OPINION
Star Wars actress Kelly Marie Tran's exit from Instagram after suffering months of racial abuse and taunts online shows how people of colour in Hollywood still fight invisible forces their bosses and co-stars likely never experience.
Tran, a Vietnamese-American who plays mechanic-turned-resistance fighter Rose Tico in the December release of Star Wars film The Last Jedi , is the first Asian actress to land a major role in the iconic film franchise.
Tran has previously spoken out about the challenges of dealing with racism and being a minority actress in Hollywood.
"When I first started seeing these really acidic, misogynistic, racist comments, I remember thinking how unfair it was and wondering whether to respond. My biggest coping mechanism is just looking out at the world and realizing none of this is really about me...this would happen to anyone who put themselves out there," Tran told in an interview.
To his credit, the film's director Rian Johnson spoke out in defence of the star on Twitter, referring to Tran's bullies as "manbabies" but later clarifying his tweet to say the vast majority of fans were respectful.
Tran's supporters also defended the actress against the angry trolling with a hashtag #FanArtforRose.
The fact that Tran's character is seen as an interloper by Star Wars fans, admittedly notorious for their intensity, is an apt metaphor for the backlash still experienced by women of colour in an industry and by a wider audience still unused to them being there.
The overwhelming target of online trolls tends to be young, aspiring women of colour and not without reason. They are easy targets, generally the newest inclusion in a space not designed for them and still tentatively negotiating their role in the public eye.
Online trolling is tangible evidence of the relentless Sisphyean struggle faced by creatives of colour on a daily basis and its impact on the self-esteem of those trying to make it in the industry.
Tran herself has acknowledged the importance of seeing more Asian-Americans on-screen.
"I mean, you grew up in the same world I did. I never saw myself in anything, so I know how important this is," Tran said.
"I wish the world was different. I wish there was equal representation across races, cultures, socioeconomic classes, gender identities, body types, abilities; I wish all people were represented—as writers, directors, producers, actors! I wish it wasn’t so rare."
It's an act of self-care against emotionally exhausting and demoralising forms of diminishment.
Tran’s move to bow out of Instagram, where her tag line reads "Afraid, but doing it anyway" should be applauded rather than lamented.
It's an act of self-care against emotionally exhausting and demoralising forms of diminishment.
Not every person of colour needs to be a flagbearer fighting racism or keep swallowing an uncomfortable situation. Sometimes it’s ok to withdraw if it means keeping your sanity.
Like any good resistance fighter, let's hope Tran can move out of the firing line to regroup and gather strength and supporters to fight the Empire for another day.
