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It was somewhat of a non sequitur from the conversation. He proceeded to give me a knowing look before launching into a monologue about his ever-enlightening travel experiences and exes overseas. He grins at me.
I give him side-eye. This one has lived abroad in South Korea.
He tells me he likes my tattoos and asks how my parents feel about them. Where ya going, baby? One study conducted across four U. However, there are those sly fetishists who can appear innocuous on the outside but have yellow fever vibes brewing beneath the surface. They all managed to white-splain Chinese or Asian culture, whether in the form of travel stories, pop culture, anime, or tales of the Asian communities they immerse themselves in while simultaneously putting me on a pedestal for, well, just being Asian.
These casual relationships have been short-lived. I only got into them because I was not fully aware, at first, that I was being fetishized.
Perhaps these men are looking for an Asian woman who fits the stereotype of being submissive and quiet, but I am hardly that. I grew up in a largely white city in Ohio, and I always have been and always will be vocal about mistreatment of people of color and backwards politics.
Part of the bias is down to aesthetics, it would appear, as a study by Cardiff University in on facial attractiveness showed that East Asian women scored highest, while East Asian men came bottom of the pile interestingly, results for black and white individuals did not show discernible differences based on gender. But while some gendered biases exist in all interracial dating, few have gained as much notoriety as so-called yellow fever. A screengrab from SeekingAsianFemale.
The stereotyping plays itself out in the roles you see Chinese women playing in theatre, on TV or in films. Take the 25th anniversary revival of Miss Saigon in the West End.
The tale of the tragic love story between a young Vietnamese woman and an American soldier paints a heartbroken and helpless image of Miss Saigon that remains one of the most poignant and visible depictions of Far Eastern women in popular culture. A scene from Miss Saigon. Yet this portrayal epitomises what many see as a narrow perception of East Asian defined as Chinese, Japanese, Korean etc women.
But essentially, it told the actors to be patient. China's economic might makes stereotyping more 'acceptable', say experts.
She points to how British Chinese do well academically and professionally. Furthermore, stereotypes around timidness, not being outspoken or politically active also mean people can make such comments with no backlash, she says. In the professional world, Ting Jacqueline Chen, a year-old Oxford graduate, is also battling stereotypes.
She tells me how she was instantly associated with being quiet, analytical and nice when she started working in London, and describes fighting for opportunities to speak and chair meetings. A new generation of Chinese women are educated to degree level. But even at Stanford Business School, Ting feels that presumptions still linger, on a name: One of my friends of Hong Kong heritage put it best recently, perhaps, when talking about relationships involving Chinese women and Caucasian men. The same applies to the workplace.
Until popular culture's depiction of Asian women changes for the better, it's up to us to stop the stereotypes.
Yuan Ren is a freelance journalist who grew up in both London and Beijing. She can be found tweeting girlinbeijing.
No, not the disease you can pick up when travelling to certain countries. Media Images of Asian Women". Chinese New Year's dirty 'little woman' secret. Archived from the original on 2 February Tuesday 15 January Take the 25th anniversary revival of Miss Saigon in the West End. A white woman is seen by white men to lack the same femininity that an Asian woman has to offer.
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