|
|
|
|
|
GOLDSEA |
ASIAMS.NET |
ASIAN AMERICAN ISSUES
Are AA Women the Real Victims of Prejudice?
sian women get a free ride at the expense of Asian men. That's the received wisdom here in the U.S. This belief appears premised on the suspicion that American society sees Asian women as sexy exotics in need of rescuing from the cold clutches of Asian men who don't know how to smile except evilly.
The real victim?
|
Credit Hollywood for its tireless casting of Asian women as sexual accessories to white heroes while suppressing the very existence of Asian men except as unsavory paper tigers. Credit too the TV networks that uncover bevies of talking Asian women but rarely their male counterparts.
In fairness this media fantasy of the Asian race was partly inspired by recent history. Devastated and impoverished Asian nations sent tens of thousands of war brides and orphans, followed by several million desperate immigrants willing to hock their identities while toiling to build new lives.
Male-dominated societies toast new women as exotic sexual prospects while suppressing new men as an exploitable lower class or even enemy aliens. The women get all the breaks and the men get all the lumps. Even worse, the women have their heads turned and adopt a scornful attitude toward their own men. So goes the complaint of some AA men.
The women have a different take. Sexual predators bearing insulting stereotypes must be fended off while coping with women who see them as unfair competitors. Add to that the pain of being scorned as sellouts by AA men for no more reason than their apparent welcome by American society. Worst of all, complain AA women, is being begrudged the right to take simple pleasure in their own identities. How much easier just to face straightforward racial prejudice!
Do Asian women really have an easier time in America? Or do they suffer from the double-whammy of insulting stereotypes from non-Asians and unfair persecution from Asian men?
This interactive article is closed to new input.
Discussions posted during the past year remain available for browsing.
CONTACT US
|
ADVERTISING INFO
© 1996-2013 Asian Media Group Inc
No part of the contents of this site may be reproduced without prior written permission.
|
|
|
|
WHAT YOU SAY
[This page is closed to new input. --Ed.]
(Updated
Wednesday, Jan 22, 2025, 06:38:55 AM)
Insecure girl,
I know what you mean. I'm Chinese and I used to feel very ugly compared to white girls because of the media that portrays white people as more attractive and people used to make fun of my eyes. I'm sick of reading fashion magazines that tell us dye our hair blonde or whatever. But don't let ANYONE convince you that you're not beautiful. always remember that you are beautiful and that you are NOT inferior. I recommend reading the book "Yell-Oh Girls". It's an anthology edited by Vickie Nam. I'm sure you'll be able to relate to some of the stories in that book. I know I can.
Proud to be Asian
Saturday, May 18, 2002 at 14:09:56 (PDT)
Asian Female Perspective:
You should lecture. Your views are, without error, on the ball. I sincerely wish that you spread your knowledge more definitively. I am extremely proud of you for the insight you were able to achieve.
Maxdacat and WF,
Masking something deeper, such as deep-rooted disrespect against AF and ultimately AM by blaming things on capitalism and market mechanics--this is yet, another, "classic" attempt at disillusioning good, honest Asians, and obviously it is disillusioning good, honest Whites as well.
I've heard the same type of arguments being used against African Americans earlier in our history when they were portrayed as nothing but... opposite the Whiten race in the entertainment industry--you know what I am talking about. It's not about market mechanics; you know what it is. African Americans are still having problems, and they are closing the door on Asians instead of working with other minority groups to open up the doors(it's like a Queen-Bee syndrome).
In terms of what's happening to AFs opposed to AMs, just take a look at the immigration laws that the U.S. enacted throughout its history that pertains specifically to Asians--there's a specific pattern--such as barring the Chinese women from immigrating to the U.S., attempting to follow their Chinese husbands--the Chinese men dried out in the U.S.; thus, the Asians dried out in the U.S. Can anyone tell me why? There were countless discriminatory laws banning the proper establishment of Asian families in the U.S. dating back to the 18th Century. Please take a look at Asian American History.
Now, it's like the opposite. The U.S. only seems interested in the Asian women and portraying their counterpart as nothing but... opposite the White race, not to mention what the entertainment industry is doing to our beloved Asian women.
Another point I want to make is: don't fall for smoke ("what sells in the market," "it's about money, not about race," and other disillusioning arguments) that may make intuitive sense to you. Look back at history for clues, to sharpen your perspective.
Asian-American History Educated
Saturday, May 18, 2002 at 14:04:45 (PDT)
Maxdacat and WF,
Points very well taken. It's true that whites make up the majority in the U.S. and that a certain amount of catering to their tastes is inevitable. However, this does not mean that ethnic minorities have to be devalued as much as they have been in an American context, especially in a country that considers itself a "melting pot."
However, given that the majority rules, that doesn't explain why the majority of women we find in American movies are slim and blond, especially the former. There are many women--white and otherwise--who complain that even tho' a good 60% of American women wear a size 14 and up, so few of those women are represented in film--unless the theme is about "fat." (Witness "Shallow Hal," where even the very chubby Rosemary is played by thin Gwyn Paltrow!) I guess fatcat media execs feel that slim women are what people, particularly men, want to see. Yet, in doing so, they have ignored legitimate voices of opposition, especially those who have seen friends and close relatives suffer from anorexia and bulimia.
As for Asians, see the eloquent post of 5-16-02 by "Insecure Girl," who states: "I suppose the media makes it worse, because whatever magazines I read seems to protray the average teenager as extremely pretty and white. I've had boyfriends before, but I still have an overwhelming amount of insecurities based on the way I look/my nationality." I think "Insecure Girl" will grow out of this like many--if not all--of us Asians did, but the fact is that this media obsession with the tall, slim, and blond white female has the potential to wreck the self-esteem of ethnic minority women--just as the overvaluation of slimness has already done great damage to the self esteem of many white, black, Hispanic, and Asian anorexics and bulimics. Who knows what these women might accomplish if they weren't worrying about how or if they fit in?
Much of this was driven home to me when I watched Margaret Cho's "I'm the one that I want," where she jokes about being forced to diet even when she was a size 4, being told that "she was not Asian enough" (they hired an Asian consultant for her too), and about being told later on by the same folks that she was "too Asian." Cho relates all of this with a great deal of humor and wit, but it doesn't quite mask her pain of having felt very discriminated against and ultimately devalued.
Sure, many of us who are old and jaded enough ignore the media anyway. And we all know that we are going to have our own standards of beauty no matter what the media moguls dictate: sometimes, we find attractive what the media does (i.e., I think Hugh Grant and Kate Beckinsale are gorgeous), sometimes not (I don't drool over Brad Pitt).
In the end, while I agree that the media is not a charity, I think it does bear a certain degree of social responsibility. The media-in all of its forms, whether it's TV news coverage, journalism, sitcom producers, etc.-- does need to know that it can perpetuate institutional and sometimes individual racism while also fostering dangerous insecurities.
Asian Dominatrix
Saturday, May 18, 2002 at 08:33:52 (PDT)
I always thought that Asian women were very attractive and very intelligent. The media is just someone's opinion and opinions are not facts. No other person has the right to determine your self worth. That is something that has to come from within. The real beauty of any individual is their personality. If you are a kind and caring person then you are truly beautiful.
BF
Saturday, May 18, 2002 at 04:42:38 (PDT)
Insecure Girl,
First off I'd like to say that AF are the most attractive in my eyes as well as the majority of my friends (white and asian). So to answer your question, yes there are a lot of males that find AF attractive. But having said all that I think it depends on where you were brought up. I'm sorry to hear about your bad experiences and confidence issues. The only thing I can say is stick with the friends that love you for who you are and forget what everyone else thinks. Sometimes trying to fit in isn't the best way to go. You end up worrying about to damn much more then anything else. I know a lot of what I'm telling you probably doesn't mean a whole lot. Trust me though, I've been in your spot and at the age of 14 the only thing anyone at that age wants is to be accepted.
"I've had boyfriends before, but I still have an overwhelming amount of insecurites based on the way I look/my nationality"
You have the option of either accepting who you are and start finding ways to be proud of who you are. Or you can keep going the way your going and do the opposite. If you think about it...there's not really any other choices. So take sometime to think and choose where you want to go.
Proud 2 b Azn
Friday, May 17, 2002 at 20:34:19 (PDT)
NEWEST COMMENTS |
EARLIER COMMENTS
|