“Cute” is perhaps one of the most versatile words we use. A puppy is cute. So is the person we have a crush on. At the essence of cute is a sense of something endearing, something that isn’t particularly significant.
Merriam-Webster defines “cute” as “attractive or pretty, especially in a childish, youthful or delicate way.” Thus, when we use “cute” in contexts outside of describing cafes or the latest fashion item, it can be demeaning.
When Bong Joon-Ho directed “Parasite” to a Best Director and Best Picture win at the 2020 Oscars, it was an unforgettable moment in history. His victory marked the first time that a film not produced in English won the Best Picture. As a fellow Korean to Bong, I was elated that his film and its insightful exploration of Korean societal inequality won one of the biggest awards in film.
And yet, I felt that Bong’s success was devalued by the fact that many people described his demeanor in his acceptance speeches and interviews as “cute.” When my friends and people on social media gushed about how “cute” Bong was as he politely smiled and expressed his thanks in limited English, he wasn’t receiving the full respect that an Oscar Best Director should.
Bong’s speeches did stand out from the bolder speeches that other male winners gave. Brad Pitt delivered a quick jab at the current American political climate when he joked how John Bolton, President Trump’s former national security adviser, was not allowed to testify in Trump’s impeachment trial. Joaquin Phoenix took longer than other recipients with a nearly four-minute speech about his second chances in life and the way we treat cows. Bong, however, kept his speeches succinct and used his time on stage to humbly thank others for his awards.
What, exactly, is so cute about that?
Bong’s speeches reflect East Asian social principles of not elevating oneself but, rather, staying humble and showing concern for others. In his acceptance speech for Best Director, Bong spent most of his time crediting his success to others. He thanked fellow nominee Martin Scorsese for inspiring him throughout his life and Quentin Tarantino for increasing awareness of “Parasite” in America.
As he wrapped up his speech, Bong said, “If the Academy allows, I would like to get a Texas Chainsaw, split the Oscar trophy into five and share it with all of you.”
International viewers and fans who were more accustomed to the self-confident speeches of Pitt and Phoenix misinterpret Bong’s politeness as a form of weakness. Those audiences don’t outright label it as weakness but, rather, describe Asians like Bong Joon Ho as “cute” because they find this politeness endearing.
One would never call a superior or someone we respect “cute.” When we use “cute” to describe grown adults like Bong, then, that implies that deep down, we don’t take them as seriously, even if they win four Oscars. This underlying abasement needs to change.
One Twitter user shared their frustration with the sudden attention Bong got for “Parasite” and how people were blithely unaware of how his previous films like “The Host” provided commentary on American imperialism and military occupation of Korea.
Bong and his sophisticated work are indeed cheapened when people label him, a grown man with a successful film directing career, as “cute.” In this era of conversations about the importance of word choice and how those words are linked to our identities, we also need to think about who we’re calling cute.
We also need to acknowledge that the low number of Asian Americans in visible leadership roles does not stem from any weakness or incompetence. Rather, Asian Americans are stymied in their attempts to climb up the leadership ladder precisely because they have always been stereotyped as weak—or cute. Only 20 Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders serve the nation in Congress. Asian Americans are also severely underrepresented in Silicon Valley leadership even though they comprise about 27% of its workforce.
We must recognize that each culture is different from ours and that people will conduct themselves in very different ways. It is not up to us to put a label on their social principles from just our lens. Asian adults like Bong Joon Ho aren’t weak and cute because they don’t seek to elevate themselves or because they smile a lot; they do those things because that’s just simply how their culture works.
This goes both ways. East Asians may view other cultures’ more direct and self-confident ways of communication as impolite, but that doesn’t mean we can call those colleagues rude. As we encounter intercultural communication issues, we need to involve ourselves in the difficult but crucial process of helping each other learn how we as global citizens can communicate more effectively.
One of the awards Bong won was the International Feature Film award. In his acceptance speech, he said the award was more meaningful because it marked the first time that the award wasn’t given as the Best Foreign Language Film.
“I applaud and support the change that this change symbolizes,” he said in Korean.
As we move away from words like “foreign,” which strongly denote a sense of other, let’s embrace this global community. One way we can do that is to stop calling Asian adults cute.
NU Journalism Blog 