fear the angry asian girls

[fickle]

</td> defy the model minority. perpetual foreigner. kung-fu fighting. china doll. lotus blossom. dragon lady. we speak english. we are not submissive. quiet. exotic. sex objects. fuck the asian fetish. we will not love you long time. asian is not oriental. we are not terrorists. we don't have sars. asian is not white. don't assume we're always straight. we are outspoken. progressive. proactive. independent in thought and action. our beauty is the union of our voices. not slanty eyes. we are women of color. we fight for asian american studies. we love yuri kochiyama. the big bad chinese mama.we are yellow and we are brown. we are a political construct. remember vincent chin. remember granada. mazanar. minidoka. by the way, our men have penises. big ones too.

If you don't know what any of those are, look them up. Credit for the above goes to the Wellesley Asian Alliance, which printed pink t-shirts with the text on the back.

I love it. I love it to pieces because it says so much about stereotypes of Asian women, stereotypes that -- surprise, surprise! -- the media perpetuates. That we self-perpetuate. It can be scary to have to talk in front of people. It can be terrifying to talk about racism or race, knowing that people are going to get defensive and insist they're not racist instead of listening to what you have to say. It makes sense to filter for other people of color if you want to just talk without having to fight. Having to fight can be tiring. Unfeminine. Culturally bad. Stereotype-shattering.

But this is one stereotype that I am heavily invested in shattering.

When was the last time you saw an image of an angry South Asian woman? I was looking for pictures for an RP I was in, and I couldn't find any.

Rai's last role in Provoked was about a woman that set her husband on fire for repeatedly raping/beating her, but she even did that with tears rolling down her cheeks. I have no idea why angry South Asian women are so threatening that they can't even be shown on screen but they do not get to be angry. They pout, they cry, they are dramatically beaten and angsty, but there's no anger. No rage. Even when they get revenge, they do it woefully.

It's okay for South Asian women to be victims, but not for them to stand up for themselves. I used to think it was a cultural problem, but I don't think it's just that. I've seen real women, real South Asian women, be passive-aggressive or just passive, but I've also seen them angry. But never in public. Never on TV. That would give them a bad reputation and it would go against the stereotype of Asian women being more docile than Western women.

After all, until relatively recently, people were still talking about widows throwing themselves onto their husbands' funeral pyres. Arranged marriages were common. Asian women didn't cheat on their husbands, right? They were happy to be housewives and treat their husbands with the proper level of respect.

That's why they're easy to fetishize. They're smaller, differently cultured and used to come from colonies. Asian women have exotic Karma Sutra-style ideas, but they also like to cook. Their culture is inferior to Western culture. They don't nag or push for marriage or make you buy them tampons. They will love you long time.

And right now, a lot of them probably think you're idiots for having bought into the media hype.

Asian women are women. Women are people. Asian women are people. And the stereotypes are going down.

The first one to die will be the idea that Asian women don't get angry, because we're here, we're angry, and we're not going to shut up.

Comments

[xinda.livejournal.com]

You're "knee-jerk reaction" is what I predicted. *beams* I find the fight coming on both sides of the fence - one wants to stay the same, one wants to fight it. Then you see those, who I would put you into, that is in the middle. "Then can be [what/who they are] as long as they don't try to" push it on you. Which is *thumbs up* to me xD <3! *Smiling at that*

Ah yes! Good point about the thing you saw in your history textbooks. In fact, something similar was brought up on *gasp* MTV not too long ago. Even so much as those that speak properly vs those that use slang all the time and what's "real" and what's "fake/just being used to impress" and such things. I don't know if I'm "wrong" for feeling this way, but it's sad that it is often viewed in deal of ones race, rather than the individual themselves as an individual. (Of course, not to say that one can't be proud of who/what they are. Obviously.)

I hope your cousin is doing it because they want to and are happy.

Oh yes! That wedding! I was FUMING at that. Argh! I agree that people should know each other. I wish it wouldn't make you look like a jerk in her/their eyes, though. It... sucks. A fine line, I suppose.

"Lock in with the image of Asian women as submissive" - is that the main reason behind arranged marriages? So that the woman is the one who appears to be (or is) submitting? I've heard that most of the time the male does have a choice - or a major "part" in the choice - or at least has some say where as the woman usually has none (or very little) at all. I don't know how accurate it is for all those that have arranged marriages, though. Or does this also fall into 'obedient children' as well - to also follow a stereotype of (in this case) "Asian parents have obedient children"? I bring this up because recently a friend had brought up "Strict Asian Parents".

I mean, really, who has the right to say how another person should live? Excellent point/question to bring up. Touchy, touchy. (Not you, but that line). Ouch. Though, I think that if it's something that's hurting someone, then something should be said, of course. But again, what's determining/who's determining such things? Fine line - grey areas? Good point, hard question. Perhaps the safest way is advising or.. suggesting if the chance is there, but I guess "telling" isn't exactly fair either.

I just don't want other people assuming that I am like her because we come from the same section of the continent, more or less.

*nods* Right-oh. Well said. I think it's hard in a lot of ways for people to do that, as it's a way for people to associate people with others - as in where they're from and understanding that much. Of course, that also goes to show that those same people may forget that just because you may be FROM that area does not mean you are exactly like that. So-true. Though, for me, my associations with people tend to be more of what is a definite association or something xD LIke: You = RP, Psychoshipping, Ryuuji, Voltaire, Dresden Dolls -- [etc on the list]. But, yes, well said. You answered that more or less how I thought you would with throwing in some things for better understanding. Thank you.