With the ever-growing list of whitewashed and white savior films and television series — including the recent release of the live-action anime film Ghost in the Shell starring Scarlett Johansson as Major Motoko Kusanagi — it’s no wonder many people are upset. However, a comedy troupe from UCB Los Angeles called Asian AF has decided a smart way to shed light on the whitewashing problem.
They created a shirt using just four words.
Scarlett. Emma. Tilda. Matt.
The shirt references the four actors in films who have been accused of whitewashing (as well as being a white savior) — Johansson in Ghost in the Shell, Emma Stone in Aloha, Tilda Swinton in Doctor Strange, and Matt Damon in The Great Wall.
Actor Will S. Choi recently wore the shirt at his sold-out comedy show Scarlett Johansson Presents: The Opening Night of Ghost in the Shell. This prompted many of the audience to quickly purchase one, including myself.
https://twitter.com/strangenothings/status/848310752884555776
Most recently, the shirt has been getting a lot of buzz from Netflix’s 13 Reasons Why star Michele Selene Ang wearing the shirt in an Instagram post.
Choi and the Asian AF team have begun selling their shirts online. All proceeds will go towards the logistics for their monthly variety show Asian AF at the UCB theater. If you live in the Los Angeles area, come by for one of their shows. It’s hilarious AF.