Tan France may have just recently become a citizen in time for the 2020 election, but the Queer Eye host is proudly speaking out for Asian American representation in media. The U.K.-born fashion expert joins fellow Netflix stars, including Lana Condor, Daniel Dae Kim, and Ashley Park, in a video pointing to the history of stereotypes and caricatures of Asian Americans in Hollywood.
“We’re not just one thing, obviously,” France says in the campaign. “Being Asian is so much more than that.”
Featuring glimpses of Netflix favorites like Never Have I Ever and The Half of It, the video calls out the (hopefully obvious!) truth that AAPI people are just that — people. Contrary to stereotypes that have reigned for far too long, the video asserts, all Asians are not necessarily great at math (it me), Asian women are strong, and Asian men are desirable (it also me).
France, who also shared an image promoting the streamer’s campaign on Instagram, has spoken eloquently in the past about the real consequences of damaging or nonexistent media representations, and how it feels to have become a role model himself.
“I wish I’d seen a version of me on TV. It felt like our stories weren’t needed. Nobody wanted to hear our stories,” he told The Independent in a 2019 interview, referring to both his queer and Asian identities. “And it just set in my mind that we’re not seen as desirable.” The few characters he did see, on U.K. soaps, for example, were never leads or love interests.
