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Missing in the Middle: Analysis of the Under Representation of South East Asian Women in U.S Television
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Rossman, Megan
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Spring 2025
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2025
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9728_Priya_Tejpal.pdf
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U.S. television grants Indian women fewer than one percent of speaking roles, and those rare appearances typically recycle a narrow pair of tropes: the over-achieving, socially awkward professional or the exotic side character. Drawing on cultivation theory, self-perception theory, framing analysis, and Kimberlé – Crenshaw's intersectionality, this paper examines how such scarcity and stereotype translate into self-discrimination: a pattern of internalized doubt and narrowed career aspiration among Indian-American women. Findings show that symbolic annihilation on the screen fosters an identity crisis. It reduces interest in non-STEM careers, and reinforces colorist hierarchies by favoring light-skinned Indian actresses. The paper argues that these outcomes are not incidental but stem from industry gatekeeping that frames Indian-female narratives as commercially risky. Recommendations include diversifying decision-making roles, implementing intersectional inclusion audits, and embedding media-literacy curricula in K-12 education to disrupt the cycle whereby limited representation sustains both public bias and private self-limitation.
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