She’s a firecracker. She’s cranky. And she hates everyone. But it’s not her fault, really.
“It’s hard being a girl with mean parents, a dumb boyfriend, and annoying friends,” Lela Lee said while introducing Kim, a snarky 6-year old Korean American in Lela Lee’s online comic strip, “Angry Little Girls.”
With its sassy and colorful perspective on Asian-American female rage, the comic strip has attracted the attention of Mnet, an Asian American television channel. The comic has been signed for two seasons as an animated series, which Lee will be working on with “The Simpsons” writer Josh Weinstein. The pilot is expected to premiere this summer.
“Angry Little Girls” centers on Kim, who she struggles as the only Asian American girl in her classroom. Kim and her posse of ditzy and sometimes crazy friends are the brainchild of the torment and rage that their writer felt throughout her own childhood.
By relating her own experiences in these comic strips, Lee addresses issues that she was forced to deal with as a child. For instance, one comic which depicted the teacher’s shocked response to learn that Kim actually spoke English, was an incident Lee had experienced herself in the past. She also incorporates other aspects from her upbringing, such as the constant pressure to fit the image of perfection let by her extremely strict parents.
However, Lee reveals that the comic does not sit so well with some. She has received many emails from Koreans who disapprove of Kim’s image.
“They are kind of ashamed that I’m using strong expressions, which is really ironic since Kim’s character is supposed to be fighting against that shame,” Lee said.
Originating from just an animated clip, “Angry Little Girls” took off when Lee launched its website in 1998, which has become widely successful, with up to a million hits last December. Along with the comic strips, she has published many “Angry Little Girls” books since then and has even started selling “Angry Little Girls” merchandise, including wallets with Kim’s trademark sassy lines, such as “I hate people” or “You looked better online.” For Lee, ALG becoming a TV show has “been a dream.”
With “Angry Little Girls,” Lee hopes to break away from the stereotypical all-American image prominent in society today. With so little Asian representation on television today, ALG will be breaking from the mold and adding a sense of Asian culture TV industry.
“I grew up not seeing any sort of Asian representation, and I was hungry to have a reflection of myself in pop culture,” Lee said.