The “sad girl” aesthetic, popularized by straight white women, often sidelines the authentic experiences of sadness felt by women of color and queer women, reducing their emotions to racial or cultural trauma. We must shatter the stereotypes of the “sad girl” and ask why these minority women are denied the same space to simply be sad.
Based on Adrian Tomine’s 2007 graphic novel, Randall Park’s 2023 romantic-comedy Shortcomings succinctly captures the state of Asian-American representation in the film industry today, while also speaking to the issues that our youngest generations face when it comes to race, gender, sexuality and relationships.