Toban B. sent in a link to UkraineDate, a website that lets men find hot Ukrainian women. Two images:
Of course, the site could be targeting men in any part of the world. However, it seems likely that it aims at men in wealthier nations in the West, particularly western Europe, the U.S., and Canada. Incidentally, these are the same regions that are the source of the vast majority of male sex tourists. Immigration from the Ukraine to the U.S. has also increased in the past decade; Ukraine is now in the top 10 nations of origin for immigrants to the U.S., with nearly 23,000 immigrants in 2005. And here in Vegas, the number of women from the Ukraine and Russia found to have been trafficked into the country and forced into prostitution (as well as those who came willingly to work in a range of jobs) is increasing. That’s a bit of rambling, but the point is, women from the former Soviet Union are marketed to men in the West in a number of ways.
As Toban points out, the dating site plays on the exotic qualities often attributed to Ukrainian and Russian women. Toban says, “the Ukranian women are presented as sex objects — and in accordance with certain standards of sex and beauty.” Certainly the site makes it clear that men aren’t supposed to to be interested in these women because of their intellect, personalities, or anything other than their beauty.
It’s a good example of the way that certain nationalities, races, ethnic groups, etc., are exoticized and portrayed as particularly attractive and sexual. In some cases, as with Asian women, part of the attraction is the stereotype that they are submissive and undemanding. I’m not certain, but I don’t think that particular stereotype is applied to Ukrainian and Russian women–in fact, I’ve seen them portrayed as high-maintenance and materialistic…but worth it because they’re hot.
Thanks, Toban!
NEW! Elizabeth C. let us know about a protest against sex tourism in Ukraine, which included slogans such as “Ukraine is not a brothel.”
They did so, however, by adopting PETA’s infamous tactic of using scantily-clad women, which may or may not have helped make their point.
Comments 14
L.G. — March 6, 2009
I wonder where we small, dark-skinned Ukrainian Jews fit into all of this.
Endor — March 6, 2009
"that they are submissive and undemanding"
this is the main reason losers seek these sorts of services. Listen to the rhetoric of boys who frequent these kinds of things - they want women who aren't "uppity" like western women, who "know their place", who "wont leave me and take all my money". By virtue of their perceived submissiveness, their appeal is increased. It's just legal human trafficking.
yasth — March 6, 2009
While some of these sites deserve scorn, this particular site is just an affiliate site with stock photography. Given the extreme laziness of the site (machine translation, and not very good machine translation at that, oh and some odd profile issues) I think this is a feeder site.
Something like http://www.my-magicmatch.com/ is more interesting with such wondrous FAQ entries as "Why Ukrainian and Russian women are looking for men so much older than they are?" (answer don't go for more than 30 years, but it is just their crazy culture) "Are Ukrainian and Russian women looking for rich and handsome husbands?" (Answer nope just looking for inner beauty)
SarahMC — March 6, 2009
Women from countries with severe sex inequality are eroticized, period. It's not even about their looks. As long as they've been trained to worship men and put themselves last, they're desirable.
Sabriel — March 7, 2009
I have seen Russian women portrayed as submissive.
Dr. Robert Runte — March 7, 2009
Ukrainian women are blonde?
To turn this around, how sad is it that there are males in this country that feel so alienated, isolated, and hopeless, that they have to think about importing desperate women from other countries to get a date? They're admitting that they have no chance with any of the 100 million women on this continent, so need to look elsewhere. Talk about failures in socialization....
Anne — March 7, 2009
Dr. Robert, I think some men may feel alienated and hopeless, but I think the majority want someone young and hot (when they themselves are not) who will be a servant.
The men who use these services use words like "family-oriented" and "traditional" when describing why they choose women from these countries. Those are code words for the ideas SarahMC and Endor talk about.
SarahMC and Endor: You both rock!
chuk — March 7, 2009
Anne I think you (and the commentators you mention) and Robert are alluding to two sides of the same phenomena.
The funniest thing to me about this is, growing up in Western Canada, I used to just assume most caucasians were Ukrainian (which isn't true, but gives you an idea of how many people there are of Ukrainian descent in certain areas of North America). Obviously, it's not the Ukrainian properties they are after, but rather the supposedly non-western/ developing world qualities.
Unfortunately, plenty of this goes on within state boundaries and ethnic groups as well. One doesn't have to go far to find looser men, and disempowered women.
T B — March 7, 2009
To make matters worse -
That UkraineDate site was advertised on the Alternet.org 'alternative' media web site --
which is where I first saw UkraineDate images
(I'm already married, and I'm not looking for 'date.')
Toban
anna — March 7, 2009
i got really fascinated with this once, and looked around a similar website, which had girls from russia. my understanding was that the girls are sort of scouted in areas that are more rural, probably poorer... i wonder what the sociological connotations of that method are.
i can't even imagine how they must pitch this to the girls. it's saddening.
anna — March 7, 2009
PS: i just found this on a similar site. you should check out the FAQ sections of these sites. the question was something like, why russian women?
"They come from different walks of life, but Russian women share in their belief of traditional values and the desire to devote themselves to the man of their dreams. Russian women are affectionate, family oriented, and unlike American women, comfortable with their femininity. They are pleasers and not competitors. They expect their man to be the head of the family. Furthermore, Russian women look for what's positive in a man. They don't care about your looks, or possessions; they care about your personal qualities. They look for sensitivity, trust and understanding."
ahhhhh!!!!
also, when i googled the simple word "russian", one of the links on the first results page was a russian dating site. i think there are hundreds of them. oh my god, this is so weird/interesting, im totally hooked now, my paper will never get done at this rate....
Endor — March 9, 2009
"my understanding was that the girls are sort of scouted in areas that are more rural, probably poorer… i wonder what the sociological connotations of that method are."
Like I said, it's legal human trafficking. It apparently operates the same as illegal trafficking (get the poor, desperate, presumably uneducated, etc.) and provide them to douches who will pay. The only difference, really, is that illegal trafficking forces the women in to prostitution/pay-for-rape and this type of thing limits that to one man.
This is particularly telling: "They are pleasers and not competitors. They expect their man to be the head of the family. Furthermore, Russian women look for what’s positive in a man. They don’t care about your looks, or possessions; they care about your personal qualities. They look for sensitivity, trust and understanding."
This is very upfront in admitting that those who frequent such a cite are weak cowards who don't want a partner, but instead, a fuckable, subservient mommy. They are outright saying that, if you're an ugly, lazy, cowardly loser, we'll get a beautiful sex slave for you, legally.
Sociological Images Update (Oct. 2009) » Sociological Images — November 1, 2009
[...] also updated a post about a website that helps men find their “Ukrainian Beauty” with an image from a protest in Ukraine about sex tourism…that features scantily-clad young [...]
Carrie — April 3, 2010
I am extremely offended that you passed over the photo of the protest without even bothering to mention that the sign is written in *German*. This is just another example of the conflation of different European countries and languages (and alphabets) which is so prevalent in the United States! I expect you to do your job and check the facts, and this includes finding out why the sign is in German, or at the very least mentioning the fact that it is and that you don't know why. I'm very disappointed in you. Maybe you don't know how to tell German from Ukrainian (I'll just have to assume that is the case) but isn't this, in itself, an example of your insensitivity to... something or other... and unwillingness to inform yourself about... stuff?
Just kidding.