Asian fetish
Encyclopedia
Asian fetish is a slang
term which usually refers to an interest, attraction or preference for people, culture, or things of Asian
origin by those of non-Asian descent. The term Asiaphile is sometimes used to describe the same phenomenon as is yellow fever.
Ronald Lake uses the term as a label for people who invest mainly in Asian financial products.
Other slang names for a preference for Asian sexual partners include "yellow fever", and "rice kings", "rice chasers", and "rice lovers" for the men who espouse it. The gay slang
term used for a man, usually white, who exclusively dates Asian men is "rice queen."
In the afterword to the 1988 play M. Butterfly
, the writer, David Henry Hwang
, using the term "yellow fever," a pun on the disease of the same name
, discusses white men with a "fetish" for Asian women. Hwang argues that this phenomenon is caused by stereotyping of Asians in Western society.
In a collection of writings from Asian American
females, YELL-Oh Girls!, Meggy Wang calls a man "Mr. Asiaphile".
and the Review of Economic Studies
(a publication of the London School of Economics
):
The study was carried out over two years and was conducted by economists Ray Fisman (lead researcher from Columbia University) and Emir Kamenica (University of Chicago), as well as psychologists Sheena Iyengar (Columbia University) and Itamar Simonson (Stanford). They took data from "thousands of decisions made by more than 400 daters from Columbia University's various graduate and professional schools."
Slang
Slang is the use of informal words and expressions that are not considered standard in the speaker's language or dialect but are considered more acceptable when used socially. Slang is often to be found in areas of the lexicon that refer to things considered taboo...
term which usually refers to an interest, attraction or preference for people, culture, or things of Asian
Asian people
Asian people or Asiatic people is a term with multiple meanings that refers to people who descend from a portion of Asia's population.- Central Asia :...
origin by those of non-Asian descent. The term Asiaphile is sometimes used to describe the same phenomenon as is yellow fever.
Terminology and usage
For example, one website is called the "Asiaphile Homepage", while a Western academic specializing in Japanese miniature carvings prefers "Asiaphile".Ronald Lake uses the term as a label for people who invest mainly in Asian financial products.
Other slang names for a preference for Asian sexual partners include "yellow fever", and "rice kings", "rice chasers", and "rice lovers" for the men who espouse it. The gay slang
Gay slang
LGBT slang, LGBT speak or gay slang is a set of slang used predominantly among lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people. It has been used in various languages, including English and Japanese since the early 1900s as a means by members of the LGBT community as a group to self-advertise as a...
term used for a man, usually white, who exclusively dates Asian men is "rice queen."
In the afterword to the 1988 play M. Butterfly
M. Butterfly
M. Butterfly is a 1988 play by David Henry Hwang loosely based on the relationship between French diplomat Bernard Boursicot and Shi Pei Pu, a male Peking opera singer....
, the writer, David Henry Hwang
David Henry Hwang
David Henry Hwang is an American playwright who has risen to prominence as the preeminent Asian American dramatist in the U.S.He was born in Los Angeles, California and was educated at the Yale School of Drama and Stanford University...
, using the term "yellow fever," a pun on the disease of the same name
Yellow fever
Yellow fever is an acute viral hemorrhagic disease. The virus is a 40 to 50 nm enveloped RNA virus with positive sense of the Flaviviridae family....
, discusses white men with a "fetish" for Asian women. Hwang argues that this phenomenon is caused by stereotyping of Asians in Western society.
In a collection of writings from Asian American
Asian American
Asian Americans are Americans of Asian descent. The U.S. Census Bureau definition of Asians as "Asian” refers to a person having origins in any of the original peoples of the Far East, Southeast Asia, or the Indian subcontinent, including, for example, Cambodia, China, India, Indonesia, Japan,...
females, YELL-Oh Girls!, Meggy Wang calls a man "Mr. Asiaphile".
Columbia study on racial preferences in dating
In 2007 economist Ray Fisman, in a two-year study he co-authored on dating preferences among Columbia University students, did not find evidence of a general preference among white men for Asian women. Furthermore, the study found that there is a significantly higher pairing of white men with East Asian women simply because East Asian women discriminate racially against black and Hispanic men. As quoted on Slate.com, and also reported in The Washington PostThe Washington Post
The Washington Post is Washington, D.C.'s largest newspaper and its oldest still-existing paper, founded in 1877. Located in the capital of the United States, The Post has a particular emphasis on national politics. D.C., Maryland, and Virginia editions are printed for daily circulation...
and the Review of Economic Studies
Review of Economic Studies
The Review of Economic Studies is a peer-reviewed academic journal in economics. It was established in 1933 and is published by Wiley-Blackwell. It is the eighth-ranked economics journal in overall impact according to the ranking of Kalaitzidakis et al...
(a publication of the London School of Economics
London School of Economics
The London School of Economics and Political Science is a public research university specialised in the social sciences located in London, United Kingdom, and a constituent college of the federal University of London...
):
The study was carried out over two years and was conducted by economists Ray Fisman (lead researcher from Columbia University) and Emir Kamenica (University of Chicago), as well as psychologists Sheena Iyengar (Columbia University) and Itamar Simonson (Stanford). They took data from "thousands of decisions made by more than 400 daters from Columbia University's various graduate and professional schools."
See also
- Interracial relationships
- Interracial marriageInterracial marriageInterracial marriage occurs when two people of differing racial groups marry. This is a form of exogamy and can be seen in the broader context of miscegenation .-Legality of interracial marriage:In the Western world certain jurisdictions have had regulations...
- Racist loveRacist loveRacist love is a term used by some Asian American social activists to describe a form of racism.-Origin and concept:The term was coined by Frank Chin and Jeffery Paul Chan in a 1972 article entitled "Racist Love." Chin and Chan differentiate between the terms racist hate and racist love...
- Stereotypes of Asians
- Sex tourismSex tourismSex tourism is travel to engage in sexual activity with prostitutes.The World Tourism Organization, a specialized agency of the United Nations, defines sex tourism as "trips organized from within the tourism sector, or from outside this sector but using its structures and networks, with the primary...
- AmejoAmejois a Japanese derogatory term meaning American- girls and is directed to young Okinawan women who date male members of the U.S. armed forces, specifically white...
- Sarong party girlSarong party girlSarong Party Girl is a derogatory term used in Singapore and in Peninsular Malaysia.It describes a local, solely Asian woman who usually dresses and behaves in a provocative manner, and who exclusively dates and prefers white men. This can be considered a variant of the Pinkerton Syndrome...
- Yellow cab (stereotype)Yellow cab (stereotype)is a term referring to an ethnic stereotype of Japanese women, and by extension other Asians, suggesting that they are sexually available to foreign men...