assignment

The Restricted Immigrant

As previously discussed, the majority of early Asian American immigrants were men. They migrated to the US to perform physical and migratory labor. They were well liked by their employers for being "affordable" (paid less than their white counterparts) but openly hated by their fellow white laborers. These men had goals of returning to their home countries with gold lining their pockets. Their wives back home were tethered to their in-laws to ensure the return of their sons. The unmarried women back home were stereotyped as more "virtuous", still maintaining core values that are assumed to be lost through migration. Chinese women who did make it to the mainland were considered prostitutes and found exclusion from the US as early as 1875. This helped to shape the image of Asian American women as we saw back in the early weeks of the semester. The use of Asian American women's body as sex commodities has early roots that has lasted for one hundred years.

Openings to Immigration

There were small opportunities for women to migrate as laborers (to Hawaii), brides (War Brides Act of 1945), and eventually the doors swung wide open in 1965 with the Hart-Celler Act. In all of those periods women were not seen as independent migrants but rather as bodies to become producers of laborers, doting wives and caregivers that played into the subservient doting Asian woman stereotype. The plantations actively recruited women to come work in the fields in the hopes of procreating a second generation of laborers. The War Bride's Act enabled women to immigrate as dependents of their veteran husbands, thrown into a new world that was attempting to rebuild post WWII. Through multiple engagements in Asian countries (WWII, Korean War and Vietnam War) the notion of what Asian women were and the characteristics they carried were magnified by the many brothels that catered to the overseas American men. The doting and hypersexualized Asian women (who were paid) echoed the existing stereotypes of Asian American women, cementing the assumption that these characteristics were culturally Asian.

Burning Bras and Taking Jobs

Women's movement picketers.jpg

The 1960's and 1970's brought on a lot of change in the United States. The civil rights movement, the LGBTQ movement and the Women's movement were all huge shifts in American society. The move for social justice for the marginalized also gave way to the movement of women who wanted to break free from the confines of society's longstanding expectations. WWII enabled women to leave their homes to work and once the men returned the women were back in the house, raising children, preparing meals and catering to her husband. That 1950's housewife birthed the 1970's women who had different life goals in mind. These women were career driven and motivated to seek out equality in every slice of society. They were women who were willing to put their career first and family life second. For some American men this type of woman was unappealing. These women were empowered to make changes in the society for everyone, have voices in their workplaces and homes-they were far from any type of "traditional" home maker of the past.

The Empire of Care

The 1965 immigration act invited professionals to the United States, filling labor gaps in all segments of society. One such gap was in the medical industry, specifically in the nursing profession. The influx of Filipina nurses during the 1960's was due to two causes: the huge void of nurses in the US and the assumption of Filipinas as the perfect caregivers. With a US colonial history, the Philippines has had medical professionals trained and imported to the US for decades leading up to the 1960's. What changed in the 1960's was the migration of nurses who were able to practice in the profession as well as women who faced underemployment, the inability to use their professional and educational background in the field thus facing professional downgrade. Many Filipinas worked as domestic servants, nannies and home healthcare workers-all "serving" the needs of their clients. This created a new (less sexualized) stereotype of the Asian woman: caring, doting and domicile. This would be in opposition to the American women of the rapidly changing American society.

Heading Overseas for the "Perfect Wife"

The characteristics of the Asian woman as previously described rapidly become more appealing as the American women becomes less of the traditional home maker. This subservient, docile "traditional" women to "serve them" seemed only to be found in Asia (which also from the 1980's on has marketed women as such). Mail Order Bride industries played up the stereotype of Asian women being hypersexualized, doting and insubordinate to attract men who are seeking out these particular traits. Many of the websites describe the women as "submissive and docile, value home and family, please rather than compete and feminine rather than feminist". These Eastern women epitomized the perfect wife and more importantly were the complete opposite of Western women. As cited in this week's reading On Sale in Express Package, the writer noted a list of reasons why 'Chinese women make much better wives than American women' from Chinabride.com:

"The ONLY reason men stay with American women is because they did not have enough exposure to Chinese women. Any man who spent a few months in Asia will not even look at American women again".

Not only are you missing out on Asian women but also Pacific Islanders as well! Filipinas were marketed as the ultimate perfect bride as described on Rosebrides.com:

"There are many Filipino values of which they are very proud. Filipinas are known to be excellent care-givers, honest, and romantic. They believe a relationship is a commitment that needs hard work and Filipina women are usually ready to commit. These qualities of the Filipina bride represent what makes them extremely desirable for men in search of good wives."

The Process of Ordering A Bride

In the times before the internet women were listed in catalogs, just like the old days of mail order catalogs. Women's faces would be listed with minor information about her (age, height, weight, interests). Members would pay for a monthly membership or sometimes pay per address. Men would write letters to the women, wait weeks for a response and sometimes not receive one. The shift online made everything much faster. Communication back and forth could be a matter of hours instead of weeks. Similar information is shared, membership paid for but the rate in which love can bloom or dissipate would be much faster than the mail order catalog days.

Touring

There are companies who will go further than the virtual experience and invite their clients to partake in tours overseas to meet women. These touring experiences offer men the opportunities to meet many women in one place often over several days. The payment will cover all of the expenses that are tied to the trip and are handled by the company itself. This gives both parties the opportunity to meet, sometimes one on one and avoid any complications that may occur online. A sample of what is included in these types of tours is listed below:

Your Tour Includes

Social (Links to an external site.) - One social for every city (All one city tours include 2 socials. Two city tours will include two Socials (one each city) and three city tours will include three Socials etc.) Socials include unlimited contacts/introductions, personal interpreters hors d'oeuvres, refreshments, champagne.

Unlimited Introductions from our Hospitality Suite staff during tour dates with women from our database as well as new women who are not yet on the internet. Interpreters available in the Hospitality Suite from 9am to 9pm. Personal interpreters provided free of charge during the social and in the Hospitality Suite. Ongoing Hospitality Service with translators and staff to assist with any logistics, advice, or any needs you may have.

Hotel accommodations, including free daily breakfast and other amenities.

Transport from airport, hotel, & all AFA events including Socials where necessary.

One three-hour guided tour of the first city.

Hotel area and orientation walking tours of all cities.

Free 1 month Platinum Membership A $95.00 value!

Free $50 Express Mail credit, to enhance your correspondence opportunities prior to your trip.

Free Fiancee Visa Kit (for U.S. residents only) $89.50 value.

This particular site offers a 7 day/6 night tour for to Shenzhen, China for $2595 and Cebu, Philippines for a 7 day/6 night tour for $2695. You could also sign up for a dual tour where in 14 days you'll visit both Davao, Philippines and Shenzhen, China for $4495.

Of course this is a very lucrative business. It's estimated that mail order bride companies make as much as $6,000-10,000 per client (over the lifetime of the client) with some agencies claiming to serve as many as 15,000 clients per year. Many of these dating sites claim to be a bridge to bring two parties together that are in search of love and often prey on the vulnerability that both sides present. They hope to attract the man who has struck out on love in his home country and the woman who is seeking a "new adventure" and promise of a better future.

A Ticket Out or A Trap?

Overseas Asians in America know that they have a moral obligation to return remittances (money, goods) back home. Once the Asian immigrant has made it to the US they are expected to send money back because they are assumed to be in a better position, even right off the bat. For some Filipina women the mail order bride system is a way out of poverty and into the Western world for a better future for herself and everyone she can support back home. She may also see the American man as a dream husband with traits that just simply cannot be found in a Filipino man. Just as the American man sought out stereotypes of the Asian women some Asian women also seek out the stereotypical American man. In him she seeks what it seems that she cannot gain in her home country, a man who is loyal, economically stable, attractive (carrying Western standards of beauty) and romantic. Just as the men made their assumptions of women through media, the Asian women also viewed American men as these stereotypes gained by media as well.

As one of the largest exporters of Mail Order Brides the Philippines understands (yet ignores) the problematic nature of the industry and embraces the great deal of remittances and economic stability provided by these overseas Filipinas. The economic stability that the overseas Filipina provides is not only for herself but also for her family, community and communally-her nation. As the nation struggles and women find it difficult to find love and security (and have friends who have had successful experiences) the dive into self-subscriptions seems much less taboo. Of course with successful experiences of their friends and families women do not hesitate to take the plunge and seek out husbands overseas. Many end up in fruitful and loving marriages but not all do.

Problematic Marriages

In any marriage problems arise. Stresses of joining lives occur in many households early in marriage and even later in the relationship. Barriers in communication, financial disagreements and parenthood are common issues that come up in marriages. These can all be worked through with time, conversations and even counseling. What would make things more difficult in any marriage though is the inability to properly communicate with one another. Often times there is a language barrier in these mail order marriages. Even if the overseas bride has an elementary level of English there is a lot to be lost in translation. This issue of language can be overcome with the bride taking ESL classes and the groom learning her language. This is minor compared to the harsher realities that other women may face.

No Agency

Women who come as dependent of these men have zero agency (power). They have no social, economic and political power to have as tools within her relationship. A mail order bride likely has limited English skills which furthers her inability to assimilate and build a community of support quickly. She is fully dependent on her husband (especially as the K-1 or Fiancee visa dictates that she is unable to work within the first 90 days of arrival) financially, leaving her little room to "leave him" if she wanted or needed to. Often time she has no social network, having no family nor friends in the United States. In some situations women are threatened by their husbands' who wield all of the power and control and reminded of their dependency. This abuse can come in the form of verbal, emotional and physical.

Worse Case Scenarios

For women who fall into abusive relationships their situations become much more of a nightmare than the American dream she hoped for. Women who end up having children with their abusive husbands fare even worse feeling tethered to their husband or fearful of breaking free and facing the threat of losing their children. Mail Order Brides already feel stigmatized by society and even more so by their own community members so they do not seek out support even from fellow countrymen. They do not have a safe haven to turn to and in the worse of times face even dire situations.

Two cases discussed in the readings show the severity of these sitatuations:

Susana Blackwell: In 1995 her husband, afraid that she was filing for a divorce, shot and killed her in a Seattle courthouse.

An unnamed Southeast Asian woman was surprised when her American husband revealed that she was brought over to be low cost domestic help and was kept in the basement. She was not allowed to answer the phone or travel anywhere without him.

20 year old Anastasia Solovieva King was allegedly strangled to death by her 37 year old husband.

These extreme cases are just reminders of the helplessness that women have felt in these situations. The industry continues to run without little fear of their actions being illegal because they tend to operate overseas. Skirting around American laws through migrating the business off of American soil or changing websites once found keeps this industry alive. There have been laws created to prevent mail order brides (for false pretenses) both in the Philippines (Republic Act of the Philippines No. 6955) and in the US (Immigration Marriage Fraud Amendments). Laws act as a threat but are not regulated and often make the women the responsible party. This continued action of marketing and migrating women's bodies as commodities continues just as it has over 100 years ago as an issue that does not seem to warrant attention nor care.