All-American Girl: The Kim Family

In the late 1990’s, the standup comedian, Margaret Cho received the opportunity to starred in her own sitcom called All-American Girl, which was also the first American sitcom to feature an Asian American family. Perhaps many people will believe this was a perfect chance to improve the portrayal of Korean-Americans, and Asian Americans in general. However, that is not the case.

All-American Girl (1994-1995) is a sitcom that revolves around the Kim family who resides in San Francisco. The main protagonist name Margaret Kim lives with her parents, a younger and an older brother, and her paternal grandmother. The show exemplifies a typical Asian American family in which plotlines are primarily focused on old world values versus new world values. All-American Girl centers around everyday problems dealing specifically with the adjustments as a Korean family within the United States. The main protagonist is at a constant struggle with her role as a Korean American and the child of an immigrant family. Margaret’s parents, especially her traditional mother, wishes her to have a professional career as a lawyer or a doctor, yet we learn that she envisions a different life for herself as either a club promoter or an artist. Being the first on screen Asian American family on sitcom, the show attempts to depict the family as realistic as possible, yet only three of the eleven writers on the ABC sitcom were of Asian American origin.

Throughout the sitcom, each episode introduces Margaret defying her parents’ traditional values and high expectations, to which her parents get very upset and disappointed. Her rebelliousness and defiance usually leads to her and her mother often having quarrels that serve as the climactic point of the narrative. Margaret’s character is witty, frivolous, and impudent. Although the depiction of her character challenges the traditional Asian American female roles, she is often the butt of her family’s jokes due to her continuous attempt to pave her own path despite the relentless pressures deriving from her parents.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_35OnSvdqyE

In the episode “Redesining Women”, Amy who is the fiancée of Margaret’s older brother visits the Kim family. While preparing for food, Margaret’s mother compliments Amy that she has always wanted a daughter like Amy. This scene also suggests that Amy is Margaret’s foil because Amy is a proper young woman who is 'perfect' in the eyes of the Kim family. Amy understands the importance of a good education, values family, and cares about the Korean community. Hollywood has a tendency of portraying Asian women as subservient, compliant, and eager to please. Such perpetual stereotypes forces viewers to believe that perhaps Asian American women are truly weak or passive. However, Margaret eventually 'corrupts' Amy by taking her to a night of partying before her wedding. This scene challenges the traditional archetype of what it means to be a young Korean woman in an American culture. At the same time, it seems that in order to defy the standardized Asian female image, one must be recognized as wild or rebellious. In essence, it seems as if Asian Americans in sitcoms are always having to prove their ‘Americanness.’