PEN15: Asian American Coming of Age

 PEN15' Recap, Season 1, Episode 1: 'First Day'

PEN15 is a middle school era show that stars Maya Erskine and Anna Konkle. The show itself explores the difficulties of being an awkward pre-teen. The inclusion of an Asian character also explores ideas of assimilation and intersectionality. 

Maya's character explores the extra difficulty of being Asian in a majority white area. In the first episode, Maya is targeted by her class and labeled 'U.G.I.S.' or 'the ugliest girl in school'. Although her Asian identity isn't put to the forefront of the conflict, it still plays a large part in Maya's identity. 

The only times we see Maya's Asian identity is when she interacts with her family. An early episode shows her family praying at a shrine for Maya's grandfather. In the same episode, Maya's family is eating a typical American dinner with chopsticks. This is a perfect example of the assimilation that their family is going through in this suburban community.

It would have been nice to look further into Maya's life at home and her Asian identity, but it also feels like the show isn't as focused on that part of Maya's life. The show is more about experiences in middle school and puberty, but that does not mean that the show couldn't have set aside a subplot that discussed assimilation and intersectionality.

Comments

  1. AmyMarch 21, 2021 at 10:21 PM

    Its interesting to think about where a show that has Asian American characters but doesnt foreground race or racism fits within the category of Asian American film and media.

    ReplyDelete

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