A few readers have wondered why this was so bad. One commenter on a recent post raised the question:Overexoticizing a nonwhite character to appeal to white readers can happen inside a story as well as on a cover. Take my book The Sunita Experiment (Little, Brown, 1993), the story of an eighth grader whose California home becomes much more traditional when her grandparents visit from India.
After the novel was published, a reviewer chastised me for the “unnecessary exoticization” of my protagonist. Here’s how I ended the story, with Sunita championing her South Asian heritage by trying on a saree and modeling it for the guy she likes:
“You look… just like I thought you would, Sunni,” he whispers when she reaches him. “Are you sure you’re still Sunita Sen and not some exotic Indian princess coming to cast a spell on me?”
“I’m sure, Michael,” she tells him, giving him one of her trademark smiles just to prove it.
I fumed, but, dang it, the reviewer was right. Exotic Indian princess? What was I thinking? Enduring a twinge of shame, I moved on and tried to learn from my mistake.
When my publisher decided to reissue the book in 2005, I was asked if I wanted to make any changes. “Yes!” I shouted, pumping my fist.
Here’s how the book, renamed The Not-So-Star-Spangled Life of Sunita Sen, ends now:
“You look… just like I thought you would, Sunni,” he whispers when she reaches him. “Are you sure you’re still the same Sunita Sen? The California girl?”
“I’m sure, Michael,” she tells him, giving him one of her trademark smiles just to prove it.
Thank goodness for second chances.
You chastise yourself for referring to your character as an "exotic Indian princess." I fail to see what's wrong with the image, depending on who's making the statement. South Asians are exotic to Westerners. What's wrong with saying that?Here's my answer:
When I look back with distaste at the "exotic Indian princess" descriptor for my between-cultures Sunita, I'm thinking of young Asian women who must deal with the fact that some non-Asian men will pursue them because of an exotic-cum-submissive Asian female stereotype. My writing emphasized that unhealthy dynamic because it was said by Michael, the object of Sunita's affection -- it's not even a natural, young-teen-guy kind of thing to say. The point of the novel is that Sunita IS a California girl, not an exotic "other," so it was a misstep I was glad to fix on many levels.Does that help clarify the problem? If not, let me know, and I'll gladly elaborate.
I've appreciated the thoughtful responses to my article, and am overwhelmed by the positive feedback. But since it's a subject that's fraught with tension, I want to encourage honest questions and dialogue. I'd be troubled if someone read the article and didn't feel safe to respond with criticism. Comment or raise questions anonymously here on the Fire Escape -- I have no problems with that.
Tomorrow, I'll take on this particular visitor's two other questions.
First, when it comes to writing race, she asks, "Why does it seem like white authors can never win?"
And second, she wonders, "What's so wrong about authors leaving race out of descriptions?"