UC Irvine researchers collected data from Yahoo personals between September 2004 and May 2005, randomly selecting profiles of people ages 18-50 in the Los Angeles, New York, Chicago and Atlanta metropolitan regions. The study showed that racial preference in dating is tied toward the portrayal of gender and race in the media. Most notably the negative portrayals of Asian men and African American women.

“Stereotypical images of masculinity and femininity shape dating choices and continue to be perpetuated in the mass media,” says researcher Cynthia Feliciano, sociology and Chicano/Latino studies assistant professor. “The hyper-feminine image of Asian American women contrasts greatly with that of Asian men, who are often portrayed as asexual.”

Images of Asian American men as asexual and lacking masculinity are pervasive. Although there are a few notable exceptions, Asian men have most often been depicted as strangely asexual characters. Asian women, on the other hand, have often been depicted as almost completely sexual. With this portrayal, Asian men do not fit the ideal version of masculinity and are excluded at high rates from dating sites. (Reminds us of a few videos we posted Creepy Yellow Fever Guys, 18MMW Valentine’s Day Special : Video Dating, and Asians Just Aren’t Cool Enough by Kevjumba. Also classic Wong Fu Productions below))

Researchers’ analysis of minorities’ racial preferences showed that Asians, African Americans and Latinos are more likely to include whites as possible dates than whites are to include them. This suggests that whites, as the dominant group in the U.S., remain in the privileged position of being able to facilitate or hinder the full incorporation of minorities.

Yellow Fever by Wong Fu Productions

After watching Yellow Fever, the Wong Fu Production guys were on the ball when they created Yellow Fever. One of the other conclusions from the research: while white men were more open to dating outside their race than white women, both had specific racial preferences. White men preferred Asian and Latino dating partners to African Americans; white women were more likely to exclude Asian men. Check the draft copy of the research entitled “Gendered Racial Exclusion by White Internet Daters” here.