many women around us are married to foreign men, especially Americans. It turns out that this does not only happen in Indonesia. American men also want to marry women from other countries in Asia. This is yellow fever, a phenomenon in which white men are attracted to and sometimes obsessed with Asian women. According to Debbie Lum, a fourth-generation Chinese-American from St. Louis, Missouri, there is a reason why many men consider Asian women to be ideal wives. It is mentioned, because Asian women are more obedient and obedient. In addition, they have a dream to live more prosperous in Western countries. Marrying an American man became their way to obtain a green card. These stereotypes do offend the Asian-American community because they are often untrue, Lum argues.
Read also: worried after knowing Ikang Fawzi fainted 4 times, Addie MS: baseball Tega according to Goal Auzeen Saedi, a graduate of the doctoral program in counseling from Stanford University, the dominant perception of Asian women is that they are submissive types. Submissive, but also able to dominate. In a 2011 article in Psychology Today, Dr. Saedi explained that Caucasian men who crave Asian women are actually sending a fundamental message that they are more powerful, dominant, have the flexibility as whites. The psychology behind yellow fever is what Debbie Lum tried to portray in her documentary, Seeking Asian Female. In the film Lum follows the lives of Steven, a 60-year-old American man, in his search for an Asian bride; and Sandy, a 30-year-old Chinese woman whom Steven meets on the internet and eventually marries. According to the website for the documentary, Steven first became interested in Asian women after witnessing the success of his son’s marriage to a Japanese immigrant. Steven, who worked as a clerk at the San Francisco airport, hunted through catalogs and dating sites for years to try to find his match.
“over the past five years there must have been hundreds of different girls from China that I sent letters to,” he explained in the film’s trailer. Until finally he met Sandy, a factory worker who grew up in a tea garden in the mountains of China. Steven flew to China to find the girl. Steven didn’t come back empty-handed. Two weeks later, he returned to California with Sandy, after the girl agreed to marry him. “I’m so happy,” Steven said, grinning like a teenage boy in love. Read also: crowded about the IDR 75,000 note is called” Expired ” and not valid, this is BI’s word it’s just that, once they live together and fulfill their dreams and fantasies, then both realize that they have difficulty communicating. Sandy’s English was standard once, while Steven didn’t know a word of Chinese (somehow they communicated in his letters). The film’s Trailer shows how they often fight because neither understands what the other is saying. “What?”Steven shouted at his wife. “Speak in English!”Debbie Lum acted as a mediator and translator for the couple. At Lum, Steven often complains and asks for help to solve his problems. “I don’t know what he (Sandy) is talking about,” she told Lum.
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however, their marriage is still running after four years, because Steven realizes that he can love Sandy despite her fiery character. In the film it is also seen that Sandy is not afraid to assert her opinions or views. In fact, in a joking tone he threatened to cut off Steven’s fingers if the man lied to him.
This is evidence that contradicts the stereotypical image of Asian women who are often called submissive earlier. “Steven’s obsession with any Asian woman has been replaced with a real Sandy,” explains Lum, who admits that her own perception of Steven may be as bad as Steven’s perception of Asian women. Lum hopes her film can serve as a discussion about negative categorization in general, including about Caucasian men like Steven. The Film is about expectations and stereotypes, which are actually very related. It’s stereotypes about white men, and expectations about relationships.