From Asian Pacific Review - Vol. 5, Issue No.4 - December 1, 1999

Lela Lee, the creator of the "angry little asian girl" (alag) has just launched a new web site www. angrylittlegirls.com. The angry little asian girl now has five new friends; Deborah, Maria, Wanda, Yasmeen and Pat.

We last heard from Lela back in 1998 discussing her role in the movies "Yellow" and "Shopping with Fangs". You probably have seen Lela many times on the American Express commercial and now you probably may have seen her work.

APR spoke to Lela the week she launched her latest project.

APR: Why did you come out with these new girls?

LELA: I came out with these new girls because I was finding that a lot of people liked alag but were afraid to get behind it because they weren't Asian. That's when I realized that alag needed cartoon characters aside from Kim to let people feel that it's okay to be angry about the things alag gets mad about.

APR: These girls are not as angry as Kim.

LELA: I did that on purpose. Deborah is sad, Maria is worried, Wanda is self-assured, Yasmeen is shy, and Pat is extremely happy and of course Kim is angry. It got to be too one note when I thought of them all as angry so I decided to give them distinct personalities. I also think anger is embodied in people differently. Sometimes people turn their cheek after something hurtful has been done to them. Or someone will have a Pollyanna reaction and think, "everything is beautiful!" I think those responses need to be examined too. Also, girls aren't allowed to get angry. They are expected to be kind and nurturing when someone wrongs them. Why is that? All those different reactions are things I want to put into my strip.

APR: The characters are of different cultures right?

LELA: Yes. I wanted it to be like a Benetton ad. I really like the ads for Benetton. I always have since I was little. It was the only time I would ever see an Asian in a commercial ad. It's so beautiful to see different cultures represented. It shows our beauty and similarities. I wanted my girls to be different and yet the same. They are different cultures but they have the same concerns.

APR: Pat is the only character who is not a girl, actually a boy. Is he the stereotypical gay character?

LELA: Yeah he could be seen that he's stereotypically gay happy. But I think to have him happy is a celebration of what should be "closeted." The other side of the stereotype is to have him be closeted and miserable. I think that people especially gay people want to see the opposite of what they might be experiencing in life. And often times in reality, if you're gay or just different, people try to get you down and won't allow you to embrace or relish the thing that makes you different. Pat just has fun.

APR: Do all the girls get along?

LELA: Not always. I want the girls to fight with each other too. They have their differences, but they have fun doing it. Nothing is taken too seriously and they definitely have a dialogue. I hope that it will be like a group of friends who have fights but then they resolve the fight. I just want them to understand each other and hopefully the reader will too.

APR: What are your plans for the strip?

LELA: I want the girls to be syndicated. But I'm finding that it's difficult to find a really good powerful outlet. Everyone I've talked to says it's a great idea but then want to change it because they think it's too edgy. I won't change a thing. So I do the calendars and the shirts all on my own. I have yet to make a profit. I believe I will one day, but for now, it's a just a really damn expensive hobby. And to the people who say it's too edgy, I mean what's so edgy about girls wanting tolerance and speaking out against things that are unfair? I don't think that's edgy at all. I think that everyone wants that. (hopefully)

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