Dear Hollywood,

The first time i saw an alien in a movie, it was played by a white man with makeup caked on his face wearing a green suit. The first time i saw an asian in a movie, he was played by a white man with makeup caked on his face, tripping over his lines with a thick accent.

Asians in media are very much seen as extraterrestrials than actual people. We're mythical creatures, spotted only in karate and geisha movies, and are only represented in few characters; kung fu master, naive girl fawning over some fair-skinned prince, foreign villain. Sometimes they'll reincarnate us as comic relief with names like "Ming Lee" and "Ling Ling", another caricature to fill up some time. Our identities revolve around stereotypes and clumsy tongues, around slanted eyes and ancient perceptions. We aren't people. We're plot devices and comedy techniques; our race is simply another role.

It gets worse from there. When there are asian characters whose heritages are explicitly stated as asian, or even actual people in actual events that get turned into movies, you give us the "hollywood makeover". You whiten our skin, lighten our hair and strip us of our race. Asian characters are dissected into roles for white actors and actresses; we watch the Wangs and Nyugens picked apart into Smiths and Von Trapps . This is an issue that has somehow transcended the decades; just recently Scarlett Johanssen has been cast as Motoko Kusanagi in the hollywood adaptation of Ghost in the Shell. Unlike the more widespread known Asian roles of Madama Butterfly and Miss Saigon, she was not another submissive Asian, but a strong-willed smart and powerful woman; a role that is not only perfect for an Asian actress but is one that can inspire young Asian children and tell them they can be heroes instead of fetishes. You had something that could've destroyed stereotypes and prejudices, but instead you just rebuilt them. As an Asian born in North America, I grew up surrounded by European faces on superhero posters; I never believed that someone who looked like me could be the hero instead of the evil villain. While my friends were dreaming about being the next Superman, I just wanted to be a civilian, a human. They wanted to save the world; I just wanted my existence to be realized. You take us and fry us in bleach until every last drop of our asian blood has disappeared, until we are white, white, and more white; which seems to be the only way you like to do things. The only way we are seen as people is if we are whitewashed to the point that our Asian-ness is invisible. Being able to see a strong and independent asian character played by an asian is so rare that it is no wonder that we're likened to UFO sightings.

But hollywood, the thing is we are no aliens. My heritage is not another few hours in makeup, is not a mask that a white actor can put on and suddenly become, is not something that can be created with a little CGI. We're not visitors from another galaxy, heck, there are 4.3 billion of us on this planet. Our existence is not a question mark and the fact that we are more than your stereotypes is not something debatable. You may not have any aliens to play your science fiction characters, but there are many Asian actors and actresses that would be more than happy to play your Asian characters, and would play them better than any white actor with yellowface could. So i beg you, stop using our heritage against us, and let us not only have our own stories, but be the ones that are able to tell them too. My culture is not a joke. No one should have to sacrifice their heritage to be treated with respect. We shouldn’t need to "disinfect" ourselves of our race to be seen as people.

Hollywood, you may make fun of us for our small eyes, but you're the one that needs to open yours.

Best wishes,
An Asian, also known as a human.