Editorial

Asian Women: Fetishized, Marginalized, and Agonized

By Jingjing x. ‘22

“8 People Killed in Atlanta-Area Massage Parlor Shooting'' reads the headline of a New York Times article on March 16, 2021. Without context, no one would suspect the real story: 6 Asian Women Murdered in an Anti-Asian Hate Crime. In the gunman’s own words, his actions were “not racially charged” but caused by his “sex addiction.” There has been debate over whether this was an act against the Asian community or a sexist attack, which insinuates that racism and misogyny exist on two opposite ends of a moral seesaw. In reality, racism and sexism are grotesquely intertwined in the oppression of Asian women. The Atlanta shooting was no exception. Asian women exist within the lethal intersection of racism and sexism, and the media contributes to the perpetuation of their fetishization. 

With its popularization in American culture, anime becomes the only thing associated with Japan that is considered relevant by American society. In animation itself, women are given unrealistic proportions, putting revealing clothing and submissive personality tropes on display as a form of fan service. In Bleach, the character Orihime starts as having relatively realistic body proportions to a complete change in her animation style that left her with breasts that could not be contained by her clothing. In certain cases, such as this one, it is clear that the hypersexualization of Asian women in anime is to keep a certain audience interested in the show. This over-sexualization directly contributes to their fetishization. Unsurprisingly, it was reported by Pornhub in 2019 that the site’s most searched term was “Japanese.” Certain anime is designed to hypersexualize women to entertain a specific audience. The popularization of anime in American culture causes the association of being sexually submissive and overly sexual with Asian women. Fetishization becomes dangerously integrated as anime continues to gain popularity.

Throughout Hollywood, the image of a heavily-makeuped and heavily-accented Asian girl is all too familiar. Asian women are painted as submissive and servile; an ideal of a “dragon lady” or “exotic lotus flower” becomes a fantasy that replaces Asian women’s humanity. In Full Metal Jacket (1987), two white male soldiers are propositioned by an Asian prostitute, who uses the phrases, “me so horny” and “me love you long time.” These phrases of broken English reinforce stereotypes and have been integrated into the American vernacular. Nancy Wang Yuen writes in an NBC News article that a young white man came up to her in an Atlanta airport and shouted, “me so horny” at her. In Austin Powers (2002), two Japanese twins are portrayed as extremely sexually available, offering the main white male character a “top secret massage.” He later checks off “Have threesome with Japanese twins” off of his bucket list. The character herself is given the name “Fook Mi,” which is turned into a sexual joke in the script. In Mean Girls (2004), Trang Pak serves little significance other than being caught in an affair with Coach Carr, an older white male. Asian women have been caricatured by Hollywood, maintaining an overly sexually submissive and active stereotype. The enforcement of the association between Asian women and sex proves to be dangerous, painting Asian women as vulnerable and easily exploited. 

The Atlanta shooting was a lethal culmination of the gunman’s Asian fetish and his racially-charged hate. The Asian community found themselves offended when diminished to being one man’s “sex addiction” and in mourning for the lives lost in Atlanta. The dehumanization of Asian women in the media has proven to have deadly effects, and it’s time for us to speak up about it.