GWSS Spring 2008 Section B

The director of The Grace Lee Project tackles the question of "Are all of us alike?" She encounters several descriptions of Grace Lee's around the country, even the world, as "nice, smart, quiet..." I think this becomes more than a project about a name, it becomes a search of what it means to be an Asian American woman and what are the expections that follow that title. Although the director tackles a lot of self-issues, she also engages other Grace Lee's and represents their stories as well. I think that unlike the Searching For Angela Shelton documentary which searched for closure, The Grace Lee Project only ended on a note of knowing a little more about Asian American woman and how they are catogorized in society, and how the director herself felt about her own identity. There was no defined closure to the documentary, but Grace Lee showed that although Asian American women can fall into general categories (even a visual of what the "average" Grace Lee would look like), they are unique and all have different stories to tell. I thought this documentary did a much better job than Angela Shelton's of showing the viewer what these women truly meant to society, and what it meant to the director's own identity search.

Posted by peanut at 12:34 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The film maker Grace Lee uses her name as the stereotype of Asian-American women. She hopes to deconstruct this stereotype and prove that not all Grace Lees or Asian-American women are the same. She constructed interviews and discovered that almost all Grace Lees were described as “nice, smart, and quiet.” Are all Asian-American women like this? Is everyone the same? Why? These are the questions that film maker Grace wanted to answer. She uses her road trip by traveling all over the United States and even Korea to meet and know Grace Lees around the world. Unlike Angela Shelton, Grace used the camera herself and rarely appeared on screen. Her main focus were the stories of the Grace Lees that she met. I liked that she acknowledged the fact that many Grace Lees were most likely not listed in her searches. She poses the questions of who those women were and why they weren't listed.

When Grace Lee goes to Korea, she meets a Grace that was a lesbian activist, but later asked to be removed from the film because she is no longer an activist and does not wish to hurt her family. The film maker is very upset by this, but asks a wonderful question, Why isn't she allowed to be flawed? I agree with this. Not everyone is perfect and while we may not agree with her choice to adhere to other's opinions of her. The Activist Grace is allowed to make her own decisions.

I think the most important idea of this movie is to individualize the Grace Lees rather than group them together like in Angela Shelton. You have to think of life in terms of things you do, not the name you have. I think this also applies to the names that you are given by society, not just the birth name. One is given a name to define race, gender, and religion. But it still isn't about the names you are given but what you do as a person that defines you.

Posted by releasethekraken at 11:55 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

In The Grace Lee Project, the director Grace Lee sets out to put a face to the other women who share her name. Lee feels that she is a unique and does not fit into the stereotypical mold of Asian American women. When most of her interviewees were asked to describe the Grace Lee they knew, descriptions included quiet, shy, intelligent, and nice. In an attempt to break the stereotype, Lee sets up a website to let the other Grace Lees come to her. To her disappointment, most of them qualified as a stereotypical Grace Lee. She had to search long and far to uncover what makes them different. She traveled as far away as Korea and also closely within California. Those Grace Lees that she met were allowed to tell their stories, and by taking a passive listening role, the director Lee was able to dig up the differences and personal stories that made each unique. One Grace was a lesbian activist, another was a pastor’s wife and mother, and yet another, a shelter for her abused friend. Externally, they may appear to be just another Grace Lee, but by hearing their stories, Lee discovers the differences. Lee learns to find comfort in their similarities, as if the truthful stereotypes were a common thread that bound them together. At the end of the movie, Grace Lee has come to accept the stereotype, knowing that there is always more behind it.

Posted by Pumpkin at 11:38 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Grace Lee does a great job at decomposing the stereotypes about Asian American women in her film. She uses the camera and real people in society that she meets name Grace Lee to show the difference in how different these Grace Lees can be and they are not just the basic stereotypes of Grace Lees being, “quiet, nice, intelligent, has violin or piano lessons, their parents are immigrants, etc.” When she interviews the Grace Lee she meets, she lets them tell their story of themselves. It lets the audience know a little bit about all the Grace Lee she has met, and she can follow that by telling the viewers that these amazing people with identical names are all different with similarities being a nice addition to being a Grace Lee. Grace Lee herself begins by questioning if all Grace Lees are the same. As the film went on to the end of her journey she has a greater understanding that there are similarities that all the Grace Lees have in common, but there are also differences in each one of them she meets and that they each have amazing stories each one has shared with her. She treasures them all.

Posted by tranx246 at 10:40 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Grace Lee does a great job at decomposing the stereotypes about Asian American women in her film. She uses the camera and real people in society that she meets name Grace Lee to show the difference in how different these Grace Lees can be and they are not just the basic stereotypes of Grace Lees being, “quiet, nice, intelligent, has violin or piano lessons, their parents are immigrants, etc.” When she interviews the Grace Lee she meets, she lets them tell their story of themselves. It lets the audience know a little bit about all the Grace Lee she has met, and she can follow that by telling the viewers that these amazing people with identical names are all different with similarities being a nice addition to being a Grace Lee. Grace Lee herself begins by questioning if all Grace Lees are the same. As the film went on to the end of her journey she has a greater understanding that there are similarities that all the Grace Lees have in common, but there are also differences in each one of them she meets and that they each have amazing stories each one has shared with her. She treasures them all.

Posted by tranx246 at 10:40 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Grace Lee does a great job at decomposing the stereotypes about Asian American women in her film. She uses the camera and real people in society that she meets name Grace Lee to show the difference in how different these Grace Lees can be and they are not just the basic stereotypes of Grace Lees being, “quiet, nice, intelligent, has violin or piano lessons, their parents are immigrants, etc.” When she interviews the Grace Lee she meets, she lets them tell their story of themselves. It lets the audience know a little bit about all the Grace Lee she has met, and she can follow that by telling the viewers that these amazing people with identical names are all different with similarities being a nice addition to being a Grace Lee. Grace Lee herself begins by questioning if all Grace Lees are the same. As the film went on to the end of her journey she has a greater understanding that there are similarities that all the Grace Lees have in common, but there are also differences in each one of them she meets and that they each have amazing stories each one has shared with her. She treasures them all.

Posted by tranx246 at 10:40 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The Grace Lee Project was a far more satisfying film about a woman's search for herself than our previous foray into the topic (the Angela Shelton Project). There were many differences between the two films, but most salient for this viewer was the organic way that the story was conveyed in Grace Lee, rather than watching Shelton seemingly stretch the story in order to have some conclusion. In other words, Grace Lee decided to take the time to listen, fete out the differences, and find the commonality where it existed, rather than trying to push the idea of commonality onto her interviewees (like someone trying to push a square peg through a round hole).

As to how Grace Lee (the filmmaker) deconstructed the stereotype of Asian-American women, I think this film both affirmed (on the surface) and blew away the stereotype. On her journey, Grace Lee found many women who share her name who do, on a surface level, fit the stereotype. Many were the petite, quiet achievers the stereotype boasts. So, if one were to stop examining the film on a superficial level, one could say that the film confirms the stereotype.

BUT, stereotypes are nothing more than surface generalizations -- so general (like a horoscope) that it can be moulded to fit around just about anybody. In searching for the other Grace Lees, filmmaker Grace Lee dug deeper, listening to the individual stories, finding many differences among her interviewees -- even amongst those who otherwise fit the Asian-American woman stereotype. She found a 17 year-old artist with a very non-traditional sense of humor and an 80+ year-old civil rights activist. If one stopped looking at the surface level, then both of these women might fit into the stereotype, but if one just digs a little deeper, one finds the glaring individuality that makes these women unique.

So, what filmmaker Grace Lee is saying about Grace Lees is that while many fit the stereotype, there are many differences just below the surface, and that each are beautiful, special, and unique, despite the common name. This general statement, and an overall feeling of sisterhood with her fellow Grace Lees about how each has gone through their own journey to find their individuality (and thus the commonality of their journeys) is what filmmaker Grace Lee (and the audience) brings home. We are all unique individuals -- just like everybody else. :-)

Posted by Sweeper887 at 10:27 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

In The Grace Lee Project Grace Lee was determined to set out and find differences among all the Grace Lees. She went from being the only Grace Lee to everybody she knows knowing another Grace Lee. Not only do they have similar names, it seems as though they are all copies of one another in one way or another. After hearing what other people had to say about the Grace Lee that they knew, she felt like she did not fit most of their descriptions. She wanted to do a road trip that searches for others that also do not fit in those descriptions. I felt in a way she was searching for a similarity within the differences. She was looking for Grace Lees that did not fit the stereotype descriptions (the difference) like her (the similarity). It did not matter what city or state she was in the way people described a Grace Lee were the same, the typical Asian American. The Grace Lee Project revealed to others that Grace Lees/Asian Americans are not all the same, the stories that were told were all over the spectrum. Just like any other ethnicity, when just looking at the surface they are all alike. The background stories are never identical. The Grace Lee reporter did not fit the shy, quiet stereotype. The Grace Lee that was an activist broke out of all “Grace Lee” boundaries. The Grace Lee that helped her friend out of an abusive marriage was nothing like the others. Then at the end when each Grace Lee described how they want to be remembered, none of them were the same. I felt that Grace Lee (the film maker) really did chip away the similar layers between Asian American women throughout her road trip. I think she took home the message that even though all Grace Lees shared the same name they did not all share the same life/fate.

Posted by Lulu at 09:46 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

With a cynical voice-over, Grace Lee, the documentary's creator, compares stereotypes for Asian American women and women with the name Grace Lee. Grace finds several of women who share her common name that also share common characteristics. Lee observes that they all match into a mold that is expected of them: average height, nationality, religion, age, etc. But through this process, she also finds that although on the outset the Grace Lee's may appear similar in statistics, there were interesting stories that separated these women drastically and made them incomparable and unique. Through her process of searching for other Grace Lee's, Grace was able to change her representation of her common name. She was able to take herself out of the Asian American stereotype perspective and hoped to influence her audience to do the same.

Posted by Miss Blog at 07:51 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

“Grace Lee” is not only a name but it acts, especially so in The Grace Lee Project, as an identity bound to many Asian American Women. In the film, everybody knew a Grace Lee, and they all carried the same ideas of what it means to be Grace Lee, even in the case of the more rebellious individuals carrying the name. Docile, quiet, intelligent.

The filmmaker Grace Lee was on a trip to discover what it means to be Grace Lee. She was determined to break a stereotype, or really to prove it wrong, to find that all Grace Lee’s are not the same. However, adverse to her intentions, Grace Lee found a strange dichotomy between stereotypes and truth. She found that while it certainly was true that all Grace Lee’s were not the same, she also found out that most Grace Lee’s shared similar characteristics that fed the stereotype.

While this discovery was not based solely on the name, Grace Lee made a connection between Asian Americans, first generation, and the reputations and personalities they acquire from that notion. That perhaps there is something to be said, the fact that many Asian American immigrants push their children to be successful because sacrifices have been made for their benefit that the characteristics of stereotypes exist.

When Grace Lee (filmmaker) interviews the other Grace Lee’s, she finds herself in awe at how much they seem to share, despite some drastic differences (i.e. Religion, sexual orientation, etc.). In the case of the

Continue reading "Stereotype=Truths?" »

Posted by cici at 09:12 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Grace Lee uses the digital road to connect and show simple differences from people. Allowing people to come to her through her website and submit information about themselves begins to set up the framework that Grace Lee uses. But the road only deconstructs stereotypes fully when the road makes it to the hard surface. As Grace Lee makes her way on the road, she does find stereotypes represented within the Grace Lee's. She finds traits like musical talent, quiet demeanor, and intelligence, but she uses these stereotypes to begin to dissolve the relationships between the Grace Lee's. She shows that although some of these societal tropes exist, they are seen purely because of the stereotype. Grace Lee moves past these stereotypes and finds that it is not hard to look past these surfaces. Like an actual road that has miles and miles of the same lines and dashes and colors, if you look closer there are many differences. Grace Lee merges the two roads to make an effective portray of the Grace Lee's of the world, whether they fit a mold or not.

Posted by tris0020 at 09:08 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Grace Lee uses her personal road trip in a different way than Angela Shelton. The documentary does not set out to cover such huge social issues as child abuse, but a more personal issue, the directors personal identity about who she is in a sea of typical Asian American women. She is setting out to identify separate herself from the thousands of perfect mannered, high acieving Grace Lee's out in the world. What she finds is that while on paper people named Grace Lee may sound like the typical Asian-American women sterotype, nice, friendly, quite, piano playing, they each have their own individual personalites and viewpoints. Some are great African-American activists, some enjoy drawing bloody pictures, and some are religious. I think that what the director Grace Lee brought back with her from the making of this documentary was a better sense of self. She realized that the streotypes aren't as constricting as she thought that they would be. There is leway and some license to be yourself, and you can still be a considered an Asian-American woman. Even if you took forever to marry your boyfriend and still aren't sure if you want to have children. The name Grace Lee doesn't mean that you are a perfect, piano-playing Asian-American daughter, you are yourself, whether your name is Grace Lee or not.

The search for Asian American womanhood is a project animating The Grace Lee Project. How does Grace Lee use her road trip (both digital and hard surface) to deconstruct stereotypes about Asian American women? What is she saying about “Grace Lees”? What does she bring home from her road trip? Be specific.

Posted by Lady at 08:15 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

In the movie, Grace Lee talks a lot about the Asian American stereotypes and even shows these women living the stereotypes. She even states that the Asian American women in the movie are the living stereotypes. I think Grace Lee starts to deconstruct the stereotypes towards the end of the movie when she shows that each Grace Lee has something unique (a freckle, a mole, a hobby, a certain type of personality, etc.) that helps them break away from the stereotype. The fimmaker finds this out by going on their life journey, asking questions and visiting each Grace Lee in their own surroundings. I think the filmmaker is saying that each Grace Lee may be linked because of their name and ethnicity, but deep down each of them has something that is unique, something no other Grace Lee has. Grace Lee, the filmmaker, brought home the idea that stereotypes can classify you but it is somebody's unique quality that sets them apart. This makes each individual who they are.

Posted by tennischica at 03:55 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Grace Lee uses Asian American women and gives them a voice to deconstruct the prejudice and stereotypes brought against them by American society. She gives these women a chance to talk about who they are, what they are like, and who they want to be. She shows that most of these women were perceived in the exact same way and given the exact same traits by the people who knew them. They were supposed to be smart, quiet, well mannered, musical, and were supposed to have a bright, prosperous future in front of them. Grace Lee breaks down these stereotypes by showing Asian American women, named Grace Lee, who were different from this mold, namely herself. By the end of the film she wanted us to leave the film thinking that just because a person has a specific name, or a specific ethnicity, doesn't mean that they are all the same and that they all fit the mold that has been made for them. She wants us to know that it is more important to know yourself and be happy with who you are then to be someone you are not. She let us know that a name is just a name and it doesn't define who you are and who you are going to be.

Posted by bella at 08:17 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Grace Lee, Los Angeles film maker goes in a total direction than most of us would`ve expected and shares with the public new bounderies about Asian American women. When asked about how the perceive Asisan American women, the majority of people described them as: quiet, nice, shy, soft spoken... By doing this project, Grace Lee is showing the world that some of those stereotypes are not always true.

People that new at least one "Grace Lee'" would often say that they were very intelligent or smart, nice or quiet, energetic.. but the part that intrigued Grace Lee (film maker) is that none of those people kept in touch with those " Grace Lees" or knew what they`ve become. " How can all the Grace Lees be so impressive and so unforgetable at the same time?' Grace Lee, L.A.

Although we`ve seen a variety of "Grace Lees" being interviewed, we`ve noticed that almost all of them were very ambitious and active in their communities. There was activist Grace Lee, pastor wife Grace Lee, youth minister Grace Lee and so on.. It is also very amazing how 40 percent of the "Grace Lees" were named for a religious purpose; and a good other number was named after actress Grace Kelly who probably inspired the lives of their ( Grace Lees) mothers.

I guess all of those women`s stories helped Grace Lee of California know a little more about women who shared the exact name with her; but also to let Asian women define themselves. That is also what seperates her from Angela Shelton who was more focused on a same group of women who almost had the same past.

Posted by quevi003 at 01:40 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)