An Awkward Situation. Sarah E.

MTV's new TV show, Awkward is a hilarious comedy for teens and adult about life lessons and the awkward situations we all get ourselves into. The show has gained rapid popularity and features a predominately white cast. There is only one non-white character in the show, one of Jenna's best friends, who is hardly ever shown on screen. Jenna's friend Ming is depicted as a stereotypical Asian character with a stereotypical tiger family. She dresses kinda funny and always has her nose in a book, if she refuses she gets into trouble with her family.

Could it be possible that this is an example of hegemony, I believe it is. The show is clearly aimed at a white middle class suburban audience, for both boys and girls. However, instead of making this character more like the others on the show, they make her different and by doing so they are only implementing this stereotype more in the minds of young viewers. I actually think that there could potentially be a lot of character development for Ming in the show, but I'm not sure if that will ever happen.

One may say that it's only a comedy and it's meant to be laughed at and not taken seriously, although that is true, we have to wonder where does one cultures influencial dominance over anothers end.