Little Miss Media

“To enjoy someone else’s culture without recognising the hurt that they experience because of their race is where the problem starts. It is not difficult to stand up for Asians and support them, and for those who still think that editing their eyelids to change their race is appreciation, actually listening to Asians is a good start.” - Jasmine Harris.

In this episode, join Melissa and Breanna as they discuss Asian Fishing, and the issues and controversies that surround it. They dive into the history of the fetishisation of Asian features and how the desire to incorporate Asian aesthetics has seeped into the modern world of beauty, posing the question... should there be boundaries when it comes to makeup.

“People who get into animation tend to be kids. We don’t have to grow up. But also, animators are great observers, and there’s this childlike wonder and interest in the world, the observation of little things that happen in life.” - John Lasseter

In this episode, join Melissa and Breanna as they discuss whether or not the world of animation is widely only meant for kids. They tackle the various distinctive features that distinguish children and adult animation, and the origins of how these came to be. The pair also talks about how anime has a role in this, and that there will always be a little child inside every grown up that enables them to enjoy different kinds of animation.

"Enter this new year with a gratitude for this new chance to create your dreams." - Avina Celeste 

In this episode, join Melissa and Breanna as they welcome in the New Year by going through some of the biggest moments in international news. The pair gets personal with their own struggles during the year, what they hope to achieve for themselves in 2022, and what you can expect in future episodes of Little Miss Media.

"East High is a place where teachers encouraged us to break the status quo and define ourselves as we choose." - Troy Bolton (High School Musical, 2006) 

In this episode, join Melissa and Breanna as they take a trip down memory lane with the first movie in the High School Musical franchise. The pair laugh about their impressions on the movie, gush over their favourite scenes, lines and numbers as they reflect on their childhood and discuss why the movie is still one of the most loved D-Coms to date. 

“The phrase yellow peril (sometimes yellow terror or yellow specter)... blends Western anxieties about sex, racist fears of the alien Other, and the Spenglerian belief that the West will become outnumbered and enslaved by the East.” - Wing-Fai Leung (sinologist)

In this episode, join Melissa and Breanna as they discuss the origins of Asian Fetishization and the harmful effects it has on society. The duo explores how the media influences the portrayal of Asian women through the “China Doll” and “Dragon Lady” to other prominent social issues such as the desexualisation of Asian men and Asian Fishing.

As Southeast Asians become subjected to “yellow fever”, where do we draw the line between racial preference and idolisation?

“In a world ordered by sexual imbalance, pleasure in looking has been split between active/male and passive/female.” - Visual Pleasure and Narrative Cinema, Laura Mulvey.  

In this episode, join Melissa and Breanna as they discuss issues surrounding the Male Gaze in the media, and question whether there is a Female Gaze. The duo explores how these cinematic elements affect the way we view and treat each other in society, and whether or not they bring more harm than good.

"If we win this race, we can be free" - Luca (2021). 

In this episode, join Melissa and Breanna as they review Pixar’s new animated film ‘Luca’ by discussing some of their favourite scenes, characters and original soundtrack. The pair also touches on the movie’s role in queer representation, and what this could mean for the future of the animation industry.

"Young women are exploited, manipulated and seduced into hating themselves as a way to generate astronomical profits that keep very few, very wealthy" - The Illusionists (2015). 

Join Melissa and Breanna as they discuss how businesses are profiting from your insecurities, how film and tv reinforce beauty standards and how social media and filters are manipulating the way we view ourselves and the world around us.