By Shera Liming Wu
Special to ModelMinority.com
July 23, 2004
I have always wondered why non-Asian men stare at me. It gets me so angry. I assume that they have never seen a female Asian face before. I think to myself, “Hey!…have you never seen an Asian woman before?… What? …Is there a problem with being Asian?”
I have heard that many non-Asian men look at Asian women as being exotic and great lovers. They believe that Asian women are subservient—that they are to obey them at all times. Do people stereotype based upon their own insecurities or their insecurities regarding their own ethnicity? Should they not seek out the truth? They are so ignorant! The subject of the so called “Asian ‘Gook’ Fetish” comes up all of the time. This fetish is when a non-Asian male is attracted to an Asian female based solely upon the fact that she is Asian, not upon who she is. It is already bad enough that men objectify women. The exotification of women is even more preposterous.
It is difficult for me to understand this. I have an Asian friend who attends a very diverse urban private university and I ask her about this “Gook Fetish” all of the time. “Does this annoy you?” I ask. “Why does this happen? It makes no sense at all.” She replies, “Many non-Asian men think Asian women are easy to dominate in a relationship. I always tell them that it is nonsense and that it is an absolutely false statement! There are many people who make too many assumptions!”
Out of curiosity, I asked one of my classmates what he thought about Asian girls. He replied, “I think that they are sexy and exotic looking.” I have no doubt that he is being totally honest, because when I see him in the hallway, he always says, “Hi, Shera, my sexy Asian vixen.” I have since angrily instructed him to cease calling me that. Why is “sexy” analogous with being an Asian woman? Although he has been enlightened, I know that I have not at all changed his opinion of Asian women. However, I do not consider Jason to be any less of a friend. Fortunately he has complied and now just calls me Shera.
I do not like having to explain things that should already be understood. Everyone should realize that there are different people in the world. I dislike it when people think that all Asians are passive and quiet. I am not like that. Nor am I like the actress Lucy Liu, whom people call “The Dragon Lady.” She does not portray all Asian women. Not all of us use our appearance to achieve our goals or use Wu Shu to show our strength.
Do all non-Asian men believe that all Asian women fit these stereotypes? We are not defined by our appearance, our love making skills, or our martial arts abilities. I do not like being categorized and labeled. Why can I not just be Shera Liming Wu…daughter, student, woman or, how about, just human being?
