The New Trophy Wife

I came across this article in the September Issue of Marie Claire magazine, which signals out young Asian women as the new "trophy wives" for older, rich, white men. I found this article interesting because of the relationship between the author and audience and its treatment of Asian and Asian-American women in way that differs from their traditional status as fetishized objects. Take a look.

http://www.marieclaire.com/sex-love/advice/tips/asian-trophy-wife?click=main_sr

One of the most interesting aspects of the article is its proposition of a new explanation for a young, Asian or Asian-American woman's selection as a partner by an older, white male. Ying Chu, the author, suggests that "it''s as though these Western men are hungry for a piece of that mystical Eastern formula." In the author's view, these "new trophy wives" serve as business tools or strategies for their partners rather than simply as partners. In this way, as in Lee's "Inner Dikes and Barred Zones", Chu positions the sexual relations between Asians and whites as a stabilizing remedy to the threat posed by globalization and the strengthening of Asian economies. However, it is not the rejection of male Asian sexuality, as in the films Lee discusses, that proves cathartic for American crises.

One question I had was how this article relates to the treatment of Asian, male sexuality we have already seen, specifically with Lee. Does the article disregard the Asian male or does it perpetuate his characterization as powerless and either asexual or feminine. What importance is there in the presentation of this new idea to a particular audience (white, middle class women)? Is the intention to create a sense of threat because of the racial identification of the audience with the old trophy wives? And finally, how does the author's grouping of all Asian women together when she uses examples principally relating to China interact the collapsible and singular Asian identity?