Liyou's interview notes
originally I had planned to transcribe our interview and post it here, but my computer did not catch the interview audio :(. So I will be posting my interview notes in its place.
Liyou (she/her) is my close friend who is also a student at UW. She is Asian American but has lived in both America and Japan. She lived in Japan up until high school. Liyou is also a cosplayer who posts on social media.
_start of interview_
_asked her to first talk about some experiences she has had related to Asian fetishization_
Liyou recounted a time when a guy asked her out. She politely declined because she was not interested and the guy gave her a creepy vibe. When she rejected him, he told her that he only liked her because she was Asian. She thought he had only said that to hurt her, but he started dating another Asian girl two weeks later.
Liyou discussed how men, specifically a certain type of men which she describes as "white guys who like anime", seem to take more interest in her when she would mention that she had previously lived in Japan
Liyou describes the reasoning for men's hyper interest in Asia and Asian women as superficial and stereotypical as they assume Asian and Asian women are like how western media portrays
Liyou describes how she feels Asian women are oversexualized in media. She specifically mentions that Asian women are portrayed as freaky yet submissive, like a sort of sex slave.
Liyou describes her disgust with the normalization of the troupe of a sexually deviant and submissive Asian woman. She describes how western media takes pieces of culture and sexualizes them using the example of a Japanese school girl
Liyou does not like the usage of Japanese school girl uniforms in a sexual manner because she associates those outfits with children and her own experiences of going to school in Japan
I asked Liyou if she felt these stereotypes have effected her dating life and outlook on romance
Liyou says yes because when guys approach her or ask her out she is weary that they only like her for her race due to her experiences
Liyou mentions that these experiences are also not just related to her, she has seen it happen to her mom and friends.
We also discuss modern sites for asian fetishization. has it gone away? or has it just taken another form? I mention ABGs.
Liyou brings up that she feels people have taken to social media to fetishize and objectify not just Asian women, but also Asian men.
Liyou points to Kpop as an example as female fans take their obsession with male kpop idols to a next level by expressing that the only want a Korean guy as a boyfriend.
Liyou finds this ironic because she describes the culture in Korea as one that tends to put first born sons on a pedstal, causing some Korean men to be spoiled and rude. She uses this example to explain that not every Korean man is going to be just like your favorite kpop idol
Liyou also points out how western social media tends to take more of an interest in things simply because they are Asian/from Asia. She uses the example of makeup.
Liyou also feels that social media and the representation of Asian women sets untenable body standards. She feels the need to be shorter and skinnier
Liyou also recounts that people have commented on her boobs and curvy body shape and compares these features to other Asian women, "you have big [insert body part] for an Asian woman" "you are so [body descriptor, ex curvy] for an Asian woman"
Liyou also feels that Asians are used for a sort of appeal due to the sensualization in media. She describes how social media guides for "cute selfies" or "cute poses" will only use East Asians for pose examples. The poses might not be even cute or relevant to the topic but users use East Asians for that sensualization factor.
Liyou also mentions disturbing comments she gets on her social media posts as a cosplayer, with people "faceclaiming" her, or expressing that they want to be Asian like her
I express my confusion for some "faceclaiming" lingo and Liyou describes a whole transracial movement on social media that I've never heard of before
Liyou explains that this transracial movement has users doing facial exercises and manifestations in hopes of making themselves look "more Asian"
_end interview_









