The Male Performance Narrative
I was going to stop, but my little scholarly mind is still whirring. Some of you know how much I like to think about the industry perspective related to Connor and Hudson. Upon reviewing the photos again, it really stood out to me how Hudson is entirely the focus of these photos. Another signal that this was a coordinated paparazzi event. There is very little awareness, or seeming interest by the photographers in capturing the women’s faces, including the woman they are trying to single out in this case. That brought to mind for me the reasoning behind why it was orchestrated the way it was for Hudson. There was no effort or interest in showing FM4’s face or highlighting whatever attractiveness anyone might deem her to have or any of the women on Hudson‘s girls trip for that matter.
In media and film, the male performance narrative is a concept in which a man must perform masculinity through obvious stereotypical male behaviors to earn validation. It prioritizes achieving results like winning a fight or getting a romantic partner or being in a position of power over the internal emotional experience. 
In a romantic context, the focus is heavily on the man’s efforts to pursue and adore the woman rather than on the woman’s response to it. We see in the paparazzi photos on the beach Hudson is entirely the focus of the photos. The women around him are in some ways set pieces to exhibit his desirability, virility, and attractiveness.
When aimed at a female audience, the male performance narrative provides emotional safety by showcasing a man's devotion and effort. It fulfills a romantic fantasy by positioning the woman as someone uniquely valuable and important. The film industry casts men who can project this protective, adoring energy in order to maintain female audiences while also looking for male leads who can be the self-insert for men in sci-fi, thriller and action movies, especially franchise projects.An actor who can embody both of these characteristics, has leverage in the entertainment industry because they can appeal to all demographics across gender, identity, and sexual preference dimensions. 
Historically Western media has desexualized Asian men as passive, secondary, socially awkward, and even asexual - devoid of traditional, masculine, virility and sexuality. Or they have hyper-masculinized them through the lens of martial arts - neither of which lend for any nuance for any genre for Asian male actors.
For those still upset or angry or wondering why Hudson would do something like this, please keep in mind, he I s a student of the film industry. This isn’t just him mindlessly following PR agents. Hudson is a young and emerging actor who is trying to breakdown barriers that have not been touched by someone who looks like him, quite honestly, ever. While I do not doubt the authentic part of Hudson hates doing this and we have seen that in his demeanor and his emotional processing of having to go through this over the last several months, he also understands the industry and how movies are made enough to know that photos like this to the general population do serve a purpose. He may hate it, but I would suspect he also knows if he can break through this door he can create space for not only himself, but other Asian male actors.
We have already seen other young Asian male actors reference what Hudson has been able to do and is doing as a representative of their demographic. The reality is that while Shane Hollander is a wonderful character he is still viewed as the less dominant male between Shane and Ilya. Even when you consider Connor and Hudson as actors, we have seen that Connor is able to step into a more traditionally male-dominant role in his demeanor, in his voice, and in his acting for the role of Ilya. While Connor‘s natural demeanor does not fit in with the male performance narrative, he has shown he can do that believably. Hudson has not had that opportunity yet. I believe he will in his upcoming roles, but I would also suspect he probably has opportunities on the table right now that won’t get signed unless he can show that capacity immediately. That’s why we see Hudson on a beach surrounded by women attempting to look like he’s romantically involved with one of them. 
It’s ugly. It’s biased on so many different levels and dimensions, and it is also the reality of the industry that Hudson is trying to break down barriers to enter in a meaningful and lasting way.
I’m not offering excuses, but I hope this provides some possible deeper context behind what we’re seeing from Hudson and even indirectly in protection of Connor through this pretty transparent paparazzi moment on the beach. This isn’t just about celebrity and making Hollywood movies - this is about addressing one aspect of many long-standing biases and stereotypes experienced in the entertainment industry.
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