The fetishization of Asian women is what drew the killer to his targets.
In a prior thread, I explored historical roots of anti-Asian racism, but did not get to the intersection of gender and race. Here’s my attempt to do this succinctly. 1/
In a prior thread, I explored historical roots of anti-Asian racism, but did not get to the intersection of gender and race. Here’s my attempt to do this succinctly. 1/
https://twitter.com/KorematsuCtr/status/1372964939900485632
Before I begin, I am indebted to the scholarship that explores race and gender (@mari_matsuda, @sandylocks, Sumi Cho) and the construction of Asian female bodies (Gina Marchetti, @celineshimizu) and countless others I’ve learned from. 2/
How are race and sex intertwined in constructing Asian bodies?
Asian racialization is not monolithic. Asian men and Asian women sometimes are treated similarly, lumped together as Asian. Other times, treated differently. 3/
Asian racialization is not monolithic. Asian men and Asian women sometimes are treated similarly, lumped together as Asian. Other times, treated differently. 3/
E.g. – WWII Japanese American incarceration – men, women, and children of Japanese ancestry removed from large swaths of West coast and incarcerated. 4/
Unifying logic/basis for incarceration was race. Even orphans, including children of mixed ancestry, were removed from orphanages and foster homes. Densho reports that fifty percent were under 7 yrs old; 29%, under 4. encyclopedia.densho.org/Manzanar_Child… 5/
Other times, Asian men are constructed differently from Asian women.
Early cinema–Asian male as sexual threat. The Cheat (Cecille B. DeMille 1915); Broken Blossoms or the Yellow Man and the Girl (D.W. Griffiths 1919); The Bitter Tea of General Yen (1932 Frank Capra). 6/
Early cinema–Asian male as sexual threat. The Cheat (Cecille B. DeMille 1915); Broken Blossoms or the Yellow Man and the Girl (D.W. Griffiths 1919); The Bitter Tea of General Yen (1932 Frank Capra). 6/
Great discussion in Gina Marchetti, Romance and the Yellow Peril: Race, Sex, and Discursive Strategy in Hollywood Fiction (1994). 7/
At some point, this flipped. E.g., Sayonara (J. Logan 1957). Interracial romance, but in one direction. Marlon Brando gets to court Miiko Taka. The romance that doesn’t take off is Ricardo Montalban in yellowface flirting with Patricia Owens. 8/
Note the seductive submissiveness on the movie poster: Taka tells Brando: "I am not allowed to love. But I will love you if that is your desire ..." 9/
This flipping coincided with the Asia/Pacific Wars, with large number U.S. servicemen in Asia. This has been written about a lot, but here is one widely available source with some good links:
washingtonpost.com/news/checkpoin… 10/
washingtonpost.com/news/checkpoin… 10/
The racialized sexualization of Asian women gets imported into US. Propagated in popular culture.
Produces the experiences recounted by countless Asian American women:
nytimes.com/2021/03/18/us/…
Make sure to look at links in this article. 11/
Produces the experiences recounted by countless Asian American women:
nytimes.com/2021/03/18/us/…
Make sure to look at links in this article. 11/
The fetishization of Asian women is what drew the killer to his targets.
Convince me otherwise.
(In a later thread, I hope to include class directly and the commodification of Asian female bodies.) 12/
Convince me otherwise.
(In a later thread, I hope to include class directly and the commodification of Asian female bodies.) 12/
please unroll, @threader_app
• • •
Missing some Tweet in this thread? You can try to
force a refresh
