Yellow Fever – Asian Male Fetishism in Pornography
Many Asian performers are reconsidering their participation in pornography which exploits outdated stereotypes. These stereotypes, also known as yellow fevers, treat women of Asian descent like fetish items that are susceptible to sexual advances.
Straight porn is a world where women are only there to be desired by the men watching them. This dehumanization contributes towards the stigma that leads actual Asian women to be violent.
Asian Fetish Objectification
Fetishism can be defined as an abnormal attraction towards an object or part of the body that produces sexual pleasure for the person with a fetish. It is usually rooted in deep-seated feelings of sexual or physical desire and can be exacerbated by harmful stereotypes that are perpetuated by society. Unfortunately, our culture has managed to fetishize an entire ethnicity and race. The fetishization of Asians is not only harmful to the individuals involved but also fuels racism and sexual harassment towards women from this racial background.
If you are an Asian woman, you have probably had your fair share of dating experiences that make you feel like a fetish object. Subreddits with racy photos of Asian girls, or dating app threads that discuss how much people want a Japanese wife (waifu) may be the culprit. Even if you do not fall into one of these categories, you’ve probably heard someone make a joke about your skin tone.
These comments can be more than just annoying, and they can actually be dangerous. They perpetuate insidious stereotypical beliefs that contribute to violence against Asian women as seen in the murders of Soon Chung Park and Suncha Kim. Despite what others may say, preferences based on race are not the equivalent of appreciation and only serve as a way to reinforce racist assumptions which have been pervasive since the days colonialism and imperialism.
Asian Fetish Submissiveness
The fetishization of Asian women is a complex issue. The stereotypes of Asian women as submissive China Dolls or Japanese Geishas are rooted in colonialism and racial injustice. These stereotypes perpetuate the myth of the exotic, desirable Other. These sexualized perceptions are what drives the mail-order bride industry, and they contribute to the fact that Asian women experience violence at significantly higher rates than any other group of woman in the United States.
It’s easy to dismiss this idea of Asian fetishization as a harmless cultural appreciation that’s all in good fun, but it isn’t. These “preferences” for race are a form racism and fuel stereotypes that harm Asians. They are what led to the shooting at Princeton and the ongoing exploitation of Asian women in sex work industries in places like South Korea, Thailand, and Vietnam. These stereotypes are what led to the exploitation of Soon Chung Park, Hyun Jung Grant, Suncha Kim, Yong Yue, and countless others in the name of “yellow fever.”
It’s important that everyone understands that Asians are more than sexualized images. They are not sexy Spice Girls or waifus, and they are not someone’s fetish. Rather, they are a complex intersection of race, gender, and class that makes them uniquely vulnerable to the types of violence and exploitation experienced by other women in the U.S. and abroad.
Asian Fetish Desire
The term “Asian Fetish” is now almost a commonplace way to describe a sexual desire that is exclusive to Asians. For many, it’s a word that implies admiration, while others find it offensive or even racist. No matter if it’s a word of appreciation or not, Asian fetishism is still rooted in harmful stereotypes.
The Eurocentric beauty standards, colonization, and imperialism are all responsible for the perception of Asian women being hypersexual and docile objects eager to please. The fetishization of Asian bodies and cultures can have severe implications for its victims, including racism and sexual violence.
It’s a lose-lose situation for Asian women. They have little or no power, whether they are labeled undesirable because they don’t meet Eurocentric beauty standards, or gaslit to believe that fetishization flatters. They are also constantly exposed racial discrimination and violence.
There are many online spaces where Asian women find support and community. There are a number of online spaces where Asian women can find community and support. These include r/AsianPussy – a subreddit devoted to vaginal fetishism – r/AsianBoyBooty – erotic Asian content – and r/AsianCubSluts — sexy amateur Asians who have big tits. Still, even with these platforms and communities, many Asian women continue to struggle with being viewed as objects of desire. This struggle can be particularly difficult for women who identify themselves as bisexual or lesbian.
Asian Fetish Identity
When the door of a dressing room opens, a woman is startled. Her face and body show a sudden feeling of vulnerability. The camera zooms in to show her big breasts and cleavage as she looks away from the camera in embarrassment. The scene has been a common motif in pornography, a category that has seen a surge in popularity in the last decade as many more men have sought to explore and expand their fetishes.
Known as “yellow fever,” this fascination with Asian women grew out of the colonialism, sexual violence and other forms of oppression that white people have perpetrated on Asians. As a result, Asian women became associated with exotic fantasy and the Orientalist concept of being a permanent outsider.
The racial objectification of Asian submissiveness is perpetuated in theatre, films, books, and TV. They also appear in pornographic media that includes a high demand for Japanese and Korean hentai, with Asian women being the top searches on Pornhub in 2019.
It’s important to understand that these fetishes are not simply benign preferences. Those who label them as such are belittling and ignoring the racism that lies at the core of these fantasies, allowing racist ideas to frame and inform their relationships with Asians. They don’t take a step back and critically examine and question themselves, which is why they embraced and admired certain aspects of Asian cultures.