By Jae-Ha Kim
Teen Vogue
June 29, 2022
The Summer I Turned Pretty is a breezy series that tackles teenage summer romance (and lust) with vigor. It’s the latest adaptation of Jenny Han’s young adult novels, which include the To All the Boys trilogy. Though the plot is familiar, the lead actors are all incredibly attractive and likable, even when dealing with some of the less interesting aspects of this seven-episode Prime Video series.
When we first meet the show’s protagonist, Belly Conklin (newcomer Lola Tung) is not yet 16. Previously known as the hot girl’s bestie, Belly has – as her BFF Taylor (Rain Spencer) points out – become beautiful over the past year. What this actually means is that the teen finally grew breasts, lost her adolescent baby fat, and traded in glasses for contact lenses. That’s all it took for her to become one of the most sought-after girls at Cousins Beach, the summer vacation spot where her family has been visiting ever since she can remember. And it’s where her one-sided crush on Conrad Fisher (Christopher Briney) was born.
Unlike the Conklins who live a modest lifestyle, the Fishers are rich. They own a beautiful beach house and belong to the country club where Belly’s older brother Steven (Sean Kaufman) will work this summer. Susannah Fisher (Rachel Blanchard) is the effervescent blonde matriarch who’s harboring a devastating secret. She wants one last perfect summer with her family and friends before she faces the truth. Susannah and Laurel Park (Jackie Chung) – Belly’s novelist mother – have been best friends since college. And parallel to Belly’s relationship with Taylor, Laurel has an inferiority complex as the popular girl’s sensible friend.
It’s an interesting dynamic to showcase, because some Asian Americans will tell you that when we were growing up, we wished we were white – not because we actually wanted to be white, but because it seemed like our lives would be easier in terms of acceptance if we weren’t minorities who are regarded as perpetual foreigners. Chung plays Belly’s divorced mother as someone unaware of her own attractiveness, perhaps because she never experienced a summer where her prettiness was celebrated.
Race and ethnicity aren’t mentioned much, but there are a few touches that allude to the Asian half of Belly’s lineage. For instance, as is customary with Korean women, Laurel kept her maiden name when she married.
But one of the odd things I’ve noticed about the film and TV adaptations of Han’s books is that while a lot of effort went into finding the perfect Asian American actress to play the half Korean/half white female leads, none of their love interests are even kind of Asian. It’s especially odd when some of the beaus were written to be ethnically Asian. In the 2009 novel The Summer I Turned Pretty, Belly describes Cam – who she briefly dates – as a good-looking boy who’s taller than her brother and the Fisher boys. “He looked like he was maybe half-white, half-Japanese, or Korean maybe,” she says. “He was so pretty I felt like I could draw his face, and I didn’t even know how to draw.”
The televised Cam is indeed tall and pretty as portrayed by David Iacono, an actor who’s of Italian and Puerto Rican ethnicity. Iacono does a wonderful job as a boy crushing on Belly, who is using him as a placeholder for the elusive Conrad. However, it just feels off that the showrunners – and Han, who is an executive producer on the series – whitewashed a minority character from the book. It harkens back to the criticism the TATB films received, where none of Lara Jean’s crushes were Asian boys (except for Edward Kim, who is briefly mentioned but never shown).
Perhaps to combat this criticism, Han’s TATB spinoff series XO, Kitty will focus on Lara Jean’s baby sister, Kitty, who moves to Seoul to pursue a relationship with a Korean boy she met during a family vacation in South Korea. It’s a cute concept if you don’t think too much about how Han’s storytelling seems to suggest that Asian American girls have to fly to Asian countries to find an Asian boy – as if the United States isn’t full of them. To be fair to the scriptwriters, they did create a more encompassing storyline for Belly’s older brother Steven, who doesn’t have much of a presence in the book. He even has an Asian American romantic interest (a debutante no less!), something foreign to Han’s female protagonists.
Speaking of Steven, Sean Kaufman is very charismatic in his role as a protective sibling who’s annoyed that his best friends are flirting with his sister. He also has the only storyline where race is addressed. At the country club, the rich white members assume he must be good at math because, you know, Asian. And he has to decide whether to address the racist microaggressions and lose his job, or hold in his anger and accept the high rollers’ tips.
Han updated the series to make it more contemporary: the kids smoke marijuana instead of cigarettes (so do their moms!). And Conrad’s charming younger brother Jeremiah (Gavin Casalegno) is now bisexual and no one makes a big deal about it. Imagine if Kaufman – who is the personification of the character Han created in her book – had played Cam. Or if they had simply cast one more ethnically Asian male actor for that role. There’s room for more than one Asian boy — and minorities in general — at Cousins Beach in 2022. The only Black actor with any noticeable screen time is played by Summer Madison, whose Nicole is dating Conrad. In the book, the character is described as a blonde. While going against type to include a Black character is admirable, there’s also something a bit skeevy about having two teens of color competing for the attention of one white boy.
Despite having an Asian American female lead, a small nod to the LGBTQ community (besides Jeremiah’s storyline, one of the debutantes is escorted by another girl), and cool moms who don’t seem to care that their underage kids are drinking liquor and smoking pot … despite all that, The Summer I Turned Pretty has a dated feel. The debutante storyline is so out of place. No one needs to see Belly wearing a fascinator.
By the end of the seventh episode – and yes, the series has already been picked up for a second season – Belly will have had dalliances with both brothers. While I found Belly’s ricocheting between the Fishers to be rather gross, the ending was satisfying enough to give viewers a sense of anticipation for the stories yet to come.
Uhhh why do feel the need to imply that Latinos are “whitewashed?” If you think Cam is white cuz he’s mixed then Belly and Steven are also white. Make it make sense
Whether mixed or not, there are white Latinos. The point that you missed is the erasure of a character who was written to be half Asian and they cast a non Asian boy who presents as white in the role. And Belly and Steven are half Asian and half white. That doesn’t make them white or present as white, so you make it make sense. Did you even read the entire article or are you just here to whine? I swear to god the comments here from all these Jenny Han stans is sickening.
I feel like there’s more to a story than microaggressions, Cam Cameron isn’t that big a character from the start, and the fact that Belly is now Asian, means there’s more representation than before.
Great review Jae! I couldn’t get past the first episode so I’m just going by your review but it sounds not good at all. I don’t mind things being outdated but this just sounds like something made for really young girls who have never actually been in love. There’s nothing wrong with that. I did enjoy the To All The Boys movies even though those had some problems in them as well and they were made for the same young market. The cast is all really pretty but even that wasn’t enough to make me want to finish the series. Good luck to them though.
I watched the whole series. I wish I hadn’t. The plot is barely there and the adult relationships are toxic or cliched.
From what I am gathering this is a series aimed at white girls despite the casting of a biracial Asian female lead. As a white girl, I admit that I didn’t see some of these issues initially but I thank you for opening my eyes. I would give it a 2 out of 5 because the cast was cute. The plot dragged on from the beginning though and I hated the girls fighting for one subpar boy.
I liked this series a lot. It wasn’t smart but it made me remember what it was like to be a teenager in love and that felt kind of good. But I can like the series and also recognize that it has some outdated notions as pointed out in the review. Thanks for making me think about things that I just overlooked. I’m going to watch this again with my daughter and we will discuss as we watch.
I went back and found this thread on Twitter and don’t understand what Olivia’s points are. You said thanks for reading and she said “Thanks for saying that I basically exist because my dad wants to be white! You’re swell.” But nothing you said in that article you wrote (very good by the way!) was talking about biracial being bad. It is a fact that Hollywood loves to cast biracial men who are white adjacent and therefore they think are more attractive that Asian men who aren’t mixed. That’s the racist white producers and casting directors. That is a big problem. Olivia of all people should recognize this and realize that.
This is a great show and book!! This article is horrible and also dated. Clearly the person writing the article didn’t watch the show because there were several black actors in the it so i have no idea why she was making and issue with that?
How is this article dated? And which Black actors are you talking about because the writer is addressing the issue of there being just one main Black role (Nicole). Do you expect minorities to be thankful for handouts?
If you’re not an actual child I am going to laugh out loud at your inability to articulate anything other than, “Oh yah well you’re outdated too!” The article addresses current topics that are important for people to hear, especially non-Asian people such as yourself and I. You comment adds nothing to the conversation.
So…. 4 asian characters wasn’t enough asian representation? And one of the main characters being bisexual in addition to a lesbian couple wasn’t enough LGBTQ representation? This article just comes off as looking for something to complain about. And maybe the author has an issue with interracial relationships? Because why does it matter that the main character fell in love with a white boy, and was “torn between two white boys”? And “two women of color fighting over a white boy” is a gross oversimplification of the plot. Also how is casting a Puerto Rican actor for Cam “white washing”? He’s not white? Also why does it matter that the mom’s who are best friends one is white and one is Asian? The person who wrote the article just doesn’t seem to like white people. And judging someone who is dying of cancer for smoking pot is just gross. I think the show did a great job of modernizing the story.
Sallie dear. I’ll try to explain this in a way you might be able to understand. The author said nothing to indicate she has an issue with interracial relationships. She had a problem with the exclusion of Asian males in romantic leading roles in Jenny Han’s films and shows. She’s talked about this in the past and written about it previously. You can’t be expected to know her previous work. But before you go spouting off your mouth in the future, please re-read and then re-read again the text to which you are complaining about. Because, dear, this article apparently is above your Lexile level. Or you simply weren’t paying attention.
That’s a lot of maybes for someone who is literally making up things hoping that no one read the review. Go get your pumpkin spice latte and order your next pair of Lululemons and stop telling minorities how they should feel about their own lack of representation. YOU do not determine how many Asians in a series are enough.
Also you have horrible taste in television.
Do you know how gross and belittling your questions are? You want a quota and think we should be grateful to be included. You are disgusting and most assuredly racist.
I know you’re being facetious but I’ll answer for you: No, four Asian characters where three are family members and none of them get any meaningful role as a love interest for the Asian American lead girl are not enough. Now sit down Sallie.
if you think siblings are always of the same race, you have no business speaking about issues of race.
This is one of the dumbest comments I’ve ever read. I hope you’re a child because if you’re an adult, you show no signs of critical thinking. Are you Asian? Are you even a minority? You expect Asians to be thankful for a handout and you’re so dense that you can’t understand the points made. Jenny Han doesn’t include Asian American males as love interests for the Asian American girls. Why? You don’t see that she’s catering to the white gaze? You don’t see how Asian American boys and men are emasculated by the media and written off as unattractive and undesirable? And Jenny Han buys into this with her casting. Swapping one minority for another isn’t inclusiveness. And Cam presents as white in the series so your point is shaky at best. It’s seeing minorities as people who can be swapped in and out. And Jae never made fun of someone dying of cancer. That’s just what you read into it. Were the kids dying of cancer too? Is that why the mothers allowed teens to smoke pot and get drunk? That’s not good parenting whether you have cancer or not. And for the record, the author of this review has cancer so you can stfu with your whining.
Where are all these people coming from?!
Facebook of course! haha I grabbed the link here
https://www.facebook.com/teenvogue/posts/pfbid02gwDWqrUfJzMBqhSGFDXUroZH2tQnuHiNG1otyGBfngkv2MKgDLPeAB59TpsnQe8l
I checked out that Facebook page and all the comments are by white girls who probably have zero Asian friends. They’re just clueless. I’m sure they all like Taylor Swift and vanilla lattes.
Agreed! Also and I know this is nitpicking but why is there never any Korean American actors in any of Jenny Han’s series?
This is a pet peeve of mine esp in TATB. They always use the best actor for the part excuse but I think they think no one can tell Asians apart and it’s true of most non Asians and let’s face it, that’s who these things are catering to. They don’t care about Asian Americans because they’re not really representing us. But we can see when someone like Lana is full Asian while her sisters are hapa and none of them are Korean.
To the question of “isn’t 4 Asians enough?” My simple thought is absolutely not. 4 Asians is the most basic level. My nuclear family gets together and you’ve already got 9. And then the friends…
You’re OK with a girl making out with two brothers? I’m not. That’s trashy. Also if you can’t think of how brothers may not both be white, you lead a sheltered life.
I’m okay with it as far as representation goes, yes, considering all the things the comment I replied to mentioned. The complaint wasn’t that they were brothers, it was that they were both white. And sure, there are ways to make that not the case if you want to force representation and have them still be “brothers”, but yeah, two actual brothers who share both biological parents are going to be the same race, that’s just how genetics works.
You’re OK with the representation of…white people like yourself? Of course you are. Are you critiquing the actual review or Sallie’s interpretation of it because nowhere in the review does she “complain” about that they were both white. She does end the review saying that being with both brothers is gross and I agree with that. Everyone knows how genetics works. The fact that you only consider brothers to be “real” if they’re of the same race/genetics is a sad commentary on your outlook.
Nope, that’s not what I was saying at all, I was saying I’m okay with the level of minority representation given how half, at best, of the main characters were white, as Sallie mentioned. But of course you want to twist my words to pretend I’m being racist. I was adding to Sallie’s comment, the review link didn’t work for me but I saw the show. Personally I think everything Sallie said had objective merit, and the fact that you’re dragging my race into it as if I’m not allowed to have an opinion unless my race matches that of the main character in the show (which yours doesn’t even, so I’m not sure where the holier-than-thou attitude is coming from) suggests you’re part of the exact problem that Sallie was criticising, and with due respect, not someone I can see having any kind of productive discussion with. Have a good day.
Holier than thou isn’t pointing out facts that you don’t know about because you didn’t read the source material. You’re not a minority and that’s wonderful for you. Clearly you have no interest in hearing the points of view of people who aren’t like you. I am disappointed but not surprised. You have a great evening as well and a happy fourth of July.
I’m interested in other points of view, if those points of view don’t involve strawmen and double standards. As for the fourth of July, I’ll do my best. I’m not even American, but I’m not surprised you’d assume that.
“I’ll do my best.” LOL What a victim!!!! OMG You are too much.
She probably assumed you were American because you talk like one of those M@GA morons, which you probably are. YOU DIDN’T READ THE ARTICLE and are spewing your shit like you know something. Just take the L sis. Your arguments are based on some other white woman’s views on Asian Representation and you both come off as incredibly entitled. You are an embarrassment to white people. We don’t claim you as one of our own. I’m glad you’re not American because we have enough idiots of our own. I hope you have a lousy Fourth of July.
Wow Fiona, rude much?
Great review Jae-Ha Kim. Thank you for writing such an eloquent article. I watched the series with my daughters (my son refused, hahaha) and found many problematic aspects, but that gave us an opportunity to talk about how ridiculous it is to base popularity solely on looks, how brothers should not fight over the same girl, and how it is never okay for underage children to drink liquor or use drugs. I am not that cool mother. One daughter loved the series, the other thought it was stupid and asked why it’s always Asian girls are always dating white boys when Asian boys are cuter. (They are BTS and Ateez fans.) I didn’t know what to say. I suspect it’s because Hollywood doesn’t hold much value in Asian boys or men. This led to a conversation about how Asian girls and women are overly sexualized by the media. I agree that watching Belly flit between both brothers was an issue and in its own way played into this negative stereotype of overly sexualized Asian women. Sorry for this long comment but after reading some of the threads here, I wanted to show my appreciation. Have a nice long weekend! And Happy 4th from one American to another. hahaha
“I’m not even American, but I’m not surprised you’d assume that.”
Wow Fiona, saying that to an Asian person. You ARE racist and vile. I’ve heard a lot in my 44 years and your language is that of xenophobe. Do better.
No one has to pretend this bish is racist. Fiona you are not only racist you are also dumb as a doorknob. I am white and cannot believe that people like you still exist in this day and era. Shame on you. Go crack open a book, turn off Fox News, and go learn something. I feel sorry for any minority who has to come into contact with you.
No one dragged your race into this. But since you brought it up, your race and privilege probably is why you can’t see beyond your own world.
I comprehended everything perfectly well. She has an issue with the main character not having an Asian love interest. She doesn’t like that the main character is “only” interested in white boys. Disregarding the fact that the white boys are her two best friends who she grew up with and like family to her. Not just some random white boys. I don’t see why their race matters. Considering I enjoyed the show (where the main character is Asian) and also watch Korean dramas all the time, where EVERY character is Asian, yes it would be pretty ridiculous to say I don’t like Asian people. I’ve never said anything like what she said because I don’t think the ethnicity of someone’s love interest should matter. She apparently does and if she wants to watch a show that is entirely people of color or even specifically Asian people that’s her prerogative. Her main complaint about this one is that it has white characters though and that is an odd position to take.
Yuck. That’s even worse. She likes two white boys who “are her two best friends who she grew up with and like family to her.” So she’s romantically interested in boys who are like family to her? This show is sounding worse and worse.
Wow, defensive much? There’s nothing wrong with what she wrote. Minorities aren’t interchangeable and swapping one minority for another is weird.
You’re looking at this from a very white point of view. You’re also completely being obtuse about what Jae said: that Jenny Han keeps pairing Asian girls with white boys. Why do you think that is? Representation matters and what kind of message is that sending to Asian American boys? You probably don’t give a shit about them, Sallie, do you? I do. I care about my community and am grateful that people like Jae write articles like this.
Her main complaint is NOT that it has white characters and again I said you did not comprehend the review. Also, you are not Asian. You do not get to dictate what is and isn’t fine in terms of Asian representation. Look at you comparing K-dramas with American television. K-dramas are full of Korean people because Korea is a homogeneous population with almost all Korean citizens. The U.S. isn’t, it’s ethnically diverse. That’s the issue. There was no reason for them to change Cam of all people, a character who was written to be Japanese American. She wrote a review that was well backed up. You just don’t like what she wrote because it differs from your opinion.
Don’t bother trying to talk sense into Sallie. She’s from Texas and while I like to give people the doubt, she represents all the xenophobic stereotypes about that sad state.
Yeah, exactly, and we all get to have opinions right? She gets to say hers and I get to say mine. I’m not sure why you are arguing with me about this but I’ve already said what I think and you can think whatever you want.
i DoN’t seE wHy RaCe Matters. Did this woman actually say this at her big age. When people say they don’t like white people, they’re not talking about all white people. They’re talking about the Sallies in this world.
Someone else said it and I’ll just repeat it. You’re a dumass. You’re also probably a racist. You give the rest of us white people a bad name. You also sound like a Karen. Ew go away and leave us alone.
fwiw I liked the series. It was mindless stupid fun. I also liked this review for seeing things that I didn’t. Acknowledge your privilege and learn from others Karen.
You really said “I don’t see why their race matters”.
Yes because falling in love has nothing to do with race. The story is about an Asian American girl who spends every summer her entire life with a family who happens to be white, and grows up with a crush on one of the brothers. Then the other brother tells her he has feelings for her. That is the story being told and there is nothing wrong with that story. If they had made Cam japanese the author would probably be complaining that she chose the white boy over the Asian boy. He was someone she hung out with to try to distract her from the guy she was in love with, but she didn’t have real feelings for him, and his ethnicity is only mentioned once in the book and not a major part of his character. Him being Puerto Rican actually adds diversity to the show considering most of the main characters are either white or Asian. Anyways I’m not going round and round about this. I was never trying to convince anyone of anything. Just saying my opinion, and like I said, we all have a right to one. Good day.
“The person who wrote the article just doesn’t seem to like white people. And judging someone who is dying of cancer for smoking pot is just gross. I think the show did a great job of modernizing the story.”
I’m white and don’t like a lot of white people, especially you.
Thanks for spoilering that someone is dying of cancer, you nitwit. Did you notice that Ms. Kim specifically didn’t mention that tidbit so as not to reveal a major plot point? The reason people are saying you didn’t understand the review and lack comprehension skills is because you say you read the review, and yet you’re citing things that are not in the review. She didn’t judge the adults for smoking pot. She did point out that there were “cool moms who don’t seem to care that their underage kids are drinking liquor and smoking pot.” If you are fine with your 16 year olds doing drugs then by all means break the law and let them do it. But don’t cite things no one said. At worst, you come across like a vindictive liar. At best, you come across like a dim bulb.
why are you talking over an Asian woman about this? Why do you feel you get to decide how much representation is enough. Being quiet is free. Indulge.
As someone who has been in many interracial relationships I do not like the archaic idea that the main character should be with someone of her own race. It is a great book and show about a BEAUTIFUL interracial relationship and there is nothing wrong with that. How the hell am I talking over her when she wrote an article and all I did was comment on a public forum. She is a film critic and I’m just a random person on Facebook. Stating my opinions in the comment section isn’t talking over her. That is what the comment section is for. The writer of the book, who was very involved in making the adaptation, is also an Asian American woman so maybe if the person who wrote the article wants more representation she should support an Asian American author who writes books that are getting made into mainstream shows and movies with Asian Americans as the main character. Instead of complaining that they celebrate interracial love and insisting characters should be paired with a member of her own race.
here’s a concept. Maybe don’t say anything and just listen. Yes, you get to have an opinion, but maybe disagreeing with Asian folks or any marginalized group about how they feel their representation is handled is when you should keep your opinion to yourself because it’s not your place. Yes, that includes if you’ve seen and liked the movie. ESPECIALLY if you saw and liked it. Learn to consider the world through another lens. Learn to sit with your white opinions when they’re not requested or required in POC discussions.
And I know how you’ll respond because I’ve seen how you’ve responded to others. But I’m telling you I’m only here cause Asian American friends are shaking their head over the white woman talking over folks in this thread and it’s you. 🤷🏾♀️
“instead of complaining…”
Look at what you’re bringing to the discussion all to disagree with an Asian woman. It’s dismissive. It’s condescending. And it’s not your place. And it’s why folks are currently pointing to this as Karen behavior elsewhere. Do better.
she made up her own version of the review and said everything she disagreed with is complaining.
I see. It’s obnoxious.
No one is saying people have to date within their own race. NO ONE IS SAYING THAT. What the writer pointed out was Jenny Han’s continual erasure of Asian American and Asian romantic love interests in her work. You’re probably going to point out that her brother is Asian American and I will point out that this isn’t Deliverance so the Asian American girl will not be dating the one Asian American boy *HER BROTHER* in the series. She wasn’t even saying that one of the white brothers had to be Asian. She was saying it was odd that the Asian American boyfriend Cam wasn’t played by an ethnically Asian actor.
Also you having dated non white boy doesn’t make you an expert on minorities, Sallie. And it doesn’t absolve you of your oddly defensive views. Grow up.
Sallie Bear, do you support all white people and say their work is good when it’s problematic? Then why do you expect minorities to do the same? That’s not supporting the community. You are such a condescending woman who does not care to see past her own nose. Shame on you!
Not to mention, the “two white boys” she was torn between were brothers, if one of them was white it doesn’t make sense for the other to be anything but.
if you think siblings are always of the same race, you have no business speaking about issues of race.
You’re OK with a girl making out with two brothers? I’m not. That’s trashy. Also if you can’t think of how brothers may not both be white, you lead a sheltered life.
I’m okay with it as far as representation goes, yes, considering all the things the comment I replied to mentioned. The complaint wasn’t that they were brothers, it was that they were both white. And sure, there are ways to make that not the case if you want to force representation and have them still be “brothers”, but yeah, two actual brothers who share both biological parents are going to be the same race, that’s just how genetics works.
You’re OK with the representation of…white people like yourself? Of course you are. Are you critiquing the actual review or Sallie’s interpretation of it because nowhere in the review does she “complain” about that they were both white. She does end the review saying that being with both brothers is gross and I agree with that. Everyone knows how genetics works. The fact that you only consider brothers to be “real” if they’re of the same race/genetics is a sad commentary on your outlook.
Nope, that’s not what I was saying at all, I was saying I’m okay with the level of minority representation given how half, at best, of the main characters were white, as Sallie mentioned. But of course you want to twist my words to pretend I’m being racist. I was adding to Sallie’s comment, the review link didn’t work for me but I saw the show. Personally I think everything Sallie said had objective merit, and the fact that you’re dragging my race into it as if I’m not allowed to have an opinion unless my race matches that of the main character in the show (which yours doesn’t even, so I’m not sure where the holier-than-thou attitude is coming from) suggests you’re part of the exact problem that Sallie was criticising, and with due respect, not someone I can see having any kind of productive discussion with. Have a good day.
LMAO you completely didn’t get Yoon’s point.
Holier than thou isn’t pointing out facts that you don’t know about because you didn’t read the source material. You’re not a minority and that’s wonderful for you. Clearly you have no interest in hearing the points of view of people who aren’t like you. I am disappointed but not surprised. You have a great evening as well and a happy fourth of July.
I’m interested in other points of view, if those points of view don’t involve strawmen and double standards. As for the fourth of July, I’ll do my best. I’m not even American, but I’m not surprised you’d assume that.
“I’ll do my best.” LOL What a victim!!!! OMG You are too much.
She probably assumed you were American because you talk like one of those M@GA morons, which you probably are. YOU DIDN’T READ THE ARTICLE and are spewing your shit like you know something. Just take the L sis. Your arguments are based on some other white woman’s views on Asian Representation and you both come off as incredibly entitled. You are an embarrassment to white people. We don’t claim you as one of our own. I’m glad you’re not American because we have enough idiots of our own. I hope you have a lousy Fourth of July.
Wow Fiona, rude much?
Great review Jae-Ha Kim. Thank you for writing such an eloquent article. I watched the series with my daughters (my son refused, hahaha) and found many problematic aspects, but that gave us an opportunity to talk about how ridiculous it is to base popularity solely on looks, how brothers should not fight over the same girl, and how it is never okay for underage children to drink liquor or use drugs. I am not that cool mother. One daughter loved the series, the other thought it was stupid and asked why it’s always Asian girls are always dating white boys when Asian boys are cuter. (They are BTS and Ateez fans.) I didn’t know what to say. I suspect it’s because Hollywood doesn’t hold much value in Asian boys or men. This led to a conversation about how Asian girls and women are overly sexualized by the media. I agree that watching Belly flit between both brothers was an issue and in its own way played into this negative stereotype of overly sexualized Asian women. Sorry for this long comment but after reading some of the threads here, I wanted to show my appreciation. Have a nice long weekend! And Happy 4th from one American to another. hahaha
“I’m not even American, but I’m not surprised you’d assume that.”
Wow Fiona, saying that to an Asian person. You ARE racist and vile. I’ve heard a lot in my 44 years and your language is that of xenophobe. Do better.
No one has to pretend this bish is racist. Fiona you are not only racist you are also dumb as a doorknob. I am white and cannot believe that people like you still exist in this day and era. Shame on you. Go crack open a book, turn off Fox News, and go learn something. I feel sorry for any minority who has to come into contact with you.
No one dragged your race into this. But since you brought it up, your race and privilege probably is why you are telling actual minorities what is and isn’t good enough for them.
People are conflating a few minorities popping up in this sad-excuse-for-entertainment series as being inclusive. You can have Asian people in something and still be racist as fuck. Perfect example is Long Duk Dong in 16 Candles, who was a caricature. Or the the character Han Lee in Two Broke Girls. Or Rowling’s ridiculously giving her one Asian character two surnames (Cho Chang) for her name. If you don’t understand why Asian American critics are advocating for better representation, you are not an ally and you are definitely racist. Yes I’m talking to you Sallie and your even more clueless white friend Fiona.
I thought this movie was ok
I mean she was a huge tease with the brothers
Thank you Ms. Kim for standing up for Asians and Asian Americans. Some of the people making rude comments think that having one Asian is more than enough representation. It is not, especially in 2022.
A lot of non Asian folks having opinions on how many Asians is enough in this series is just cringe tbh. This review is a critique of a weak series that isn’t even as good as the book. The casting IS off and Jenny Han continues to exclude Asian American men in romantic roles with the lead character.
I am not even surprised. Just a gross display of entitlement disguised as “well, we all have opinions!”
Sallie Bear You may have read the review but it doesn’t seem you comprehended the words. You liked the series, good for you. The critic didn’t care for it and gave the reasons why. Saying the critic doesn’t like white people is as ridiculous as me saying you don’t like Asian people.
I comprehended everything perfectly well. She has an issue with the main character not having an Asian love interest. She doesn’t like that the main character is “only” interested in white boys. Disregarding the fact that the white boys are her two best friends who she grew up with and like family to her. Not just some random white boys. I don’t see why their race matters. Considering I enjoyed the show (where the main character is Asian) and also watch Korean dramas all the time, where EVERY character is Asian, yes it would be pretty ridiculous to say I don’t like Asian people. I’ve never said anything like what she said because I don’t think the ethnicity of someone’s love interest should matter. She apparently does and if she wants to watch a show that is entirely people of color or even specifically Asian people that’s her prerogative. Her main complaint about this one is that it has white characters though and that is an odd position to take.
Yuck. That’s even worse. She likes two white boys who “are her two best friends who she grew up with and like family to her.” So she’s romantically interested in boys who are like family to her? This show is sounding worse and worse.
Wow, defensive much? There’s nothing wrong with what she wrote. Minorities aren’t interchangeable and swapping one minority for another is weird.
You’re looking at this from a very white point of view. You’re also completely being obtuse about what Jae said: that Jenny Han keeps pairing Asian girls with white boys. Why do you think that is? Representation matters and what kind of message is that sending to Asian American boys? You probably don’t give a shit about them, Sallie, do you? I do. I care about my community and am grateful that people like Jae write articles like this.
Her main complaint is NOT that it has white characters and again I said you did not comprehend the review. Also, you are not Asian. You do not get to dictate what is and isn’t fine in terms of Asian representation. Look at you comparing K-dramas with American television. K-dramas are full of Korean people because Korea is a homogeneous population with almost all Korean citizens. The U.S. isn’t, it’s ethnically diverse. That’s the issue. There was no reason for them to change Cam of all people, a character who was written to be Japanese American. She wrote a review that was well backed up. You just don’t like what she wrote because it differs from your opinion.
Don’t bother trying to talk sense into Sallie. She’s from Texas and while I like to give people the doubt, she represents all the xenophobic stereotypes about that sad state.
Yeah, exactly, and we all get to have opinions right? She gets to say hers and I get to say mine. I’m not sure why you are arguing with me about this but I’ve already said what I think and you can think whatever you want.
i DoN’t seE wHy RaCe Matters. Did this woman actually say this at her big age. When people say they don’t like white people, they’re not talking about all white people. They’re talking about the Sallies in this world.
You really said “I don’t see why their race matters”.
Yes because falling in love has nothing to do with race. The story is about an Asian American girl who spends every summer her entire life with a family who happens to be white, and grows up with a crush on one of the brothers. Then the other brother tells her he has feelings for her. That is the story being told and there is nothing wrong with that story. If they had made Cam japanese the author would probably be complaining that she chose the white boy over the Asian boy. He was someone she hung out with to try to distract her from the guy she was in love with, but she didn’t have real feelings for him, and his ethnicity is only mentioned once in the book and not a major part of his character. Him being Puerto Rican actually adds diversity to the show considering most of the main characters are either white or Asian. Anyways I’m not going round and round about this. I was never trying to convince anyone of anything. Just saying my opinion, and like I said, we all have a right to one. Good day.
Colonizer mentality. Read up on what diversity actually means, Sallie.
Someone else said it and I’ll just repeat it. You’re a dumass. You’re also probably a racist. You give the rest of us white people a bad name. You also sound like a Karen. Ew go away and leave us alone.
fwiw I liked the series. It was mindless stupid fun. I also liked this review for seeing things that I didn’t. Acknowledge your privilege and learn from others Karen.
There are a bunch of comments on Teen Vogue’s facebook page and every single person who likes this adaptation is a white woman. One idiot said she watched Kdramas so she therefore can’t be racist. Oh my word no wonder this country is in the state it is in.
This series was cute summer fun and I didn’t read too much into it other than that. Both mother characters were boring and the hooking up between Belly’s mom and the author was blah. Conrad was an ass (the boy who plays him is cute though) and not the be all end all at all and it was gross how she was kissing both brothers. I think she referred to herself as a fk girl and that was crude but that whole scenario was tasteless and unbelievable.
I didn’t think much about Belly only dating white boys and that’s partially because of my white privilege. I didn’t agree with this entire review but I liked that it opened my eyes to subjects I honestly never think of, or have to think of.
I think some of these commenters here are thoughtless and want to be right more than acknowledge what is right.
I have no interest in watching this show but found your perspective refreshing. Some critics make a habit of just writing about that plot and that’s it. No analysis or deeper discussion about what’s going on. You always parse through the exterior to get to the important parts. Thank you for all your hard work. I appreciate you. And I purple you too.
Thanks to everyone who pointed out the comments on Teen Vogue’s Facebook page here for the discussion thread). Most of the commenters loved the series and didn’t like my critique, because they felt that I was bringing up race when it didn’t need to be included. Disagreeing with my review is fine. However, conversations about representation (or the lack thereof) is always welcome in my view, because how will people think about issues that ordinarily are foreign to them if they’re not addressed?
I realize that discussions about race and prejudice make a lot of people —especially white people — uncomfortable. When they are questioned about their views, they think it’s akin to calling them racists and get defensive. And they think that minorities who bring up racism hate white people, when that simply isn’t true. Racism didn’t just spring up overnight. The less people speak out about it… the more people accept microaggressions as not a big deal … the more normalized racism will become. And for the record, I never said this series was racist.
One of the most humbling comments I received was via Twitter, where a reader said: “Whoah brutal article. I enjoyed this show but you definitely made me take off the blinders and see things I tried to excuse. Thank you.” And yes, the person who made this comment was a Black woman who, as a minority herself, could relate to the criticism of the series in a way that the majority can’t.
You can enjoy a project and still acknowledge that there is work to be done so that things get better, rather than worse. Otherwise, we would still be getting whitewashed projects like “Breakfast at Tiffany’s” and “Kung Fu,” which have no place in modern society.
The commenters on Facebook appear to be middle-aged or older women, who are talking about a series aimed at a younger demographic. Maybe they long for a simpler (for them) time when race didn’t have to be discussed. Here’s hoping that the youthful generation does a better job than their elders.
Phenomenal insight applicable far beyond your critique. As the Black parent of a teenaged daughter, I appreciate you.
If anyone else comments on this thread I will just ignore you because I’m tired of repeating myself. I’ve said everything multiple times in all the comments.
Oh brother. Stop complaining. You put yourself out there sharing your misleading comments.
I originally posted this on that Facebook page and then deleted it because I don’t want to hear from those women again. I am seeing a lot of white people saying they like Korean dramas and so they can’t be racist, or that they have been in a lot of interracial relationships so they can’t be racist, but the review is racist because it says the girl should only date Asians. That’s not what the review said and yes I just reread it because I wondered if I missed something that you all got, before realizing that some of you just made this up. What the review says is that the author, Jenny Han, has a history of pairing the Asian girl up with white boys. The question is why. It is absolutely not racist for a critic to ask that question.
When Asian men are primary love interests, they’re played by half white actors. Crazy Rich Asians casted Henry Golding. The Sun Is Also a Star casted Charles Melton. The film adaptation for Eleanor and Park (racist book written by a white woman) will likely cast a half Asian man.
While we’re on the topic of YA novels involving Asian women or girls, can we talk about how many books center around us trying to attain white access and integrate ourself into whiteness or pursuing Asian men who are, for all intents and purposes, trophy boyfriends?
The series sucked. The kids can’t act and there was barely any plot to hold it together. I am a huge fan of the TATB films. The quality has gone downhill on this one.