Celine Parreñas Shimizu delves into the intersection of race, sexuality, and media. Her work examines how these categories are constructed and represented within popular culture, particularly concerning the Asian diaspora. Shimizu focuses on critically analyzing cinematic and performance narratives, exploring how these stories contribute to the formation of stereotypes while also offering avenues for their subversion. Her approach is rooted in feminist and queer theory, illuminating the complex relationships between visual culture and social identity.
Based on author's own experiences as a Filapina American filmmaker and as a spectator to urge a shift in thinking about sexualized depictions of Asian/American women in film, video, and theatrical productions, this book moves beyond denunciations of sexualized representations of Asian/American women as necessarily demeaning or negative.