Asian Americans in Television: Julie from Friends

After reading “Critical Visions: The Representation and Resistance of Asian Women” by Lynn Lu, I began thinking about Asian Americans in television shows. Lu briefly talks about the TV show starring Margaret Cho that portrays Asian Americans as an all-American family. Lu argues that this show merely “validate[s] a vision of assimilated, integrated, Asians happy to have their unequal share of the pie” (20). I am now wondering if this is a fair analysis. If portrayals of happily assimilated Asian Americans are negative visions, then are Asian Americans only supposed to play roles where they are angry that they have an “unequal share of the pie”?

In the television show Friends, they introduce a character in season two named Julie, played by Lauren Tom. Julie is a well-assimilated Asian American woman who lives in New York. Perhaps Julie’s character is different from the characters on Margaret Cho’s show because Friends addresses the issue of being mistaken as a foreigner in the United States. When Julie first appears on Friends in “The One with Ross’ New Girlfriend,” Rachel believes she is an immigrant from China. Rachel says in a very slow and loud voice, “Welcome to our country.” Julie replies with “Thank you. I’m from New York.” Although this scene can be seen as insulting to many Asian Americans who would call the United States their “home,” it can also be seen as empowering because Julie stands up for herself. She makes the situation comical and as a result Rachel feels embarrassed. However, from our discussion on Monday, it seems as if comedy may not be the proper way to address these situations. Does comedy perpetuate stereotypes and make it acceptable to laugh at someone’s racial differences? I’m still not decided on this question because I believe every audience member will view the situation differently. Some members will realize the absurdity of the assumption that every Asian seen in the United States is an immigrant which may deter stereotypes. On the other hand, others will laugh at this scenario and continue to make racist assumptions.

From watching the commentary of this episode that aired in 1995, I learned that Julie was one of the first likable and assimilated characters portrayed on a popular sitcom. Although Lu may argue that this is not desirable because it does not show the struggles Asian Americans face, I think it is important to also show Asian Americans as just Americans. It is not always necessary to focus on differences because sometimes similarities are just as important. Julie was relatively similar to the other women Ross has dated. Through the episodes with Julie, Friends was able to portray an interracial relationship that was completely normal. Perhaps it is just as effective to have an interracial relationship be successful as it is to note the obstacles of this kind of relationship. Also, Julie is not a stereotypical Asian. She is not hypersexualized, she does not speak with an accent, and she is a successful paleontologist. The writers of Friends could have easily cast Julie with a woman of another race, but instead they chose Lauren Tom because she was qualified.