Great post!  People often don't realize the double burden of being a woman of color; women have to battle both racial and gender-based stereotypes.  No where is this clearer than on dating websites! It's unfortunate that these websites are just one new way to advance racial stereotypes, but it seems that the option to weed out potential dates by race often leads to men ignoring or pursuing entire races of women based on characterizations.  If I was using a dating website, the very fact that a potential match had screened out African-American women or only wanted to see the profiles of Asian women would ring major alarm bells for me.  How do we think media representations of masculinity/femininity and race have contributed to inclinations for certain races?

Thanks Maya! I couldn't agree more--it would ring major alarm bells for me as well. And it's so true that women of color face stereotypes based on both race and gender--passive Asian woman, hypersexual Latino woman, etc. I think media plays a major role in perpetuating stereotypes surrounding masculinity/femininity, race and gender. For example, Asian men are more often than not, still depicted as weak and emasculated while African-American men are often depicted as hyper-masculine and violent. It's so imperative there be thoughtful and active dialogue and critique surrounding such images.

Interesting somewhat related article on the correlation between race and the number of messages you receive: http://blog.okcupid.com/index.php/2009/10/05/your-race-affects-whether-people-write-you-back/

Thanks for sharing this link!! I'll definitely check it out.

"The story is a little different for the men, 59% of whom stated a racial preference. Of these, nearly half selected Asians, but fewer than 7% did for black women. Why? One theory offered by the study's lead author, Cynthia Feliciano, a sociologist at the University of California at Irvine, is that men's choices are influenced by the media's portrayal of Asian women as being hypersexual and black women as being bossy."

 

I'm glad SOMEONE is finally talking about this. Excellent post.  Every single so called "solution" for Asian males is to have more confidence but people never consider inherent racial biases

 

that quote is from here by the way:
http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1963768,00.html#ixzz0iq1ExPZd

Thanks for the feedback, Clavin!

Well, this is all fascinating to me. I know two asian female white male relationships. Both males are professors. The first marriage is a nightmare. The wife cannot stand her husband and they barely tolerates her. They calls him frequently when they is away. They does not require him to come home. They only wants to make sure they is not having a lovely time. They is verbally abusive. They, also, has a stepdaughter who calls him up to call him names. They does a lot of jumping through hoops. They “explained” to me that “asian” women are controlling, and not docile at all. They is unhappy because they thought they was getting a submissive wife. I don’t think it's anything to do with her being asian, and they got what they deserves for being a racist bastard. You can’t order a wife like you order furniture. Only the simple minded assume that two asian woman is representative of all of them lovely or bad.i have earning lot of money to fullfill expense of my girlfirends from Car Rent and the second relationship is beautiful two. They was my language tutor. They is in a wheel stool, not sure if it happened before or after they was married. But the man is so sweet I don’t think they would have cared either way. I know why they married him. They is an interesting man as well as a sweetheart to his core. The way they watches over her makes me tear up. However, they is no docile submissive woman infant. They is smart and witty, and bossy, lol. They wouldn’t have it any other way. And I happen to admire her a bit, she’s a hard cookie, lol. I would hope regardless of the ethnicity of a person people are smart not to make such crude judgments about somebody making a lovely or bad wife based soley on ethnicity or culture. There's few universals or absolutes in this world, and you may finish up missing the love of your life because you are blinded by misconceptions. The part that I find so interesting is how so plenty of men on here view themselves as more enlightened than American women. Having been raised by American women themselves, I would think there would be more respect. But I guess that’s how I was raised. The American Female experience is greatly intertwined with the American male experience. The male and female behavior in a culture is not one-sided. Plenty of American men don’t require traditional values. They require to taste all of the merchandise first. The average American woman is a lovely fit for what the average American man wants. If American marriage and love is messed up, they have no doubt made a mess of it together. It was not the women’s movement, it was the ushering in of the me first, keeping up with the Kardashians/Jones’, I require it all now attitude that so plenty of have right down to the if you won’t be the wife I require I will buy two somewhere else mentality present in a number of the posts. I have heard plenty of men spout stereotyped virtues of asian women. Yet, in our culture a woman who is raised with those “values” may find herself victimized by men for those things. I have a mate that behaved traditional stereotypical ways (not asian) including waiting for marriage. They has a Master’s degree and is smart. Size 0 and 5’9”, feminine and open sexually. Her husband made her pay half the bills when they made a third of what they did. They bought cars and motorcycles and lived well. They bought diapers and could barely keep gas in the tank. They grew up with strong personalities. The result, her husband felt they was to weak. They needed somebody who was a tiny more cut throat, less traditional, and more independent. They dropped her off at her parents with their two year elderly. They has only seen him two time in two years when they makes the forty-five minute drive two time a year to see his infant and pat himself on the back for being a lovely sister, American fathering 101? They is now married with a new wife and infant. They has lots of demands with the new wife, that’s what they wanted. I am traditional as well, taught that you ought to wait until marriage. However, if I hold true to that it might take a while. The American men I know have all told me my traditional values are a negative as well as a deal breaker. I do find it funny in that “American” women/men seems to refer only to whites. Also, that white women are being crude about Asian women/American or White Males, as I see plenty of love to play the patron saint of interracial love with black men, and they are not as graceful as plenty of Asian women about handling it. I cannot tell you how plenty of times I have heard white women use racial slurs and think they receive a pass for riding in on a black horse. Oh how plenty of lectures I have heard them giving black women about keeping black men happy? Plenty of relish the role, playing the consummate victims of white male supremacy/penis envy and black female jealousy. Pity they cannot see each other has human. I wish you all happiness.

Naaaah.. I dont believe the above mentioned comments about the asian women.. She's so shy to touch so mute to talk. Highly inferiority complexed. Visit asia and you will appreciate my comments.