NEWS:
Remember, if you’re so inclined, we’re on Facebook and Twitter!
We’d like to draw your attention to the comments thread on an old post, Marketing Asian Women to Anti-Feminist Men. While, to be frank, I don’t think the post was very strong in itself, it attracted the attention of the very men to whom I argued Asian women were being marketed. Their comments are a really fascinating insight into the logics of white men who prefer Asian women. It’s a pretty amazing read.
If anyone without access to journal databases would like a copy of my most recent publication, “Defining Gendered Oppression in U.S. Newspapers: The Strategic Value of ‘Female Genital Mutilation’” (Gender & Society, 2009), I’d be happy to email you a copy. Just send us a note at socimages@thesocietypages.org.
FROM THE ARCHIVES:
One year ago in September, we dissected a news story about “black and white twins.” The story reveals a great deal about how Americans think about race and so we decided to revive it for today.
Two years ago in September, when we were but a wee blog, we posted our first PostSecret about the pressure one man feels to perform masculinity.
NEWLY ENRICHED POSTS (Look for what’s NEW!):
Race
We found more examples of black models (Naomi Campbell again, Iman, and Grace Jones) being posed with or as animals and added them to our post on the topic (not safe for work). Bri A. also sent in some photos of Bratz Nighty Night dolls; only the dark-skinned doll is in leopard print pajamas.
We added an image that questions why we accept American Indian sports mascots when we’d surely express outrage if other minorities were used as mascots to our post on Native American mascots.
Discourse
Man poisons wife; Reuters says it was an act of love. Screenshot here (scroll down).
Gender and Symbols
I snapped two pictures at the Dublin airport of warning signs for moving sidewalks that, like an earlier example, mark stick figures as female as soon as a child is involved. Also new to the same post, Emanuelle sent us an example of a sign showing a stick figure with a child… and the figure isn’t clearly marked as female.
We also added a photograph to our collection of traffic signals that feature a female instead of a male figure. This one, from New Zealand, was spotted by Pharmacopaeia.
Sarah D. sent in another example of the feminization of sugar.
Socialization and Gendered Products
We added commercials for two more toys that socialize girls into cooking and other housework to our post about the Hasbro Rose Petal cottage.
The trailer for the movie Teenage Doll, another old movie about teens going crazy with lust, made a nice addition to our post with other examples on the same theme.
As we often do, we have more examples of gendered kids’ products: boys’ and girls’ versions of a book on “how to be the best at everything.” They make a nice pair with the girls’ and boys’ doodle books we posted here.
More pointlessly gendered products! Now sunscreen comes in a version just for girls (scroll all the way to the bottom of the post).
Objectification of Women
Giorgos sent us another fantastic PETA ad, this one implying that you might get to see “explicit footage” of Pamela Anderson. We added it to our post on how PETA objectifies women.
How many boob-focused ads for the video game Evony can there be? At least three more. Thanks to D.R.S., Alex B., Wtfcats, and Kim H. for sending them in!
Comments 10
[dave] — October 1, 2009
The comments on "Marketing Asian Women..." made me want to gauge my eyes out. Thank you. Kudos to the folks who tried to engage those trolls and much understanding to those who steered clear.
oddrid — October 1, 2009
Wow, I just went back and read the comments on Marketing Asian Women to Anti-Feminist Men (the ones I could stomach anyway). It seems like the conversation completely devolved from "Isn't it creepy that Asian women are being marketed as submissive wives" to "feminists are fat ugly lesbians who hate Asian women."
Because, you know, there are no Asian feminists.
What.
a.kim — October 1, 2009
Oh, wow. Ow. I just read those comments in that Orientalism thread. No, I don't mind, usually, when white guys date Asian women, or white women date Asian men, or any other combination, really.
Not usually, anyway. It only really creeps me out when it's clear that the reason behind it are those assumptions about the person based on a broad misunderstanding of the culture and ethnicity--and usually, those who do have these fetishes reveal themselves really quickly.
Usually, the self-justifications are transparent, but so deeply embedded that it's not worth it to argue. It's more productive to talk to a brick wall and convince it to let you pass.
It still has the huge ick factor, though. And I say this as a gaysian male; it's disturbing because when it's clear the only reason they're into you is because of your ancestry, it leaves that horrid doubt in your mind that they don't actually care for who you are as a person, as they've reduced you simply to one trait and one trait alone.
aceygray — October 2, 2009
The first two links in the "Gender and Symbols" section are broken. I'd really like to see those pictures!
Liyana T — October 3, 2009
Hi. I want to comment on promoting Asian women to white men. Now I have read most of the comments and frankly not many Asian women have been saying a lot. To make this clear, I am an Asian woman, I do not claim to represent all Asian women but I can claim to represent a majority of Asian women (also the commentary box was gone and the issue resolved - and I believe, no the issue is NOT resolved) the Asian community may be patriarchal, yes. But I also notice that we are not extremely bombarded by images of feminization. Au contraire, somehow the effects of Islam has to some extent shielded us from the male gaze (although this could be a double sided sword effect, I'm not quite sure). For instance, in Brunei, women actually get paid equally with that of men and in most instances women actually get paid more if they specialize in something. Slowly, but surely, women are entering the workforce as professionals leaving the patriarchal past behind despite their protests. but then again, this is a country once described by a historian as having women who continuously 'henpeck' their husbands. Now the issue of Asian women as being sold to white men, I am very sure that these so-numbered white men are extremely misguided when they talk about 'Asian' women. As if only that type of Asian women exists from the Asian community. One thing for sure is that nobody has bothered to realize that many of these women are poor, especially those coming from the Phillippines, Thailand and mainland China. We're not subservient meek ugly feminist women (I don't give a shit about the ugly and fat slurs). For them the only means to attain a life was to marry a white man. And at times, I notice that they are processes, interracial couples do exist, but to equate Asian women to subservience, hell, try marrying one.
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Delphi_Programmer — November 1, 2009
I think you misunderstand those "trolls" who posted the comments on the other thread. Yes, there was a lot of name calling and bashing. It goes with the territory of a very hot-button emotional topic.
The message you should get from it is that people should be FREE to make their own choice whom to be with romantically, for whatever reason they choose. No one is telling you whom to date.
Free choice... what an interesting concept. It's something you seem to care a lot about when it comes to abortion, but when it comes to dating and marrying rights, it goes out the window with you people.