Asian fetish

[17][18] In the 1800s, after the opening of Japan by Matthew Perry, word began to spread in the United States about the seductive femininity of Asian women.

[7] When Indonesia was a colony of the Netherlands, a new beauty ideal was established, which ranked local women with light brown skin and lustrous black hair at the top.

[24] In 2007, a study using a sample of 400 Columbia University students at a speed dating event did not find evidence of a preference among White men for women of East Asian descent.

[30] Another study that same year using a sample of 934,000 online daters in 20 US cities found that Asian women received the most messages on average, however, the authors also noted that own-race preference was the predominant trend.

While several authors have complicated feelings about the subject, [38][39][40] most express frustration at opinions from non-Asians that fetishization is a good thing,[10][11][12][13] pointing out its negative aspects and deconstructing the harmful meanings it entails.

Others may find advantage in wielding the sexual power it grants, creating strategies to turn the tables and exploit the men who are drawn by racialized femininity.

[46] Kumiko Nemoto writes that since the beginning of the twentieth century, there has been a stereotype of the Asian woman as subservient, loyal, and family oriented.

The Caucasian men interviewed fantasize that an Asian woman possesses both beauty and brains, that she is "sexy, intelligent, successful, professional, caring, and family oriented"; that she does not wear "White girl clothes" and heavy makeup, and that they are not high maintenance.

[50] These men see Asian women to be exotic, thus desirable, because of their supposed mysterious beauty and possession of a physical appearance perceived to be petite.

[54] Venny Villapando writes that many of the countries affected by the modern mail-order bride business, typically those in East and South-East Asia, have a history of US military involvement.

[55] Statistics detailing the sponsorship of spouses and fiancées to Australia from 1988 to 1991 show that more women from the Philippines, Singapore, Malaysia, Sri Lanka, Vietnam, Indonesia, South Korea, and India were sponsored for citizenship than men from the same countries.

[57][58][irrelevant citation] Data published in 1999 indicated that an estimated 200,000 to 400,000 German men annually traveled abroad for sex tourism, with the Philippines, Thailand, South Korea, Sri Lanka, and Hong Kong as their main destinations.

[59] For some White men, sex tourism to countries such as Thailand is built around a fantasy that includes the possibility of finding love and romance.

According to Dr. David Jedlicka's 1983 study, this idea is based on the stereotype of "the Oriental woman" who is considered to be beautiful and sexually exciting as well as caring, compliant, and submissive.

[62][63] A 2023 CNN article highlighted a growing trend of Western female tourists traveling to South Korea with the primary goal of pursuing a romantic fantasy with a Korean man.

Unlike typical tourists focused on sightseeing, these women prioritized nightlife - dressing up and frequenting clubs in hopes of meeting their ideal Korean partner.

The researcher described these women as part of a larger trend called "Hallyu tourists" that were inspired by Korean dramas.

[68][69][70][71][72] The hip hop group 2 Live Crew eroticized Asian women in their 1988 hit single "Me So Horny", which topped the charts in the Netherlands.

[68] According to Marenda Tran, Asian women in the media tend to be portrayed in two ways: as an exotic foreigner, docile and nonthreatening and sexual but also innocent; or as the nerd who is still aesthetically pleasing, but also emotionless and career-oriented.

[78] Some authors have raised concerns that the rise of K-Pop and the Hallyu wave has lead to racially charged attitudes that surpass healthy appreciation, veering into an obsessive fetishization of Korean men.

Anecdotal examples of this phenomenon include fan comments such as, “I want to date a Korean guy so badly!” and “I wish I were a Korean girl so my bias would like me.” One author emphasized that while it is entirely acceptable to find someone attractive, it is essential to distinguish between genuine appreciation for an individual and fetishization based on superficial stereotypes or generalizations over their race.

[65][79] Another author who interviewed female tourists in hostels, across South Korea dubbed the term “Netflix effect” to describe how romantic Korean dramas have influenced global romance tourism, arguing that as global access to these dramas increases, media-inspired tourism is likely to grow alongside it.

[80] Porn performers Saya Song, Jade Kush, and Venus Lux have voiced their objections to being cast in heavily stereotyped roles.

[81] Asa Akira was uncomfortable with fetishization early in her career, but has since grown to embrace it, saying, "I mean, it’s not like guys are watching my movies and laughing.

"[82] Mika Tan sees Asian fetishization in porn as a relatively harmless replacement for "trolling the bars with the intent of getting rid of [...] sexual frustrations on any woman who happens along".

In Robin Zheng's view, the ubiquity and custom-tailored nature of internet pornography "plays a central role in licensing the self-identification with and public recognition of racialized sexual preferences like yellow fever".

She further states that the pornography industry stands to benefit from encouraging Asian fetish as a distinct category to suit their marketing needs.

[90] Miller & McBain and Rothman deem that findings of the depictions of Asian women and race in pornography aren't consistent or comprehensive.