Fetish Goes High Tech: The “Cute Asian Girls” IPhone App

by Latoya Peterson

I met Dennetmint at SXSW after our panel, and we had a quick conversation about race, design, and development. She recently sent me this tip via twitter, which caused severe eye-rolling.

Yes, peeps, this is the official Cute Asian Girls Iphone App.

The publisher’s description notes:

Cute Asian Girls. Need I say more?

Cute Asian Girls gives you HUNDREDs of photos of the most beautiful asian girls you have ever seen. Whether you’re looking for asian girls with weapons, or girls in maid uniforms, or even just the casual girl in a summer dress, we have them all! Our photo collection is growing by the day and will continue growing by the truckload. Every day will introduce new photos for your viewing pleasure.

Download as many asian girl photos as your heart desires for free after you buy the app. Use them as your wallpaper, send them to friends, or set them as your contact’s photos.

Download it here!
or if you have any concerns or questions, contact us at support@stuckpixelinc.com

Oh, I have a bunch of concerns – starting with WTF is up with the tags?

asian beautiful Cute FingerFrenzy girls iphone ipod touch otaku sweet

(Okay, so FingerFrenzy apparently refers to one of the other games by the publisher, but in this context? Eww.)

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» Orientalism 2.0 The Pursuit of Harpyness on 09 Apr 2009 at 9:01 am

[...] post at Racialicious brought this to my attention. The description says: Cute Asian Girls gives you HUNDREDs of photos [...]

Comments

Fiqah wrote:

“Whether you’re looking for asian girls with weapons”

This was new to me. Don’t tell me…gamers, right? Good Lord.

“Okay, so FingerFrenzy apparently refers to one of the other games by the publisher, but in this context? Eww.”

(*DEAD*)

Posted 08 Apr 2009 at 9:41 am ¶
Deaf Indian Muslim Anarchist! wrote:

That’s really offensive, racist, sexist. What goddamned tiring Orientalist bullshit.

Posted 08 Apr 2009 at 9:43 am ¶
Celeste wrote:

Not surprised in the least. I doubt they have a pic of an asian girl looking pissed off about being fetishized.

Posted 08 Apr 2009 at 9:53 am ¶
InJM wrote:

I wonder if this company even has the rights to distribute these pictures?

Posted 08 Apr 2009 at 9:56 am ¶
thinkingdifference wrote:

well, i think it’s high time we all start questioning the idea that technology is gender neutral… with most of the software industry dominated by teenage males, exactly what should we expect?

Posted 08 Apr 2009 at 10:04 am ¶
Fiqah wrote:

@Celeste:”I doubt they have a pic of an asian girl looking pissed off about being fetishized.”

That’s who I would like to see with a weapon.

Posted 08 Apr 2009 at 10:09 am ¶
wendi muse wrote:

asian girls with weapons…lol
what a mess…i feel like it would be fine if they marketed this like…fashion ads from asia or asian beauty campaign, etc

at least then, the fetishist could hide their interest behind well, something normal
but “cute asian girls”?
they are not toys…they’re p e o p l e

Posted 08 Apr 2009 at 10:09 am ¶
TtotheD wrote:

So boys like downloading and looking at pictures of pretty girls – shocking!! Is it just the fact that it’s asian girls or that they are categorized at all that’s the problem

Posted 08 Apr 2009 at 10:11 am ¶
LaurynX wrote:

I wonder if it felt right when they wrote that…

Posted 08 Apr 2009 at 10:31 am ¶
Restructure! wrote:

@thinkingdifference:

Technology itself *is* gender and race neutral. However, sexist and racist apps come out because those who are in charge of design ideas in the U.S. are usually white males.

Let’s not assume that women and technology are inherently incompatible.

Posted 08 Apr 2009 at 10:55 am ¶
Elton wrote:

This is relatively tame. See: the pornography industry. http://www.google.com/search?q=asian+girls

Posted 08 Apr 2009 at 11:08 am ¶
waxghost wrote:

To add to what Restructure! already said (if I may?), IF the majority of technophiles are male (I’m not convinced), we have to ask why first of all (perhaps because it is marketed more to men and/or more associated with men?) and then ask why there isn’t more for women, who even if we are a niche market still love our toys just as much as the boys do.

Posted 08 Apr 2009 at 11:09 am ¶
atlasien wrote:

The problem is not that this is a fetish.

The problem is that it’s a normalized fetish. It’s a fetish that’s so stupidly powerful that it eclipses and colonizes the reality of real live flesh-and-blood Asian girls.

Sometimes I think stuff like this has a worse overall effect than hardcore Asian fetish p*rn, simply because it’s so mainstream and seemingly innocuous.

Posted 08 Apr 2009 at 11:17 am ¶
Lola wrote:

I hope some guy gets caught using this App at work and gets fired.

Posted 08 Apr 2009 at 11:25 am ¶
RJG wrote:

@Celeste/@Fiqah : Isn’t that half the plot to Battle Royale?

Posted 08 Apr 2009 at 11:37 am ¶
deathblossom wrote:

Okay, I’m going to ask something that I was wondering about on last Ciara thread.

How is this that different from race play? What I mean is, the race play mentioned in the article (white master looking for black slave) seems to imply having some sort of fetish for black women. Here, these people apparently have some fetish for Asians in maid outfits. Does it only become okay if there’s an actual Asian female to consent to being part of the fetish? And if that that’s the case, why aren’t people allowed to indulge their fetishes in private because they don’t have a partner with whom they can enjoy them? Is it because this viewpoint of Asian women is normalized, as atlasien mentioned, to the point that it may no longer be a fetish and more of a stereotype?

Posted 08 Apr 2009 at 11:39 am ¶
atlasien wrote:

It’s my belief that attempting to find a one-size-fits-all definition of fetishization is a doomed enterprise.

Fetishization has a fairly innocuous meaning in pop culture.

Then it has a meaning according to Freud (involving the implausible and unprovable “missing penis” theory), and then other meanings in the broader discipline of psychology.

It also has an anthropological meaning.

So I am not condemning this kind of stuff because it’s a fetish. I’m condemning it because by whatever name you call it, it directly damages Asian women and causes us serious harm.

Posted 08 Apr 2009 at 12:05 pm ¶
atlasien wrote:

And addressing deathblossom’s question more directly: the difference with race play is that it’s impossible for Asian women to “opt out” of the scenario. “Race play” has a specific staging ground, but the Asian woman “fetish” doesn’t… if we don’t want to play in the first place, we have to demand for it to stop, and oftentimes those demands are met with responses like, “Well I was just trying to give you a compliment… bitch!”

Posted 08 Apr 2009 at 12:10 pm ¶
Whit wrote:

Gross. It isn’t unexpected from a large segment of the iPhone user base, though.

Posted 08 Apr 2009 at 12:18 pm ¶
R. Prince wrote:

@ Elton. It is interesting to observe that when I do a google search of women from all races except for white, I find that they are mostly very sexual in nature on the first few pages at least. However, surprisingly enough (though I don’t know why I should be surprised *slaps forehead*), not even the first couple of pages of a “white girls” google search brought up anything overtly sexual like it did with women of other races, no porn sites or anything..says a lot about how women of color are viewed. Ugh, great, now I’m pissed off and disgusted before lunch.

-R. Prince

Posted 08 Apr 2009 at 12:26 pm ¶
Steve wrote:

Wow, I’m sure whoever downloads that app must be real successful with actual Asian or Asian American women. /facepalm

they should bundle it with an app that keeps track of the guy’s saturday nights alone with his right hand.

Posted 08 Apr 2009 at 1:42 pm ¶
Thea Lim wrote:

@ Celeste

For pictures of an Asian girl looking pissed off about being fetishised go here:

http://www.bigbadchinesemama.com/brides/

This website always make me feel better.

Posted 08 Apr 2009 at 2:21 pm ¶
lunanoire wrote:

Web 2.0! Now offering new ways to dehumanize Asian women!

Ugh.

Posted 08 Apr 2009 at 2:38 pm ¶
gatamala wrote:

Thea…the graphic in the corner!!! *dead*

Posted 08 Apr 2009 at 2:44 pm ¶
Rollin eyeballs wrote:

The app ain’t bad..

It’s who made it, who’s using it. Mostly who made it.

Am I the only asian dude who thinks it’s sort of awesome this whole cute asian girl appeal, but–it needs to come from within.. Like if I made that app–awesome. But if *you know who* made it..

Case in point. I seriously have a thing for Hispanic girls. Can’t help it. But I’d never go and make a Sexy Latina app for the iPhone. But if there was one, made my hispanics, sure why not.

Second. I got no problem with liking women to the point of it being a fetish–as long as you’re cool with the dudes, too. If a white dude has an asian fetish, but he has no problem hanging out with her brother.. that’s cool.

Posted 08 Apr 2009 at 2:50 pm ¶
Dolly wrote:

@TtotheD

Except for that whole objectification and commodification of women’s bodies in general. Absolutely, there’s a racist element here–but acting like the sexism that’s intertwined with it isn’t a problem is bad too. Boys download pics of girls because their male privilege allows them to think they have a right to own, view, and judge women’s bodies.

Posted 08 Apr 2009 at 3:20 pm ¶
uu wrote:

This is pretty scary. I mean wasn’t it the thought of the “normalized fetish” of asian girls the reason why the case of the two men and one woman charged with raping Japanese foreign exchange women, the reason why it wasn’t charged as a hate crime when it should have?

Just thought I put that out there.

Posted 08 Apr 2009 at 3:21 pm ¶
Joseph wrote:

@atlasien
The problem is not that this is a fetish. The problem is that it’s a normalized fetish. It’s a fetish that’s so stupidly powerful that it eclipses and colonizes the reality of real live flesh-and-blood Asian girls. Sometimes I think stuff like this has a worse overall effect than hardcore Asian fetish p*rn, simply because it’s so mainstream and seemingly innocuous.

Cosign.

@All
For those of you in need of a wet-nap for your brains after viewing above app I give you…

http://www.theonion.com/content/news/asian_teen_has_sweaty_middle_aged

Posted 08 Apr 2009 at 3:35 pm ¶
F. wrote:

@28 Joseph: that Onion link is seriously one of the funniest things I’ve read from the Onion, and that’s saying a lot. The Paul Giamatti and Big and Tall lines killed me. Thanks for the tip!

Posted 08 Apr 2009 at 4:37 pm ¶
JC wrote:

Not sure exactly where I stand on this… I hate the fact that this sounded like something white otaku/gamers made because everything is so just anonymous – random “Asian girls”. This means they don’t even care who’s in the picture, as long as they look Asian. A lot of white boys with fetish are like this… completely objectify an entire segment of human population.

Now if they would actually identify the girls they showing or if the photos is limited to single or a particular group of idols, then I would feel a wee bit better about it. At least the dorks bothered to learn their names and be an actual, albeit perverted, fans. For Gravure idols from Japan, that is the intended goal anyway. I guess if this is just an app for photos of, say, Girls Generation, Koda Kumi, or Joline Tsai I guess I would have been OK with it. Generic “Asian” girls is just too much, and reminded you that some racist white guys wrote this. Oh well.

Posted 08 Apr 2009 at 4:38 pm ¶
johnjihoonchang wrote:

This is sort of a strange thought considering the conversation, but… who owns these photos that the app is pulling? Does the app even have the rights to republish and reproduce these photos? Does the software maker respect the copyrights of the photograph’s publishers?

Frankly, I’m fine with aesthetically pleasing photographs of women of any descent being taken and consumed by men and women alike (likewise, such pictures of men as well). I’m sure a lot of magazines (print and online) would die without such consumption, let alone other large segments of the entertainment industry.

However, I have to agree with atlasien in that singling out a race has a tendency (but not necessarily so) to affect real persons of that appearance/heritage. When perceptions of race overtakes the perceptions of the individual in appreciating someone’s appearance, it’s racism. You’ve stopped being appreciated for being an attractive individual and just for representing some stereotype of race in this person’s mind.

Now, to stop thinking about this before I turn into an angry Asian man in the office. There’s a time and a place for him. =)

Posted 08 Apr 2009 at 5:13 pm ¶
Hibbs4Prez wrote:

@ Elton. It is interesting to observe that when I do a google search of women from all races except for white, I find that they are mostly very sexual in nature on the first few pages at least. However, surprisingly enough (though I don’t know why I should be surprised *slaps forehead*), not even the first couple of pages of a “white girls” google search brought up anything overtly sexual like it did with women of other races, no porn sites or anything..says a lot about how women of color are viewed. Ugh, great, now I’m pissed off and disgusted before lunch.

-R. Prince
_________________________________

And yet Tyra Banks complains to the guy responsible for “Girls Gone Wild” that he doesn’t have any or many black girls. Snoop Dog gets heat for being part of that phenom because folks from the black community get on him about the lack of black females on those DVDs. I have zero scientific evidence but I’m gonna guess that the majority of the black folks who complained were female.

This is a small sampling of what some folks refer to as mixed messages. Its also displays how some groups of women get upset when they are left out in the cold in certain circumstances when it comes to being objectified. Plus size women are often in the media spotlight not for being against the idea of using women as sex objects on magazine covers and in advertisements, but angry that more women of their size are not similiarly paraded in front of the public.

Of course this isn’t the case for all women against the idea of promoting women as sex objects. Many don’t care what the race, shape size of the women used in ads. They just want it to stop. And I respect that. Just wanted to point out how some ladies can come across as hypocritical about this.

And I don’t think that women of color are any more reduced as sexual playthings than white women are. I can’t go an hour in a day when I’m watching TV, when I’m online, when I’m at a magazine rack of a book store or when I’m alking the downtown streets covered with billboards, without seeing some skimpy dressed white lady being sold as an object of sexua desire to Joe Public.

Posted 08 Apr 2009 at 7:58 pm ¶
Hibbs4Prez wrote:

Boys download pics of girls because their male privilege allows them to think they have a right to own, view, and judge women’s bodies.
_________________________________

Are you serious? It has nothing to do with privilege. Anyone can think what they want when it comes to what they want to see. Women are just as capable of doing this as men. And if they don’t choose to that says more about the condentioning of women and perhaps it speaks of their collective intelligence. and superior good taste. But lets not act as if men were given some unfair right to do such things. Its the internet for God’s sakes. People can do what they want with it. There are plenty of women out there who go searching for their own eye candy.

By the way does the same attitude about the so-called male privilege holds true when its gay men objectifying images of men? Or are gay men the only males given a pass for having a healthy, sexual appetite?

Posted 08 Apr 2009 at 8:06 pm ¶
Tracey wrote:

@Joseph: onion piece is brilliant
As for the app….wow.
@Johnjihoonchang:” When perceptions of race overtakes the perceptions of the individual in appreciating someone’s appearance, it’s racism. You’ve stopped being appreciated for being an attractive individual and just for representing some stereotype of race in this person’s mind.” Total cosign. And I think this is precisely what this app is doing.
I think another piece that explores well how this can turn into racism is on below the belthttp://feed.belowthebelt.org/2009/04/fried-rice-failed-attempt-at-subverting.html
Basically the author explains how racist remarks are nothing new but the one that hurt him most was being called “a sweet little geisha” by a lover.

Posted 08 Apr 2009 at 8:22 pm ¶
atlasien wrote:

@Hibbs4Prez: are you serious?

Women are just as capable of doing it as men… in theory. But we’ve generally been socialized since birth NOT to do it publicly, and given messages that if we do do it, we’re freakish and will scare off men. While men are given the opposite messages. That’s part of the “male privilege” you’re putting in scare quotes.

If you think it’s so harmless, how would you like your racial and sexual characteristics being loudly discussed, broken down and graded on a scale of 1-10 as you walk down the street? That actually isn’t so bad… what’s bad is when it happens at your workplace, or some other environment where you want to be taken seriously. And then if you make the mildest complaint about it, you’re viewed as a troublemaker and shut out of the social network.

You’re trying to paint anyone who complains about objectification as a prude, which is a really naive and simplistic argument.

Personally, I’m against any objectification that negatively impacts the real-life members of the group in question, whatever race, sex or orientation. I also get pissed off when I see white women objectifying straight Asian men (e.g. “Hiroshima Mon Amour” and “The Lover”). It’s comparatively rare but when it happens, I think it’s just as messed up as the subject of this post is.

There’s nothing wrong with appreciating any group sexually as long as you do it with respect, and without imposing your fantasies onto real-life people who don’t want to play the game.

Posted 08 Apr 2009 at 9:30 pm ¶
Dolly wrote:

@Hibbs4Prez

Yes, there is such a thing as male privilege, just as there is such a thing as white privilege. One aspect of male privilege is feeling an entitlement of ownership over women’s bodies.

I think you might benefit from reading some of these articles:
http://finallyfeminism101.wordpress.com/2007/08/26/faq-what-is-the-%e2%80%9cmale-gaze%e2%80%9d/
http://finallyfeminism101.wordpress.com/2007/03/23/faq-what-is-sexual-objectification/

Also, I think if you visit some other blogs around the web, you’ll see that there is ample debate about the objectification of gay men’s bodies both by heterosexual women and other gay men.

Posted 08 Apr 2009 at 9:34 pm ¶
Dolly wrote:

Or what atlasien said…

Posted 08 Apr 2009 at 9:42 pm ¶
Nathan wrote:

@Joseph
Didn’t that article actually end up the subject of a Racialicious post?

@ atlasien
Very well put, co-sign!

On a side note…
Great, more whacked out software developers, dragging us all into further disrepute. Needed some more of that, I was almost feeling respectable there for a while.

Posted 08 Apr 2009 at 9:58 pm ¶
Restructure! wrote:

@Joseph:

I never liked that Onion article, but somebody else articulated why I found it disturbing: Asian Girls and the Guys Who Fetishize Them (Hyphen):

But for a parody of pervy old white men, we sure don’t get much of the pervy old white men. Instead, we get a pretty intense collection of hyper-sexual descriptions of 17-year-old Misaki’s miniskirt and “alabaster” skin. In fact, after a few paragraphs expounding on the bizarre sexual fantasies of this “virgin nymph,” the article starts to read less like a parody and more like the beginning of Asian-fetish erotica written specifically for “balding Midwesterners who carry most of their weight in their stomach.”

Maybe the Onion writers just can’t keep track of their own punchlines anymore — or maybe this fetishized image of the submissive Asian woman is so pervasive that even satire intended to criticize it becomes, itself, a source of the objectification.

(The link was featured on a Racialicious longform links post.)

Posted 08 Apr 2009 at 10:15 pm ¶
Elton wrote:

Rollin eyeballs wrote:

The app ain’t bad..

It’s who made it, who’s using it. Mostly who made it.

Am I the only asian dude who thinks it’s sort of awesome this whole cute asian girl appeal, but–it needs to come from within.. Like if I made that app–awesome. But if *you know who* made it..

Case in point. I seriously have a thing for Hispanic girls. Can’t help it. But I’d never go and make a Sexy Latina app for the iPhone. But if there was one, made my hispanics, sure why not.

No, it would not be cool if an Asian guy was behind this. It would add to the perception that Asian men oppress and demean “their” women, therefore Asian women need to be “rescued” by White knights. Although I’m not happy about this app, I’m somewhat relieved that afaik, Asian men are not responsible.

You’re essentially saying that it’s ok for men to fetishize women as long as they’re of the same race. That is not cool.

Second. I got no problem with liking women to the point of it being a fetish–as long as you’re cool with the dudes, too. If a white dude has an asian fetish, but he has no problem hanging out with her brother.. that’s cool.

If a white dude has an Asian fetish, period, that is not cool. I don’t know what “hanging out with her brother” implies, but if that was my sister being fetishized, I would NOT feel comfortable “hanging out” with such people. I’d feel like a collaborator.

I think your thought processes are based on the assumption that “friendship” or other supposed personal ties like racial “kinship” make racism ok. You probably also think it’s impossible for any of your personal acquaintances to have racist ideas. You think they can’t be racist because they’re your “friends.” You think racism is ok as long as it’s directed towards your “own kind.” You seem to think it would be cool to be an Asian man who collaborates with fetishizers by endorsing their taking advantage of Asian women, while enjoying friendship with the fetishizers.

Think again.

Posted 09 Apr 2009 at 12:07 am ¶
Elton wrote:

atlasien wrote:

Sometimes I think stuff like this has a worse overall effect than hardcore Asian fetish p*rn, simply because it’s so mainstream and seemingly innocuous.

It is really messed up that Asian is not just a group of people. It is, mainly, an object label vis a vis Orientalism. Asian is a genre of porn. Chinese is something one eats. It’s frustrating.

Posted 09 Apr 2009 at 12:19 am ¶
Elton wrote:

Steve wrote:

Wow, I’m sure whoever downloads that app must be real successful with actual Asian or Asian American women. /facepalm

they should bundle it with an app that keeps track of the guy’s saturday nights alone with his right hand.

Wow. Please don’t compare masturbation to fetishization. That kind of childish insult is how people who don’t necessarily buy into the mainstream pressure to evaluate masculine self-worth by number of hookups or dating prowess get marginalized in the first place. Your attitude towards masturbation indicates you feel insecure about something. Remember, it’s not the size that matters, but how you use it, and how you feel about yourself. Don’t worry so much about what others think about you.

Posted 09 Apr 2009 at 12:36 am ¶
Elton wrote:

atlasien wrote:

I’m against any objectification that negatively impacts the real-life members of the group in question, whatever race, sex or orientation. I also get pissed off when I see white women objectifying straight Asian men (e.g. “Hiroshima Mon Amour” and “The Lover”). It’s comparatively rare but when it happens, I think it’s just as messed up as the subject of this post is.

True, it’s rare for Asian men to be positively stereotyped in terms of their masculinity, but it’s obviously common for us to be objectified in a negative sense by women and, mainly, other men (see: penis size insecurity). Neither stereotype is healthy.

without imposing your fantasies onto real-life people who don’t want to play the game.

This is an excellent point. Amidst all this Asian male angst about being so low on the dating ladder, why not choose to quit the “game” of seeing oneself through colonial eyes? Excuse me for geeking out for a minute, but it’s like The Matrix, where a small minority chose to stop living by society’s imposed rules and exit the loop. Asian guys, in order to “be yourself” (the #1 dating advice cliché), you must first “know thyself.” Study your culture and history. Be independent thinkers. Make time for yourself. Value non-stereotypical Asian-American images, particularly ones from the past. If we don’t value ourselves, the rest of society won’t value us, either. Let love come when we’re good and ready.

Posted 09 Apr 2009 at 1:01 am ¶
RainaWeather wrote:

Oh my I don’t even know what the hell?!

Posted 09 Apr 2009 at 1:38 am ¶
Nathan wrote:

@Elton, 42

Ah, that aspect totally slipped my by, nice catch. I would suspect (in my own happy amateur idiot way) that that sort of approach and attitude to masculinity probably also features in the formation or continuation of the fetish.

Posted 09 Apr 2009 at 3:29 am ¶
Lxy wrote:

I agree with the points about the normalized nature of this Orientalist fetish.

That is how White hegemony works in general: it normalizes some narrow–and let’s be straight blunt–predatory Euro-American perspective as just an innocuous, objective, or neutral viewpoint.

The ultimate question, however, is this: What are Asian Americans going to do about this phenomena *in general*?

Just shrug it off and rationalize it away, as some no doubt will do?

Turn it into an occasion for a dispassionate and ultimately apolitical intellectual exercise, as certain “progressives” will do?

Or, confront the institutions, culture, and, yes, White people responsible for promoting this Orientalism as a way of life in general?

One of the reasons why Asian Americans are considered acceptable racial/gendered/ sexual targets is that White America thinks that it can get away with this type of shit without being held accountable.

This innate sense of White impunity deserves to be ended.

Posted 09 Apr 2009 at 6:14 am ¶
Restructure! wrote:

*gives mad props to Elton for #40*

Posted 09 Apr 2009 at 9:09 am ¶
F. wrote:

@38 Restructure’s link to the Hyphen blog post:

I think that’s part of the point of why the article was so funny to me. It definitely pokes fun at white American “sweaty,” “balding,” “fat,” “middle-aged,” “middle manager”-type males, and then it emphasizes the ridiculous, disgusting nature of “Asian fetish” by pointing out how unrealistic it would be that Asian teens would have an “old white guy” fetish.

I can’t help but imagine a lot of readers go along with the article and laugh at the jokes, but then can’t help feeling a little turned on by the descriptions of the Japanese teenager’s schoolgirl uniform and “alabaster skin”– but then they realize (hopefully) that they’re buying into the exact same type of stereotypes that the article is actually mocking.

And that’s the point– the Onion often doesn’t just target cultural in general, but seeks to make their own readers, as individuals, uncomfortable if they see their own attitudes reflected in a mocking Onion piece.

THAT’s good satire.

Posted 09 Apr 2009 at 9:31 am ¶
Steve wrote:

@elton

Maybe my offhand comment wasn’t that funny, but I am surprised that its viewed as marginalizing or hurtful. I find it hard to envision a scenario in which that comment hurt the self image of anyone.

Posted 09 Apr 2009 at 3:16 pm ¶
Minotaar wrote:

I dont understand why the app store approval process approves this.

Its not like they would approve a racist app of a more violent nature. This seems to fall into the bizzare tendency that racial offences relating to rape (or of the broader category of male offences against women) are dismissed as “non-hate”. Our tendency to dismiss male fetishes as idle testosterone fueled libido rather than to recognize them as damaging bias crimes is allowing gender privilege to protect racial bias.

Posted 09 Apr 2009 at 3:48 pm ¶
stankerbell wrote:

and the fetishization negatively affects asian women because it allows men to think they have some right to stop them, like when their grocery shopping…with 2 young children in tow… with a prominently displayed wedding ring… and demand that those women pay attention to them and on occasion, think that they have a right to violate their personal space by touching their arms and such. the first thing out of their mouths being something like “hi, where are you from? your so beautiful…” i watched this happen to my mother so many times growing up that by the time I was 7 or 8, i would act as her bodyguard and immediately start yelling at any strange men who would try to approach her… it’s disgusting..

Posted 09 Apr 2009 at 4:05 pm ¶
Reiter wrote:

Bai Ling *shakes head*

I liked her character in Crow (maybe because she was as crazy as Bai Ling acts in real life), and her performance in Curse of the Golden Flower is probably her best to date, but the rest of the crap she does just to make a buck (and basically saying she’s disowned her Asian identity for the sake of the Hollywood crap factory) is pretty unforgivable. Luckily, my expectations for her was never very high to begin with (I wonder why she even deserves to be mentioned here on Racialicious).

@ Stankerbell
Wow, that sounds pretty terrible (and traumatic for a kid). I haven’t witnessed anything quite that blatant though my cousin has mentioned sexualized/racialized remarks made toward her by both black and white guys while she rode the subway in NYC. Hope your mom appreciated you sticking up for her.

Posted 09 Apr 2009 at 6:38 pm ¶
Celeste wrote:

Bai Ling in Curse of the Golden flower? Are you sure?

Posted 09 Apr 2009 at 8:21 pm ¶
Minotaar wrote:

She was the curse lol! I think you are thinking of Gong li

Posted 10 Apr 2009 at 1:28 am ¶
vertjaars wrote:

@R Prince It is interesting to observe that when I do a google search of women from all races except for white, I find that they are mostly very sexual in nature on the first few pages at least. However, surprisingly enough (though I don’t know why I should be surprised *slaps forehead*), not even the first couple of pages of a “white girls” google search brought up anything overtly sexual like it did with women of other races, no porn sites or anything..says a lot about how women of color are viewed. Ugh, great, now I’m pissed off and disgusted before lunch.

This is because white girls are just “girls”.

Of course, if you are of another race, we will stereotype you and create a fetish based around those idealized stereotypes.

Posted 10 Apr 2009 at 2:45 am ¶
Rchoudh wrote:

Something I noticed with those who fetishize Asian women, is the misconception they hold of Asian women “looking and acting young for their age”. Hence their regarding these women as being “cute” and “doll-like”; I don’t see other women being regarded the same way presumably because other women act too womanly and are demanding on top of that! Asian women OTOH are stereotyped as being cute and submissive who “all have little girls bodies that never age and who still love playing with dolls (Hello Kitty) and watching cartoons (anime)”.

I read recently that Mattel is pretty confident that Barbie will sell well in China because apparently they believe that Barbie will not only be bought by little girls but by older women since you know all Asian women still act young for their age! This IPhone app reminds me of this gross misperception of Asian women.

Posted 10 Apr 2009 at 7:28 am ¶
Rachel wrote:

Lame, just lame…

Posted 10 Apr 2009 at 6:44 pm ¶
Aris wrote:

By Rchoudh: “Asian women OTOH are stereotyped as being cute and submissive who “all have little girls bodies that never age and who still love playing with dolls (Hello Kitty) and watching cartoons (anime).”

~I’ve noticed this too. I’ve always found it a little creepy and pedophilic….. =/

Posted 11 Apr 2009 at 11:07 pm ¶
Ping wrote:

@elton
And it’s not just asian girls
http://www.google.com/search?q=asian+boys

Posted 13 Apr 2009 at 6:09 pm ¶
listen up... wrote:

Did it ever occur to you people that the reason there is such a plethora of material for such an app is because countries like Japan have hundreds of millions of men who eat this content up? Hello?!

Newsflash: exploitation of asian women began with Asian men, it continues with asian men, and the run-off into the west is making ASIAN MEN huge money because Asian men are the source of 95% of photography and all the negative images of Asian women.

But of course, we never hear about that.

Posted 17 May 2009 at 11:41 am ¶