Sexualisation Of East Asian Women Online In The Western Media 

        Yellow fever, a common phenomenon and phrase coined in pop culture, in essence refers to the fetishization of East Asians, typically women. This fetization of EA women (specifically), is so deeply ingrained within western, that oftentimes when questioned people may act defensive. Many harmful stereotypes are associated with these fetishes and personally it’s affected me deeply with questionable assumptions from men, asking me if I would be a good submissive girl for them,

      “As an extension of the “model minority” myth, Asian women specifically are stereotyped as submissive, quiet, and dainty — especially in pornography. From a sexual lens, Asian women are often expected to adhere to such stereotypes in pornography as a facet of their audience’s sexual gratification”. Not only is porn a large factor in this phenomenon, but the categories most popular are perpendicular to EA stereotypes.  “Adult performer Jade Kush is verified on Pornhub and ranked 269th in popularity, with many of her video titles containing the words “Asian,” “shy,” “submissive”… there are thousands of videos featuring performers of Asian descent as masseuses, maids, or geishas, as well as more than one video in which a woman performs fellatio using chopsticks” (Rolling Stone). Origins of this fetish could be dated back to World War Two, with the prevalence of comfort women in east Asia. Plenty of American soldiers founded comfort with these women, some even married and brought them back to America with them, while the history of this is rich in the worst ways. I found myself comparing the research of East Asian westernization to the exhibition my group founded at the AGO. 

        While understanding this information as well as personal text exchange with previous romantic partners, going to the When I grow up I want to be a namer of paint colours, exhibition I was mindful about Sarindar’s portrayal of colors and women. The specific exhibition “Hey Hey, Paul”  features 544 photos of women smiling, all from  wedding announcements by the New York Times (1980-90’s). A rich red is also painted across the wall, and a matching rotary phone is placed in the middle. I couldn’t help but feel off putting in some sense staring at this phone, picking up the phone, a song (with the same name as the art work) played. According to the artist, the women in the photos were all wearing matching pearl necklaces & all happened to be apart of arranged marriages.

       I found it fascinating how the little detail of all these different women across the northeastern states were connected by a single pearl necklace. Just as I could connect it to how many East Asian women are seen as submissive all connected by this twisted fate. Even with the current events in the media, many women with an only fans dress similarly in fashion, adoring “cutesy mini” things, hello kitty themed outfits or even square frames to appear more cute. This small detail to many may seem harmless, but just like how those 544 women wore the exact same pearl necklace with a message. These poses and “innocent kawaii” aesthetic, are usually an indication of non EA4  or even EA women that use this style to appeal to a male audience. 

    Although I don’t necessarily blame these sex workers for trying to make a living, following this porn stereotype is incredibly damaging. As the porn views increase so does this subgenre, a collection of East Asian stereotypes sold to suspecting men wanting power. 

Sources 

  Tanaka, Toshiyuki. Japan’s Comfort Women Sexual Slavery and Prostitution During World War II and the US Occupation. London ;: Routledge, 2002. Print.

Augustana Digital Commons Citation Augustana Digital Commons Citation

Plachno, Patricia. ““Yellow Fever” + Pornhub Statistics: A Sociological Sickness” (2023). Audre Lorde Writing Prize. https://digitalcommons.augustana.edu/wollstonecraftaward/52 

Whitehead, Neil L. “Ethnopornography as Methodology  and Critique.” Ethnopornography, 2020, pp. 245–251. 

Dhaliwal, Sarindar. When I grow up I want to be a namer of paint colours. Jul 23rd 2023 - Jan 7th 2024, AGO, Toronto, Canada. 

Dart , C. (2023, August 8). Sarindar Dhaliwal combines the personal, the political, and the fantastical in her AGO retrospective. CBCnews. https://www.cbc.ca/amp/1.6930532