One of the first experiences American men had with Asian women occurred during the Vietnam War. During this time, many soldiers patronized Vietnamese prostitutes while others had casual sex with local women to pass the time. In capturing the essence of the Vietnam War, Hollywood continually portrayed Asians as prostitutes or submissive to the requests of American men. In a famous scene from “Full Metal Jacket”, an attractive prostitute saunters up to a pair of US soldiers stating, “Me So Horney”. This movie quote was also the inspiration for the popular rap song, “Me So Horny” by 2LiveCrew. Unfortunately, all of these negative portrayals have contributed to Asian females being viewed as sexual objects.
In speaking to other Asian ladies, they often refer to the derogatory term “Yellow Fever” used to describe white men who have an interest in Asian women. However, men who have a preference for blondes or brunettes are never the subject of ridicule or criticism, leaving many Asian women to wonder, “Why not?”. In viewing cross cultural couples as a fetish rather than a simple match of compatible people, people are not giving enough credit to the couple in question.
Another popular negative stereotype is that Asian women are submissive, which once again is a slap in the face to both the men and women in cross cultural relationships. It implies that the man is a “caveman” and wants to rule over his girlfriend or bride. Then, it insinuates that the woman is not a free-thinker or successful professional. Asian females are like women from any other ethnicity, some are dominant whereas others may be more passive.
Although Hollywood needs to accept some responsibility, one of the other major issues that contributes to the perpetuation of negative Asian cross cultural relationships is ignorance. For many people, they may not have much personal experience with the Asian community. Since Asia is in the eastern hemisphere, most Americans will never have a chance to visit. Therefore, people have no actual first hand experience with interacting with Asian women in their native countries. Without personal experience, people simply believe whatever they’ve been told or what they see on the movie or television screen.
Remember, stereotypes are dangerous! Think about the affects that anti-semitism and racism have had on civilization. Although you may think saying “Me So Horny” in an Asian accent is a harmless act, consider how hard working Asian women may feel about hearing this statement from our mouth.
Source by Toi Promma
