Being an Asian person on SNL,' when people are like, 'Why did it take so long?' It's sort of a question that doesn't fully understand the idea that there is no developmental experiential process for a queer Asian person to get into comedy in a way that feels inevitable.
Interpretation
The quote highlights the unique challenges faced by queer Asian individuals in the comedy industry.
Bowen Yang emphasizes that the journey for a queer Asian person in comedy is not straightforward or guaranteed, and suggests that societal understanding often overlooks the complexities of identity and the unique barriers encountered in pursuing a career in this field. The question about the delay in representation indicates a lack of awareness regarding the structural obstacles that affect marginalized groups in the entertainment industry.
In practice
In a panel discussion about diversity in media.
I used to forget that I was an Indian woman. I would even forget that I was a woman. I don't think of myself as bringing to the table a lot of 'women's issues.' I don't feel the need to write about maternity. I grew up thinking that the talented people in comedy were hard-joke writers.
How to do half-hour comedy innovatively is something I do pride myself on. We invented it with 'I Love Lucy.'
I did six Broadway shows, and I noticed there weren't many female comedians. When I went to a dancing audition, there were 1,000 girls. And there were three jobs. So I said I'll just try comedy. And I loved it.
But I just think I was lucky enough to figure out early on that I wanted to do comedy, so that's what I put all my effort into.
There are certainly other female comics who are moms, but I don't know any who are actively touring with their kids. But there are more and more becoming moms, and it's awesome. I feel we're in a super sisterhood.
When I first started doing sketch comedy, I promised myself that if I were ever to have any success in this business, I wouldn't hold back. Why get there and play it safe?
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