In episode 3 of the webseries They’re All So Beautiful, they attempt to answer the question “What do Asian men think of Yellow Fever?” If the predominant Asian fetish is of men (of all ethnicities) toward Asian women, where does that leave Asian and Asian American men? While stereotypes of Asian women make them desirable (submissive, catering, attentive, empathetic) Asian men have been historically seen as invisible, or worse. Men and women speak candidly about Asian male stereotypes, such as: “when an Asian women has chinky eyes, they’re exotic, but when an Asian man has chinky eyes, it’s just chinky.” A white female store owner comes right out and says that Asian men “seem serious, studious” and “up-tight.” Spoken word artist Bao Phi and diverse Asian American men offer counterpoints to the misperceptions, and reflect on how “yellow fever” impacts Asian male identity. Often poking fun, these men also comment on stereotypes about Asian women with an “insider’s” perspective. “In my experience, Asian women are belligerent, demanding and controlling… and I support that,” states one mid-aged Asian American man. A young Asian American man also notes that Asian American women out-marry more than any other ethnicity in America. So why is that?
Previous episodes:
They’re All So Beautiful Episode 1
They’re All So Beautiful Episode 2
Talking head commentary from experts and everyday Asian/Americans, as well as interviews with patrons of Asian fetish forums spell out the implications of race-based romantic preferences with honesty and humor, making They’re All So Beautiful provocative while politically agnostic. It promises to surprise viewers with its thoughtful look at modern love and relationships, just as with Lum’s award-winning documentary, Seeking Asian Female, which provides the thematic basis of They’re All So Beautiful.
Weekly webisodes will air online leading up to the national broadcast of Seeking Asian Female on Independent Lens on Monday, May 6, 2013 at 10:00 p.m. ET on PBS (check local listings).
They’re All So Beautiful Episode 3
More about They’re All So Beautiful
They’re All So Beautiful is a six-part web series directed by Debbie Lum and co-produced by Maikiko James. The short online documentary episodes are designed to stimulate discussion on yellow fever – a unique but in many ways ubiquitous predilection Western men have for women of Asian descent. Each video starts with a question:
Episode 1: What is Yellow Fever?
Episode 2: Do you have to be white to have Yellow Fever?
Episode 3: What do Asian men think of it?
Episode 4: What about White Fever-Asian women who seek out white men?
Episode 5: What about marriage?