The Devil Wears Prada 2 hasn’t even hit cinemas yet, but it’s already drawing flak for its portrayal of one of its Asian characters.
In a clip released by 20th Century Studios to tease the film’s release, we’re introduced to Jin Chao (Helen J. Shen), a… more than precocious assistant assigned to Andy Sachs (Anne Hathaway). She starts off bubbly, ready to walk-and-talk beside her new boss; however, as soon as Andy gives her a monosyllabic answer, Jin immediately cracks and starts to spiral.
“You don’t want me,” Jin laments. “If you don’t want me, you can interview someone else, I don’t mind. I did go to Yale, 3.86 GPA, lead soprano of the Whiffenpoofs, and my ACT score was 36 on the very first try…”
The clip has begun making its rounds on the internet, and viewers are quickly pointing out how the character of Jin Chao seems to be playing into several East Asian stereotypes. Many have voiced concerns with the character’s name (which sounds like two last names slapped together), and how it seems to be a little more than similar to the Western slur, “Ching Chong.” The phrase can be traced back to the 19th century, when “yellow peril” and xenophobic sentiments were on the rise in the United States as more and more Chinese immigrants flocked to the country.
Other viewers have also started drawing parallels between Jin Chao and past instances of stereotypical Asian characters making it to the big screen, such as Mickey Rooney’s Mr. Yunioshi in Breakfast at Tiffany’s. It definitely doesn’t help that Jin’s playing into the overachieving and model minority tendencies that come with the Asian stereotype.
It’s a rough start for The Devil Wears Prada 2, especially as the accusations of racism begin to pick up steam. However, it might be best for us to wait until the movie makes it to cinemas (April 29 in the Philippines) before we jump to conclusions. Because who knows? Maybe Jin Chao contains multitudes (or at least I really hope so).
