An Open Letter to “Woke” Weebs That Consume Sexist, Pedophilic, and Fetishistic Japanese Media
Posted by Antoilyn Nguyen
September 13, 2021
Dear weebs and general enjoyers of anime and other media animated in Japanese art styles who preach about the perpetuation of pedophilia and Asian fetishization but still consume misogynistic and pedophilic media,
You’re all hypocrites to me.
The way that y’all preach about how detrimental the male gaze and sexualization of women/AFABs (assigned female at birth) and children are on social media like saints but then continue to consume sexist Japanese stylistic media before you go to bed is embarrassing. You give off the same energy as incels that fetishize young Asian women/AFABs and are complicit in misogyny, infantilization, and fetishization because you support these widespread forms of entertainment.
As someone who was assigned female at birth and grew up Asian, I won’t forgive you for it. I consider you all traitors because much of anime and Japanese-drawn video games and entertainment directly perpetuate unrealistic beauty standards and exaggerate already overly sexualized features. They depict women, girls, and AFAB characters as objects whose sole purpose is to exist as a love interest for men. Otherwise, they are useless.
To be specific, many anime series, movies, and other Japanese animated films usually portray girls, who despite their young age, have incredibly big breasts and thin waists. These girls are also often characterized as overly sweet and innocent and are very young, with most being in middle or high school. It’s this submissive anime girl archetype that directly feeds into the sexualization of young Asian women/AFABs and it’s inherently problematic. Their boobs have nothing to do with the plot and only serve to satisfy audiences that derive pleasure from sexualizing young Asian women.
Have you ever seen videos on social media that go something like this?
- White girls saying they have “anime girl boobs” to flex and colonize beauty standards for Asian women/AFABs
- Young teens (who aren’t Asian) acting childlike and doing their makeup to look more Asian so they can satisfy their male followers
- Videos of men saying they would only date young women from Asia and not America/Western countries because young women from Asia are more submissive, exotic, or oriental
All of these reinforce the specific fetishization of young Asian women. Some are more covert than others but still commit the same crimes nevertheless.
I once had a friend of mine (who was white) tell me that it is acceptable for an individual to play pedophilic and sexist video games as long as they advocate and speak out about Asian fetishization and infantilization.
I told my friend that his support of the video game, despite performatively preaching about the topic on his Instagram stories and liking radical tweets, is still in support of misogyny and Asian fetishization. If a product is being consumed, companies do not care about the backlash unless it is affecting their profit. They do not give a damn as long as they are still making money.
I also told my friend that he has immense privilege. There are people who are directly harmed and dehumanized by these issues. Their daily lives consist of being on the constant verge of feeling anxious, upset, uncomfortable, and dejected because their role in society, determined by society, is basically a sex object. I can say personally, it is not a nice feeling. People that can consume problematic content that contains harmful ideas without having to care about its implications or feeling sick to their stomach (because they aren’t directly harmed by it) are privileged.
It’s also incredibly insulting to advocates and activists on the ground who spend their entire lives working to advance gender equity. You are directly slowing this process by consuming this media, which is once again, also a privilege.
At this point, you may be thinking, “How do I enjoy Japanese media that isn’t problematic?” or “Are you suggesting we ban the entire Japanese films and entertainment industry?” I am not stating all Japanese media is bad; you can still enjoy the good parts of it. My argument isn’t to condemn the entirety of Japanese anime and media, but to shed light on the parts of it that are controversial and even problematic. Instead of giving money to certain companies that capitalize on injustice, I highly encourage you to support literally any other media or entertainment that does not perpetuate sexism and infantilization and boycott specific Japanese media that does.
If you haven’t gotten the message by now, it’s not hard to just stop supporting things that lead to the continuation of Asian fetishization, pedophilia, and sexism. I also hope you’re not ignoring every time marginalized groups or individuals bring up these topics or try to undermine their concerns or arguments. Don’t gaslight women and AFABs into settling or being quiet because it’s “just the way it is, and all media or products are like that.” Be accountable, amplify other voices, and be an ally. It’s the least you could do.
With frustration and disappointment,
an Asian AFAB who is sick and tired of being a submissive object in your sexual fantasies
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