Shonda Rhimes, the creator of the hit ABC TV series "Grey’s Anatomy," is known for being a strong proponent of women’s rights on and off the job. One of her greatest feminist feats is the character Dr. Cristina Yang. When Yang is first introduced in the show she as presented as a bad-ass biker babe with brains. But as her character develops we see that she is the perfect example of everything a feminist should be.
Yang’s character is put under fire several times for having romantic relations with her “Cardio God” mentors. People criticize her credibility by saying she has “slept her way to the top”. This could not be farther from the truth. We see early on in her internship at Grey-Sloan Memorial Hospital that even as a first-year Cristina intellectually surpasses many male authoritative figures, particularly Preston Burke. Besides his ridiculously pompous name we learn more ugly truths about him when Burke receives a Harper-Avery award (an award only given to the exceptionally talented). Burke fails to thank or acknowledge Dr. Yang who saved his career and his reputation by covering his surgeries while his hand was injured. Yang does not let this low blow get in the way of her success. She continues to excel in her career and advance far faster than her male “mentors” can keep up with.
Dr. Cristina Yang is also a particularly unique character in that she is an Asian-American female. It is estimated that only about six percent of actors on network TV shows are of Asian descent. So the fact that Yang’s character is a female, Asian-American, cardio-thoracic surgeon is astounding. Even when Asian-Americans are represented in media it is usually through negative stereotyping. Fortunately, Rhimes does a fantastic job at presenting Yang as the strongest resident and strongest female character without using any negative stereotypes. Yang is presenting in such a way that all who encounter her immediately show her respect. She is the strongest lead by far.
Even when Yang exits the show, she is not just killed off. She receives one of the highest honors of owning her own hospital and continuing her own research on the human heart. This says a lot about Yang’s character. She could have just been killed off in a car crash or some freak chainsaw accident, but everyone including Rhimes knew that Dr. Cristina Yang’s character deserved far better. Yang’s exit of the show showed great strength. She no longer had to live in the shadow of her relationship Owen Hunt or Preston Burke or any other man in her life.
That brings me to my next point: Owen Hunt. Owen and Cristina’s relationship was constantly on edge because of Yang’s disinterest in having children. There is such a negative stigma around women not wanting to have children. But the fact of the matter is it’s none of your damn business. Yang knew she would not be a good mother. This did not mean she hated children. She just made a clear and distinct decision that she would focus on her undeniable talent.
Lastly, Yang sees past the McDreamy cloud of BS. For Meredith Grey, Derek Shepherd is her everything. Everyone buys into his God-complex and thinks he is the sun. Yang shuts that s*** down. As Cristina says farewell to Meredith one last time she leaves us with this earth-shattering advice:
Only Cristina Yang could get away with saying such words about the amazing Dr. Derek Shepherd. This moment on the show was monumental. The entire show’s existence depended on Meredith being with Derek, but Yang just came in, guns blazing. You go girl.
A feminist is someone who surpasses all oppression thrown her way. She is not distracted by petty romanticized male manipulation. She puts herself first and ignores those who tell her to do otherwise. She is kind and intelligent. She is beautiful. She is the sun. She is Cristina Yang.
