The image of East Asian women in the west has been altered
severely by the impact of Western warfare, and the tourism industry thereafter. Women in Thailand, for example, are still seen as
colonized bodies by the Western male tourist. After years of militourism in the
area, this experience has transformed the perception of these bodies as available for sexual “use.”
Much like displayed in the film Queimada,
the male gaze imposed upon an "exotic" woman exemplifies her dinstinctive features and
takes away her voice. The woman walking past the window in this scene even
appears to have south Asian features. She, of course, has no speaking parts in the film.
In the pornography industry, “Asian” is a category that
users can literally click on with a preconceived notion of how these women will
behave sexually – and have that notion realized. In this way, Asian women are perceived
as a vacation; a body far removed from a familiar context. Some of the oppressive
stereotypes projected onto Asian women include submissiveness and childishness.
These misconceptions are directly linked to the idea that these bodies have
already been historically colonized by white tourists, passing through on their
way to war, or otherwise.
Ahh yes, I remember this scene with the topless prostitute that appears right when the men are conversing about the island as being a prostitute or a wife! I think this notion of Asian women bodies as a form of a objectified commodity can be applied to Sachiko in A Pale View of the Hills as well because of her relationship with the American man. In one example of their relationship, Sachiko describes how he clearly uses her not only for sex, but for her money too, which she earned by working as hard as she can to leave the country with him, only to find he has spent it all drinking with a barmaid as his new source of recreational fun. It's very South Pacific, Madame Butterfly, and Miss Saigon when one thinks about it, which is quite infuriating, of course. :/
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