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asian fetishization and how to know if you're fetishizing asians - a thread by an asian person
let's first start out with the basics. what is a fetish? a fetish is either a form of sexual desire in which gratification is linked to an abnormal degree to a particular object, race, etc., or an excessive and irrational devotion or commitment to a particular thing.
asians can fetishize other asians. just because you're asian doesn't rule out the possibility of an asian fetishizing someone from a different race.
how do you know if you're fetishizing asians? ask yourself these questions: when i see an asian person, does my train of thought immediately go to another asian person who is unrelated to them? do i obsess with their culture and constantly try to be like them?
+ do i try to look like them? (eg. do fox eye makeup when you're not even asian) do i look for a partner solely relying on the fact that they are asian (despite being non-asian)?
if the answers are yes to even one of these, then you are fetishizing asians.
if the answers are yes to even one of these, then you are fetishizing asians.
what is the difference between fetishizing and appreciating? appreciating is to understand the context of something and to value the whole, rather than obsess about the parts. fetishization is the exact opposite of that.
if you look at an asian person and compare them to other asian people just because they're asian, not only is that incredibly disrespectful but also a type of fetishization that is shouldn't be normalized.
asian fetishization is also obsessing about, for example, koreans but not bothering to learn about what is respectful and what isn't to them, not bothering to learn about their culture.
you can like kpop, or anime, or their food, or whatever, without learning the background or history of it. there's nothing harmful there. what's harmful is REDUCING the country and its culture and people to these things. that is fetishization.
so please, i beg of you, stop comparing asian people with other asian people or anime characters, just because they're asian. if you want to, compare anime characters with cosplayers who do those things for a living/interest.
i know some of you are thinking, hell, i've MET people who have said, "oh, we're just comparing them, no harm done," or "it's an honor to be compared to *insert asian artist*"
and my answer to that is this:
no one asked.
and my answer to that is this:
no one asked.
seriously. no asian person shows their face to the world and says "who do i look like???"
no one.
this narrative of people thinking that comparing asians to each other for the sole fact that they are asian is okay needs to stop. you are reducing people to how they look
no one.
this narrative of people thinking that comparing asians to each other for the sole fact that they are asian is okay needs to stop. you are reducing people to how they look
+disregarding how they feel, or even if they feel uncomfortable getting compared to someone who isn't even from their culture. do you understand how demeaning and belittling it feels to be known as an asian person who looks like another asian person?
can we just please stop it? i'm so tired of this becoming an issue, educating people, and then asian fetishization becoming normalized again. please stop.
