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Asian fetish

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This article is not about love and/or interracial relationships. For the latter, see interracial marriage.

Asian fetish is a slang term meaning the sexual preference for Asian people.

Origin of the term

The earliest discussion of the Asian fetish in a sexual usage seems to be in the 1988 play, M. Butterfly, by David Henry Hwang. The play, based on a true story, is about a French diplomat who is seduced by a male Chinese spy; the spy pretended to be a female Asian opera singer by playing to the diplomat's stereotypical beliefs of how Chinese women should act.[1] Hwang believes that Asian men have long been aware of white men being attracted to Asian women, and claims that white men think Asian women make the best wives.[1]

The first academic treatment of the fetishism of Asian Americans was by Rutgers University associate professor David L. Eng, in his dissertation work at the University of California, Berkeley.[2]

Asian fetish as a stereotyping of Asian personality traits

The term "Asian fetish" is used to address what is seen as stereotyping and objectification of Asians in Western society. According to Sheridan Prasso, Asian fetish denotes a perceived sexual attraction favoring Asian women for their race and perceptions of their culture.[3]

Vanessa Hue argues that there is a distinction between individuals who are attracted to Asians for those stereotypes and individuals who are attracted to Asian culture. However, some Asians do not accept the explanation of a generalized and gender-specific attraction toward Asian women, given the diversity of Asian cultures and different degrees of acculturation among Asians and Asian Americans, and the prevalence of non-gender-specific cultural differences between Asians and Asian Americans. Some Asians also argue that the interest in Asian culture is limited to the most accessible aspects of the culture such as cuisine and fashion.[4]

Phoebe Eng has argued that not all Asians feel that Asian fetish is bad, since it has given new sexual visibility and liberation to an otherwise invisible and disempowered minority.[5]

The Role of Testosterone

One possible explanation for the higher incidence of White male - Asian female couples as compared to East Asian male - White female pairings may be higher average levels of testosterone found among Whites as compared to East Asians. [1] Higher levels of testosterone in men produce more masculine physiques and more aggressive personalities, which in turn lead to higher sexual attractiveness for women.[2]

Evidence for this theory includes:

  • Less muscle mass found among East Asians as compared to Whites[3][4]
  • Lower levels of violent crime committed by East Asians[5][6]
  • Larger average testicular volumes of White males as compared to East Asian males, e.g. a study by Jared Diamond, professor of physiology at UCLA and Pulitzer Prize winner, comparing average testes volumes upon autopsy of Danes and Hong Kong Chinese[7][8]
  • Possible differences in average penile size, which shows a strong relation to prenatal and childhood testosterone levels[9], e.g. smaller average penis sizes found among Chinese newborns[10]
  • The higher average life expectancies of women and East Asians, fewer incidences of prostate cancer and heart disease among East Asians[12][13][14](page 9)
  • The dating discrepancy is not found among East Indian - White couples, East Indians show physical characteristics more similar to Whites than East Asians[15]
  • The larger number of Black male - White female couples as compared to White male - Black female couples, which may reflect a similar dynamic[16]

Use as a condemnation of interracial relationships

See also: interracial marriage

Vicky Nam, an Asian American magazine editor, thinks that people object to the term Asian fetish as an attempt to marginalize white-Asian relationships as a type of pathology, as the term fetish connotes an obsession with a certain practice, object, physical characteristic, ethnic type, etc, that is desired compulsively and without reason.[citation needed]

Erika Kim, one author in an anthology written by young Asian American women,[6] feels that the concept of the Asian fetish pressured her to associate with Asian men and feel guilty about attraction to white men.[6] Tracy Quan, a Salon sex advice columnist, believes that non-Asian men in relationships with Asian women feel pressure because of the possibility of having an Asian fetish.[7]

References

  1. ^ a b Hwang, David Henry (1988). "Afterward". M. Butterfly. New York: Plume Books. pp. p. 98. {{cite book}}: |pages= has extra text (help)
  2. ^ Eng, David L. (2001). Racial Castration: Managing Masculinity in Asian America. Durham: Duke University Press.
  3. ^ Prasso, Sheridan (2005). "'Race-ism,' Fetish, and Fever". The Asian Mystique. Cambridge, MA: Perseus Books. pp. 132–164, 141. {{cite book}}: Cite has empty unknown parameters: |coauthors=, |chapterl=, and |month= (help)
  4. ^ Vanessa Hua (February 6, 2000). "We all scream for chinoiserie". San Francisco Examiner.
  5. ^ Eng, Phoebe (2000). "She Takes Back Desire". Warrior Lessons : An Asian American Woman's Journey into Power. New York: Atria. pp. 115–142.
  6. ^ a b Nam, Vicky (2001). YELL-oh Girls!. Harper Paperbacks. pp. p. 207. {{cite book}}: |pages= has extra text (help)
  7. ^ Quan, Tracy. Salon.com. "Asian fetish?" 2003. May 23, 2007. [http://www.salon.com/sex/col/quan/2003/12/04/asktracy_thur/index_np.html

See also

News reports:

Editorials:

Multimedia:

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