neglects the purpose and complexity of storytelling, disregarding the diverse narratives that could be explored. When visibility is only for face value or political pushing, it diminishes the group in question, reducing them to superficial differences and stripping away their humanity. Representation must go beyond merely ticking boxes for diversity because the most important aspect of telling stories is to highlight humanity. Asian Americans exist in so many unique ways of life, not just in prestigious professions. Cristina Yang built a foundation for more authenticity and offered a glimpse of how to start diverging away from stereotypes that once confined Asian Americans. There are still many more Asian American narratives that need to be told.
Loyal. Loving. Vulnerable. Cristina Yang remains one of my favorite fictional television characters even to this day, not only because she is a cardiothoracic surgeon. Cristina Yang is an exemplar of how good representation can generate a positive impact. Storytelling needs representation, but it must be done with care and consideration. Only by telling stories that simply show our authentic selves are we all truly seen and heard. Now, that is representation I'm proud to support.
Works Cited
"Breakfast at Tiffany's." Directed by Blake Edwards, performance by Mickey Rooney, Paramount Pictures, 1961.
"Grey's Anatomy." Created by Shonda Rhimes, performance by Sandra Oh, ABC Studios, 2005-2022.
Kim Lee, Summer. “Too Close, Too Compromised: ‘Killing Eve’ and the Promise of Sandra Oh.” Los Angeles Review of Books, 4 Dec. 2018, https://lareviewofbooks.org/article/close-compromised-killing-eve-promise-sandra-oh/.
"The Great Wall." Directed by Zhang Yimou, performance by Matt Damon, Universal Pictures, 2016.
"The Toll of the Sea." Directed by Chester M. Franklin, performance by Anna May Wong, Metro Pictures Corporation, 1922.