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Natalie Brockman
Dr. Ash Woody
AFAM 101
18 May 2022
The Model Minority Myth
The term “model minority” is used to describe minority groups who are seen to be more
successful than the average population, especially in contrast with other minority groups.
Historically, this term has been used to describe Asian-Americans. The model minority myth is
what has created the stereotypes of all Asian-Americans being exceptionally smart or successful,
or of being the quote unquote “good” minority who has risen in society the “right” way. These
stereotypes are inaccurate; however, they continue to have a huge hold on society’s perception of
Asian-Americans to this day. In this paper, the history of this term including how it came to
represent Asian-Americans in particular will be described, as well as the effects the model
minority myth has on perpetuating racism in today’s overall society including the perpetuation of
stereotypes and the pitting minority groups against each other, as well as the negative effects the
model minority myth has on the mental health of individuals in the Asian-American community.
I will also be proposing a resistance strategy concerning how people can try to fight against and
minimize the effects of the model minority myth.
In order to fully understand how the model minority myth began and how it has come to
represent specifically Asian-Americans, the history of it must be discussed, beginning with the
first immigrants from Asia to America. Some of the first Asians to immigrate to America were
groups of Chinese, who arrive in the United States in the 1850s. Most were men who worked
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labor-intensive jobs in factories, agriculture, and railroad-building. However, the amount of
incoming Chinese workers worried white Americans who felt job opportunities were being taken
from them, thus a wave of anti-Chinese sentiment began to grow (Tapalaga, 2021). On May 6,
1882 the Chinese Exclusion Act was signed, an act which “provided an absolute 10-year ban on
Chinese laborers immigrating to the United States” and was the first anti-immigration act based
on ethnicity in American history ([Link], 2022). From this point on tensions and anti-
Asian sentiment only grew as Asian immigrants were allowed to come to America again and
their populations grew. However, Asians were seen as “undesirable” immigrants and thus their
allowed entry into the United States was very limited. More laws were passed such as the
Immigration Act of 1924, in which “China, Japan, India, and Siam each received the minimum
quota of 100” people allowed to immigrate to the U.S. per year (Ngai, 2017). This contrasted
with “desirable” immigrants from European or “white” countries, who were allowed to have
thousands of people immigrate to America per year. In the 1940’s, Japanese-Americans were
forced to live in internment camps due to America’s relationship with Japan after Pearl Harbor.
However, in the 1960s there was a change in popular attitudes towards Asian-Americans. The
article “Success Story, Japanese-American Style,” by sociologist William Peterson was
published in January 1966. This article was the first time the term “model-minority” was used to
describe Asian-Americans. Peterson highlighted his belief that Japanese-Americans were the
most superior group in America, explaining that “Every attempt to hamper their progress resulted
only in enhancing their determination to succeed” and praising how their cultural values led them
to this success (Peterson, 1966). This idea gained popularity from then on. It has been theorized
that one of the reasons the model minority myth caught on so well is because it arose in the midst
of the Civil Rights Movement. People used Asian-Americans success despite their oppression as
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a slap against the African-American community to “prove” that things weren’t that bad, and they
just needed to work harder to be successful. Overall, the main reason the model minority myth
has become popularized and why it has been used to specifically describe the Asian-American
community is because society saw them as embodying the ever-popular American “pull
yourselves up by your bootstraps” idea.
Since the model minority myth has been created and popularized, it has had a large part
in perpetuating racism and racist ideals to this day. One example of how the model minority
myth perpetuates racism is by growing the idea that Asia is one homologous culture. It ignores
the differences between Asian-American individuals, as well as erases the diversity of Asian
cultures. Because of the model minority myth, all Asian cultures are pushed into this one
monolith culture which is often inaccurate and leads to harmful stereotypes of Asian-Americans.
This is especially prominent in TV and media, where stereotypes such as the over-sexualized
geisha and the nerdy math kid are often utilized. These stereotypes aren’t just affecting the plot
of a show or movie, they affect people’s real-life perception of Asian-Americans. A study
conducted by Ji Hoon Park, Nadine Gabbadon, and Ariel Chernin of the University of
Pennsylvania explored the effects of racial stereotypes in comedy movies on an audience (2006).
In this study, the audience demonstrated a large dismissal of the harmful stereotypes portrayed in
movies and said that they were “ok” as long as they were being carried out by Asian actors. This
dismissal of racist stereotypes by an average audience shows that the use of these stereotypes in
comedy movies can “encourage the audience to naturalize racial differences rather than to
challenge racial stereotypes” which is harmful because it enforces the idea of naturalization
(Park et al., 2006). As defined by Bonilla Silva, “Naturalization is a frame that allows whites to
explain away racial phenomena by suggesting they are natural occurrences”, and in this context
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of racial differences and stereotypes in the media naturalization is especially harmful because it
leads people to believe that these stereotypes are natural and normal (2006). People become
unable to separate fiction from reality, and thus their perception of Asians in real life becomes
warped by the portrayal of Asians in the media. In other words, people can subconsciously
internalize these racist stereotypes of Asian-Americans and let it affect their treatment and view
of Asian-Americans they interact with. Another example of the model minority myth leading to
the perpetuation of racism today is how it has been used against the black community. The
model minority myth was created as a praise of the hard work of the Japanese-American and
Chinese-American communities, and rapidly spread to include all Asian-American groups. One
main point the model minority myth made was that these groups of people have followed the
American ideal of hard work to reach your dream. Thus, Asian-Americans were held up as an
example of how other minority groups in America should be. In particular, they were used in
comparison to African-Americans who had been stereotyped as lazy. Aliana Joby of Princeton
University states that this comparison “obscures the effects of systemic racism on Black
communities in America, blaming personal faults for their struggles, rather than the system that
prevents them from overcoming these issues” and furthermore creates a hierarchy which divides
and ranks minorities on a system of morals and hard work (2020). This comparison only
exacerbates the racial structure, or the practices and ideas which uphold racial inequalities, of
America. Instead of recognizing the laws and attitudes of America as the reason for the struggles
of different minorities, this method of comparison blames them on each race’s own work ethic
and morals. Instead of addressing the real racial structural reason behind these inequalities,
people are distracted by this “who is better than who” narrative. In summation, the model
minority myth has helped perpetuate racism through creating harmful racial stereotypes of
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Asian-Americans which impact people’s overall view of Asian-Americans, and by being used as
a tool of comparison in order to put other minority groups down and blame their struggles on
themselves rather than the laws and attitudes which govern America today.
The model minority myth not only is capable of perpetuating racism overall in our
society, but also has a great effect on the mental health of Asian-American individuals. This can
be exemplified in a 2020 study published in The Counseling Psychologist by Meifen Wei, Shuyi
Liu, Stacy Y. Ko, Cixin Wang, and Yi Du. This study found that many Asian-American
university students have experienced “impostor feelings and psychological distress…partially
mediated by interpersonal shame” due to the high pressure the minority myth imposes on them
(Wei et al., 2020). The assumption that Asian-Americans are naturally more successful or
intelligent has created high expectations for Asian-American students, which can be detrimental
for mental health. On top of the increased pressure and stress created by the often-unrealistic
standards of the model minority myth, it has also been found in data from the National Latino
and Asian American Study that “Asian Americans are three times less likely to seek mental
health services than Whites” due to pressure created by this myth (Nishi, 2012). This shows how
due to the standards of perfection put forth by the model minority myth, many Asian-Americans
feel uncomfortable reaching out for mental health help in a pursuit to maintain an appearance of
success and to avoid possible associated shame. The model minority myth can also negatively
impact mental health by upholding internalized racism, the “internalization of racial oppression
by the racially subordinated” or in other words, when people internalize racist ideals popularized
by a white-dominated society (Pyke, 2010).When exposed to these stereotypes and ideas of
Asian-Americans in a white-dominated society, feelings of shame can arise and one can feel
distanced or even grow a dislike for their own culture. This can greatly harm mental health
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because people may struggle to accept and become comfortable with themselves, and may feel
inferior to others. Given all these facts, it is clear that the model minority myth has a negative
impact on the mental health of Asian-Americans by creating high standards and placing large
amounts of pressure on individuals, creating a stigma around reaching out for mental health aid
for fear of not living up to those aforementioned expectations, and by creating and growing
feelings of internalized racism in Asian-American individuals.
Although the model minority myth has caused a significant amount of harm to the Asian-
American community, there is still hope in resisting its negative effects. One resistance strategy
is a push to include a greater number and better representation of Asian-Americans in movies
and TV. As was mentioned earlier, one of the harms that the model minority myth does to the
Asian-American community is homogenizing a very diverse group, thus creating many negative
and inaccurate stereotypes. These stereotypes warp people’s perception of Asian-Americans in
real life. If an effort is put in to have a greater number of Asian-American characters in the
media, and to ensure these characters reflect real people and not just stereotypes, then the
negative effects of the model minority myth can be resisted. Viewers won’t internalize
stereotypes, and instead view Asian-American characters as real people who are all different
with complex interests and lives. This contrasts with the homogenous monolithic and inaccurate
culture that the model minority myth creates. This will hopefully translate into real life
interactions as well, and aid in fighting against the harmful stereotypes and issues that the model
minority myth perpetuates. This solution can be carried out by making a conscious effort to not
only hire Asian-American actors, or create media focusing on Asian-American characters, but
also by hiring Asian-Americans throughout all aspects of media creation. From writers to
costume designers, people who understand the culture which is being represented but won’t
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portray it in a cliché stereotypical way will be integral in this effort. An example of this effort in
real life is in a recent popular Disney Pixar movie, Turning Red. This movie was directed by
Chinese immigrant Domee Shi, and features voice acting from Sandra Oh and Rosalie Chiang
(Radish, 2022). This movie focuses on a Chinese-Canadian family and their daughter’s struggle
with growing up, while integrating parts of their culture into the storyline in a way that was
relatable and respectful to viewers. Turning Red is a great example of ways the media can be
used to resist the stereotypes created and sustained through the model minority myth. By hiring
Asian-American actors and in this case Asian-Canadian directors, people can create stories
which paint an accurate picture and accurately represents the different facets of a very diverse
community. However, this change won’t happen on its own. People who work in the movie and
TV industry have to see that hiring Asian-Americans to create these stories and these characters
is worth it. One of the most effective ways of showing this is by regular people watching these
movies or TV shows. Buying tickets for a movie, or watching a TV show with this representation
is a measurable way to show that this effort is worth it. Higher-ups in the movie and TV industry
can see the money made and the popularity of this type of media and thus want to make more. In
order for this resistance strategy to work, regular people have to obviously show their support by
watching and spending money on TV shows and movies which include good representation, as
well as showing support through fanart, attending conventions, and recommending these pieces
of media to friends and family. Overall, one form of resisting the model minority myth is through
resisting the stereotypes it creates through pushing for a greater inclusion of Asian-Americans in
all aspects of creating media.
In summation, the model minority myth is the idea that Asian-Americans are naturally
more successful than other parts of the population. This term was popularized in the 1960s, and
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has since been used to push harmful stereotypes of Asian-Americans as well as make unfair
comparisons among racial groups, thus contributing to the racism in society overall. The model-
minority myth also can be very harmful to the mental health of Asian-American individuals. The
model minority myth is a very large and often overlooked problem in American society which
has led to many glaring disparities in the way Asian-Americans are viewed and treated.
However, this is not a hopeless problem, as there are many possible forms of resistance for
example the aforementioned efforts to increase representation of Asian-Americans in the media.
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Works Cited
“Chinese Exclusion Act (1882).” National Archives and Records Administration, National
Archives and Records Administration,
[Link]
Joby, Alaina. “The 'Model Minorities' Owe a Huge Favor to the Civil Rights Movement.” The
Princetonian, 17 Aug. 2020, [Link]
model-minorities-owe-a-huge-favor-to-the-civil-rights-movement.
Ngai, Mae M. “The Architecture of Race in American Immigration Law: A Reexamination of
the Immigration Act of 1924.” Race, Law and Society, 2017, pp. 351–376.,
[Link]
Nishi, Koko. “Mental Health among Asian-Americans.” American Psychological Association,
American Psychological Association, 2012,
[Link]
health.
Park, Ji Hoon, et al. “[PDF] Naturalizing Racial Differences through Comedy: Asian, Black, and
White Views on Racial Stereotypes in Rush Hour 2: Semantic Scholar.” Semantic
Scholar, 1 Mar. 2006, [Link]
Differences-Through-Comedy%3A-and-Park-Gabbadon/
c6f9d7fb692e4ad80dac58fea756580941bf7a1e#paper-header.
Peterson, William. “Success Story, Japanese American Style.” New York Times, 9 Jan. 1966.
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Pyke, Karen D. “What Is Internalized Racial Oppression and Why Don't We Study It?
Acknowledging Racism's Hidden Injuries.” Sage Journals, 1 Dec. 2010,
[Link]
Radish, Christina. “'Turning Red's Domee Shi and the Creative Team behind Pixar's Latest Talk
How the Film Evolved, and the Film's Great Supporting Characters.” Collider, 7 Feb.
2022, [Link]
Shin, Hyunjung, and Eduardo Bonilla-Silva. “Racism without Racists: Color-Blind Racism and
the Persistence of Racial Inequality in the United States.” TESOL Quarterly, vol. 40, no.
3, 2006, p. 652., [Link]
Tapalaga, Andrei. “The Chinese Exclusion Act.” Medium, History of Yesterday, 3 Apr. 2021,
[Link]
Wei, Meifen, et al. “Impostor Feelings and Psychological Distress among Asian Americans:
Interpersonal Shame and Self-Compassion.” The Counseling Psychologist, vol. 48, no. 3,
2020, pp. 432–458., [Link]
