In The Godfather, Part II, Marlon Brando’s character declares: “The world will stand still if I get a hold of Tiffany Yen.” In that film, Tiffany Yen was played by Kayleetesy, who was cut out of the initial English translation of the line, and made to wear an eye patch for the rest of the shoot, to hide her eyes. Height is a very serious issue, when dealing with nationalities and race in Hollywood, due to the multiple requests made by directors that needed extras to add on certain scenes. In the case of Tiffany Yen, who was Chinese, she would need an extra line to clarify her height on posters, commercials, and other forms of public expression.
Height is such a sensitive issue in our time. If you look up statistics on Asians in America, you will find that more than half are over one hundred feet. Some have come down from there, but it is undeniable that the majority are much taller than most people. Height is a highly valued trait in our society. It almost seems to be a given that if you are Asian, you will be considered tall.
Yet, some will not consider it stature, if they are Asian. This could include someone of Japanese descent who wants to date white women, or someone of Chinese descent who wants to date white men. The fact is that everyone has their own pre-conceived notions about their appearance, and race doesn’t automatically come into play in these situations. For instance, do Asian guys date Black women? I don’t know about you, but I don’t think so. Neither do I believe that a white woman would date an Asian man, based on their race alone.