As a
nerdlesquer, I have a lot of strong opinions about geeky media. I get particularly fired up about
representation—or more accurately, misrepresentation. Friends have witnessed my rants on social
media, but sometimes that's not enough.
Sometimes I have to dance it out.
Three
years ago, Avengers actors Chris Evans and Jeremy Renner called Black Widow a
"slut" and "whore".
Although they apologized, it was, to me, a tipping point in the
mistreatment of this kickass comic book character. She's often left out of merchandise, and
despite having a very interesting backstory, producers refuse to give her a
solo movie. Even in the Avengers
universe, she's not free from misogyny (as much as I love Loki, the rape threat
was not necessary).
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Tuesday Tease: Spy Who Teased Me
Photo by Danny Fox-Trot |
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All these
things gave me an idea for a Black Widow routine.
At the time, I was busy with other acts so I
filed it away.
When I finally had the
opportunity to work on it, I found another layer to the narrative: the
live-action
Ghost in the Shell,
starring Scarlett Johansson, was playing in theatres.
My anger
at the whitewashing of a Japanese character could be a post in itself, but
there's already a lot of exiting commentary.
I took this somewhat personally because
my name came from the
Ghost in the Shell anime.
Motoko Kusanagi was the hero I needed when I
first tried to reinvent myself as Hana Li.
Casting Johansson as The Major, even if The Major's apparently-white
body is artificial, sends the message that Asian women are not complete
individuals— that our stories aren't worth telling.
Burlesque
has given me another way to tell stories, and now I could get my revenge. Not only could I strip away how the names
Black Widow has been called along with her tough exterior, I could strip away
her identity as a white woman. After all,
Marvel Ultimate's featured an Asian Black Widow named Monica Chang. Even if few audience members would make the
connection, I'm still depicting an idea of hidden identities. The last word I take off before shedding the
red wig is "unseen". That's
what I refuse to be.
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Glitterbomb: Guardians of
the Glitter Galaxy
Photo by Saraphimart |
I took the
same approach with Mantis.
Although her
innocence was endearing, I raged at how the omniscient Celestial Madonna had
been
reduced to a slave and the butt of jokes.
She reminded me of everything I hated about being called "cute":
all those undertones of being helpless, harmless, and docile.
As Hana Li, I've been able to combat the
infantilization I've encountered in looking young and perhaps being a little
naïve due to my upbringing.
I would do
the same to Mantis and restore her to her sexy kickass self.
I would dare audiences to call my version of
Mantis "ugly" (another part of the movie I could critique).
Glitterbomb
gave me the opportunity to make this idea reality with their
Guardians of the
Galaxy show.
The production also made me
realize I could get more specific with my nerdlesque themes, as the audience
enjoyed what was presented to them whether they were familiar with the
film/comics or not.
A bonus for me was
getting kudos for referencing Mantis' comic book costume with my bra and panel
skirt (from
Risk by Raven).
Original
Mantis had her own issues in terms of Orientalism, but I felt like I was able
to write my own narrative for her.
You
get another chance to see my Mantis act next Tuesday at
Tease:
You can also catch me this week as part of
Viva Dallas Burlesque's weekend of Star Wars show. I'll be debuting a new act inspired by the newer movies on Saturday night. There's still a few tickets available at the door, but I recommend arriving early to either of the shows. May the 4th be with you!
