“Physical 100” is a survival game show in which 100 men and women with good physique participate to determine who has the best physique through various games.
NBC reported that the “Physical 100” “bucks negative stereotypes around Asian physical ability while powerfully expanding the often narrow definitions of what strong, fit and masculine bodies look like — particularly to Western audiences.”
However, “Physical 100″ showed that Asians can also have excellent physical abilities that are not different from Westerners.
Stanley Thangaraj, author of “Desi Hoop Dreams: Pickup Basketball and the Making of Asian American Masculinity” said, “The major contribution here is that it completely destabilizes the ways we link up race and ability.”
“Historically, Western perceptions of strength are often imagined on white and Black bodies,” said Christina Chin, an associate professor of sociology at California State University, Fullerton. “The show’s predominantly Asian cast disrupts that dynamic, and viewers are able to see the contestants beyond race and for their skill.”
In a related development, BBC Korea also said on the 27th, “60% of all Netflix subscribers have watched a Korean show last year,” adding that Korean reality shows may emerge as the next-generation K-content in the wake of the popularity of “Physical 100”.
BY KIM IAN [kim.ian@koreadaily.com]
