There’s a new type of character in Hollywood: The Asian Himbo. These hunky male characters who are sweet but not the brightest bulbs have come a long way from stereotypes that date all the way back to the 1800s. Professors Adrian De Leon, Danielle Bainbridge, and special guest Phil Yu (Angry Asian Man), break down how Hollywood’s least sexy character went from completely undesirable to leading love interest.

Resources:

Guardian. 'Forgotten by society' – how Chinese migrants built the transcontinental railroad.
https://www.theguardian.com/artanddes...

The International History Review. The Fear of ‘Yellow Peril’ and the Emergence of European Federalist Movement.
https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/1...

National Archives. Chinese Exclusion Act (1882).
https://www.archives.gov/milestone-do....

NPR. What's So 'Cringeworthy' About Long Duk Dong in 'Sixteen Candles'?
https://www.npr.org/sections/codeswit...

Wall Street Journal. ‘Fresh Off the Boat’ Tackles a 1980s Asian Caricature: Long Duk Dong.
https://www.wsj.com/articles/BL-SEB-9...

Credits:
Director: Dolly Li
Producer: Tien Nguyen
Consulting Producer: Danielle Bainbridge
Associate Producer: Mia Faske
On-camera appearances by: Danielle Bainbridge, Adrian De Leon, and Phil Yu
Written by: Dolly Li and Tien Nguyen
Voiceover by: Kiana Taylor
Director of Photography: Brain Inocencio
Online Editor & Motion Graphics: Travis Hatfield
Assistant Editor: Josaen Ronquillo
Additional Motion Graphics: Jonathan Gil
Research Assistant: Kiana Taylor
Makeup Artist: Dawn Coleman
Set Designer: Tori Laxalt
Fact Checker: Yvonne McGreevy

Post-production services & facilities provided by: Flash Cuts
Executive Producer for Flash Cuts: Eurie Chung
Executive Producers for CAAM: Stephen Gong, Donald Young
Supervising Producer for CAAM: Sapana Sakya
Coordinating Producer for CAAM: Czarina Garcia
Executive in Charge for PBS: Maribel Lopez
Director of Programming for PBS: Gabrielle Ewing

This program is a production of Plum Studios and the Center for Asian American Media (CAAM).