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Revision as of 10:25, 30 March 2005 by Joel Kirk (talk | contribs)(diff) ← Previous revision | Latest revision (diff) | Newer revision → (diff)Asian fetish is a slang term used in the United States to describe the situation where a non-Asian, typically but not necessarily a white man, is attracted primarily to Asians, particularly East Asians such as Japanese, Chinese, Koreans, etc. This phenomenon has sometimes also been jokingly called "yellow fever".
The slang term has come about because of the large and growing number of White male/ Asian female couples in the United States; according to U.S. Census data there are more marriages between White men and Asian women than any other interracial marriage. Visitors to college campuses also often note the large number of WM/AF couples.
Some areas claim not to think of WM/AF as an interracial relationship. However, would it be the same if the male was Black or Latino?
And if the reverse, Asian Male/White Female was common, would it have be considered an interracial couple?
An "Asian fetish" is generally not a fetish by the Freudian definition of the word, i.e. a situation where the object of affection is an inanimate object or a specific part of a person. However, some, especially Asian Americans, allege that individuals are sexually interested in Asians because of qualities they believe to be true amongst the Asian population, such as innocence/virginity, submissive behavior, or promiscuity (although generally not all three at the same time). A distinction is sometimes made between those who are attracted to Asians for these behavioral or other, more fetishistic qualities, and individuals who find Asians physically beautiful and/or culturally interesting. Many people who are attracted to Asians for cultural factors are already attracted, in a non-sexual sense, to some aspect of Asian culture or pop culture.
Many Asians, and a number of non-Asians, consider this allegedly excessive fetishization of Asians based on the perceived qualities of submissiveness, obedience, etc., to be a form of objectification, and in some instances allege it is a kind of racism.
White men who date Asian women often defend themselves against charges that they prefer Asian women for stereotypical behavioral qualities, instead arguing that they simply prefer the appearance of Asian women like other men prefer the appearance of blonde women, or comparing Asian women to 'apples and oranges'...comparisons, which borders on racist fetishism.
See also
External links
- Why Do Asian Women Date White Men? An Asian American perspective
- Mr. Asiaphile - A humor site that claims to be proud of having an "Asian fetish" (Caution: Contains pornographic and other potentially offensive content)
- The Big Bad Chinese Mama, a radical feminist site that opposes "Asian fetishes" (Caution: May contain offensive content)
- AsianWhite.org - Focusing on Asian & Caucasian Race Relations - A somewhat more neutral and scholarly treatment of the issue