It’s time to address to the fetishization of Asian women in the online community and media. With tweets stating things such as “Asians are the new wave” or ” I need to get me a Ling-Ling”, many Asian females see it as a chance for them to be in the spotlight and finally get the recognition that they deserve. What they fail to realize is, letting men call them this is showing them that they accept their blatant racism. It gives me the open invitation to normalize the racism against Asians even more.
Racism against Asian-Americans is taken extremely lightly in the media, and that’s the tea. Many women may feel attracted to the men who have “yellow-fever” because it makes them feel wanted. The truth is, since films, TV-shows and other sources of pop culture have such a lack of Asian representation — some Asian women mistake guys calling them “Ling-Ling” as a term of endearment when in reality, it’s just racist.
I don’t just hear the term “Ling-Ling” from white guys trying to get Asian girls. It’s also used to make fun Asians in the work place. Nail-technicians are known for being stereotyped heavily in and out of the Asian community. Growing up with a mother who immigrated from Vietnam to the United States to work as a nail technician, I know about her first-hand experiences of disrespect and racist remarks. Clients will whisper in line to pay about how “all those Ling-Ling’s do is gossip”, yet they continue to go to their salons for pedicures and eyebrow waxes. They don’t understand how not only racist but outright rude it is to undermine a service that you still use for your own gain.
I understand that not every Asian woman is offended by the use of the term “Ling-Ling.” Many Asians don’t mind it and think it’s “just a joke.” They think that people have just gotten too sensitive and it’s merely a word with no meaning. But when you let someone call you “Ling-Ling” or “Ching-chong” without telling them anything, that gives them the green light to continue saying that to other Asians they meet. One indifferent person does not represent the whole Asian-American community that does not feel comfortable being generalized with just one term.
Asian women are not all submissive. Asian women are not all soft-spoken. Asian women are not exotic. Asian women are not all delicate and subservient. Asian women are not your fetish. Asian women are not sidekicks to your racist main plot. Asian women are not the new face for your objectification and hyper sexualization.
