Not your submissive china doll: Counseling Asian American female survivors of sexual assault at the intersection of racialized sexism.

Abstract

Given Asian American women's unique experiences of racialized sexism including being fetishized, hypersexualized, and deemed submissive, they may be more vulnerable to sexual assault. The present study explored culturally attuned treatment approaches when counseling Asian American female survivors of sexual assault with a concordant understanding of racialized sexism. Following a review of the existing literature, three mental health professionals were interviewed regarding their experiences working with this population. Four themes emerged from the interviews: cultural barriers and considerations, violence and racialized sexism, therapist role and reflexivity, and affirming treatment approaches. Findings suggest that cultural stigma and rape myth acceptance may cause Asian American survivors to harbor more shame and minimize their trauma. Mental health professionals who share similar cultural backgrounds with their clients may experience certain barriers such as difficulty building trust and countertransference. Suggested treatment interventions include psychoeducation to help clients and their families unlearn rape myths as well as eye movement desensitization and reprocessing and strength-based approaches to help reduce shame and feelings of worthlessness. The use of family and collectivist values may also serve as a motivating factor to engage in treatment. What is the public significance of this article?This study advances knowledge regarding Asian American female survivors' experiences of sexual violence through a sociocultural lens. The findings also guide culturally informed treatment approaches by contextualizing survivors' experiences of racialized sexism.

Understanding queer Asian in/visibility via stereotype application.

“…Generally, conflicting stereotypes about dominance (e.g., lesbian women are stereotyped to be more dominant; Asian women are stereotyped to be less dominant) suggest the potential for these stereotypes to obscure and limit lesbian Asian women’s experiences. Marginalized group members are often subject to violence when they do not meet stereotyped expectations of their group (Espinosa, 2023; King & Iwamoto, 2022; Mukkamala & Suyemoto, 2018), and the ongoing endorsement of conflicting racialized, gendered, and sexualized expectations for queer Asian women poses a significant threat to their capacity for self-expression.…”

“…Structurally, sexism positions men as the dominant group above other genders by allocating more power to them through various means. The barriers that sexism generates perpetuate a violent cycle of oppression for many people (Espinosa, 2023). In its most extreme form, sexism gives rise to misogyny or extreme prejudice, which serves to reinforce “a society constructed around the interests of the entitled, heterosexual, white male” (Savigny, 2020, p. 34).…”

“…These include assumptions that they are quiet, obedient, and submissive yet also exotic and overtly sexualized, providing specific limitations on what it means to be an Asian woman (Azhar et al, 2021; Choi et al, 2017; Espinosa, 2023; Mukkamala & Suyemoto, 2018; Trieu, 2019; Zhang, 2010). Stereotypes of Asian women like “geisha,” “China doll,” and “lotus flower” draw their origins from imperialism and colonialism, which stem from Western male views highlighting the erotization of Asian women (Azhar et al, 2021; Espinosa, 2023; King & Iwamoto, 2022; Wang & Cooper-Chen, 2010). The complexity around stereotypes of Asian women is the emphasis on sexual archetypes in juxtaposition with expectations of docile passivity.…”

“…Yet, there is a dearth of attention aimed at the experiences of Asian women because of the oversimplified assumption that they have an overlap of experiences with Asian men (racism) and White women (sexism; Mukkamala & Suyemoto, 2018). This particular intersection exposes Asian women to “racialized sexism characterized by objectification, sexualization, fetishization” (Espinosa, 2023, p. 1).…”

“…Further, given Kite and Deaux’s gender inversion hypothesis (1987), and the combined interaction of both Asian men and gay men being separately stereotyped as feminine (Lick & Johnson, 2015), it might be expected that gay Asian men will be perceived as more feminine than either their White or straight counterparts. In light of stereotypes of Asian women as feminine (Azhar et al, 2021; Mukkamala & Suyemoto, 2018) and less dominant (Choi et al, 2017; Espinosa, 2023; Zhang, 2010), Asian women should be perceived as more feminine than White women and less dominant than women with any other intersecting identity. Because similar stereotypes for Asian men depict passivity (Semrow et al, 2020; Trieu, 2019; Zhang, 2010), Asian men should be perceived as less dominant than White men.…”