With the popularization of K-pop and Korean shows like Squid Game, Korean media has become mainstream. People are enamoured with Korean entertainment and by extension, Korean celebrities and people.
Asians have been historically fetishized, being portrayed as exotic, subservient and innocent in many books and movies featuring the “Lotus Blossom” stereotype (aka the “China doll”, “geisha girl”, or the “Japanese school girl” stereotype). Some examples of films with hyper-sexualized Asian characters following this stereotype are Miss Saigon and Madame Butterfly, among many others.
In this new wave of mainstream Korean media, the problematic infantilization of Asians continues in social media edits and Tweets about K-pop idols and Korean celebrities. Posts like, “They’re so baby 🥺” or “They didn’t know any better,” are not uncommon when describing or trying to defend favoured Asian creators. Like Ma’am, this singer is a 27 year old man. If we use similar terms to describe Western celebrities, it can start to sound pretty weird.
But why are Asians viewed this way in Western media? In Edward Said’s 1978 book, the term Orientalism is used to describe how Western societies often view the East as opposite to themselves. For instance, certain Western societies see themselves as powerful and masculine, and thus Eastern peoples would be weak and feminine in comparison. This leads to the emasculation of Asian men and hyper-sexualization of Asian women, as seen in Western movies and fan posts about Asian celebrities.
But is it really that problematic? Perpetuating these stereotypes, which racialize and sexualize Asians, can lead to tragedies like the 2021 Atlanta mass shooting, where 8 people were killed, 6 being Asian women. The mass shooter claimed the crime was motivated by a sex addiction. Although he denied that it was racially motivated, he targeted Asian-run businesses and wanted to “eliminate the temptation.” It’s great that Korean media has become mainstream, as we get exposed to different cultures and become more open minded. Even so, it’s important to dismantle stereotypes that dehumanize and fetishize Asians in Western media and be critical when consuming online content.