There are many myths and stereotypes when it comes to dating asian guys. Some are completely outlandish and some are, well, a little more spot on. Multiple articles and studies discuss how cultural stereotypes of Asian men may make them less attractive to women of all races, including Asians.
In the book Freakonomics, one study showed that single Asians (male) had to make $247,000 more annually to receive the same response rate as White men on online dating sites. Ouch. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, 40% of Asian females will marry a non-Asian male, whereas 20% of Asian males will marry a non-Asian female. This frustration is not being taken lightly. In fact, there’s even a website which acts as a forum for asian men reclaiming their “asianalitiy” – and they are pissed that their potential asian wives are shacking up with non-asians. On another website, one Asian male expresses: “It’s definitely harder for an Asian male to date a white female than for Asian females to date white males. Asian males are not portrayed as masculine, whereas Asian females are stereotyped as submissive, exotic.” What gives?!
The good news for Asian males is that as online dating is becoming less and less taboo, there are a lot more asian dating sites ready to help make meeting potential matches easier. White, black, yellow – really, one’s ethnicity shouldn’t make a difference as we are all part of the human race. No argument there. However, keep in mind that there are certain cultural differences that come to play that shape a person’s mentality, values, ideas of what a relationship dynamic should look like, and subsequently, their behaviour. And because of this, sometimes, there is some truth to the cultural differences of people raised with diverse upbringings. So I’m here today to dispel (or confirm) some of those myths, but only according to my own experience. Before you make any accusations of me making sweeping generalizations, note that my points here are completely biased according to my own sample size. Here goes…
Myth 1: Asian guys fight for the bill. True. When the dinner cheque arrives at the table, the Asian guy will swoop in like a properly trained ninja and attack the dinner cheque before you can even do that “reach” for your wallet. This swift technique is an ancient move passed on by his ancestors – a learned behavior through many many years watching his parents challenge their opponents to who gets to the cheque first. White guys are much more laid back and are happy to carry on the conversation for another 30 minutes while the check is laying on the table; some are even willing to go dutch to further showcase their support towards gender equality.
Myth 2: Asian guys are lightweights. True. Look, it’s an enzyme thing ok? When it comes to alcohol consumption, according to research, the ‘Asian Flush’ occurs due to a deficiency in an enzyme called aldehyde dehydrogenase, which is part of a vital process that digests alcohol. Headache, red flushing, even itchiness will occur after a few sips of alcohol. But, enzyme or no enzyme, don’t think this will deter an asian guy from schooling you in a drinking game though. Challenge him to a game of Pai Gow or Big 2 and he’ll drink you under the table.
Myth 3: Asian guys live with their parents. Depends. Ok, well until they’re married at least. Many asians brought up in a traditional upbringing (both men and women) choose to live at home with their parents until they get married. Asian culture emphasizes family and collectivity, so it is quite the norm to take care of your parents while living under the same roof. Also, living with a romantic partner pre-marriage is generally looked down upon, which is another reason why many asians wait until marriage to move out.
Myth 4: Asian guys have better manners. False. There are many behaviours that are emphasized in a traditional asian culture. With a big emphasis on “taking care” of those around you. For example, at the dinner table, it is a blasphemy to serve yourself food first and immediately start eating. You serve the person you are dining with first, and always offer the last bite. But while an Asian guy’s table manners may be impeccable, other “gentlemanly” behaviours like opening the car door, helping a lady put on her jacket, etc, are not lessons that parents typically focused on teaching. Thus, in my opinion it’s an even ball game.
Myth 5: Asian guys aren’t masculine. False. Unfortunately, we are influenced by what we see in the media whether we are conscious of it or not. Most depictions of Asian males in the popular media are not the same as their Caucasian counterparts. The odd Jackie Chan movie as the exception, you hardly see the Asian guy as hunky, masculine star of the show. Whereas in the 19th century, Asian men were portrayed at the other extreme in the 19th century: sexually dangerous and desirable. The stereotype that Asian men aren’t masculine exists in a large part because of how they are portrayed in the media, not necessarily because that’s actually reflective of reality.
Myth 6: Asian guys aren’t good at expressing emotions. Depends. In Asian culture, males are not encouraged to be expressive with their emotions. Crying is seen as weakness. For example, when a boy gets hurt and starts crying, it’s not rare to see the parents scold the child for crying. Because this is engrained at such an early age, this may cause some Asian men to continue withholding emotion as they grow up. It’s rare to hear traditional Asian parents say “I love you” to their children. It’s not rare for Asian kids to grow up on the receiving end of dictator-esque verbal instructions and scoldings. Parents educate and try to push their children to work harder and achieve more by using negative language versus complimentary language. A study conducted by China Daily interviewed a cross-section of people to see if they said “I love you” to their parents. Many people interviewed had never said those three words, and one 56-year old commenting “Saying it aloud is embarrassing for me.” Of course, even in an upbringing where being emotionally expressive is not encouraged, one can still learn how to communicate feelings despite the odds. So in the case of this stereotype, it really depends on the person.
Myth 7: Asian guys aren’t romantic. False. Sure, an Asian guy will think bubble tea is a perfectly acceptable venue for a first date. Nothing wrong with that! Asian guys will almost always say “Yes” to dessert as a date spot. Think crepes with fruit compote or shaved ice cream, their way of romanticizing the occasion involves making the girl happy first before letting themselves pick a place that might suit their own taste. If you see an Asian male holding on to his beau’s shopping bags or Louis Vuitton purse, that doesn’t means he’s “whipped”, he’s just being helpful. It may sound cliché and completely unmasculine, but in Asian culture, the men are raised to always offer comfort for the female, making sure that they are provided and cared for. That’s their idea of romance. Swoon.
Myth 8: Asian guys seek their parent’s approval. True. Beware the tiger mom. When it comes to marriage prospects, Asian guys take into consideration the advice of his parents. It’s more common for a Caucasian male to independently pursue his desires without asking for anyone else’s approval. When one gets paired with an Asian man, however, you don’t just marry the man himself but you marry his family as well.
Myth 9: Asian guys never make the first move. False. Although Asian guys might take awhile to confess their undying love, but that’s only because they like to take it slow. And when they do, they want to be sure that she’s the one. Asian guys are taught by their traditional parents that in order for them to meet the right person, you must already be a successful individual with a lot to offer. You date to marry. Caucasian guys are told they are going to meet a lot of people first before finding the right one. See the difference?
Myth 10: Asian guys don’t like public display of affection. True. Traditional Asian parents show love through immense generosity, helping out financially, and feeding you 24/7. Hugs, cuddles and kisses however, not so much. In a culture where preserving “face” and appearances is of utmost importance, there is a major emphasis on always keeping your cool, being proper and composed. They might steal a kiss or two when no one’s looking, but in retrospect the Asian male would much rather prefer it behind closed doors. Whether it’s their demeanor towards the public eye, or how they choose privacy over strong lustful urges, it’s easy to assume Asian males are more conservative when it comes to showcasing their emotions. Theories explain that this dates back to the nature of Confucian teaching – where displaying one’s emotions publicly is not encouraged.
Myth 11: Asian guys have small “packages”. False! And there’s been research in Nature that you can check out on your own.
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Love Comes When It’s Least Expected: Henny Rebodos
I’m the type of girl who knows my type when I see one. And I’ve never really seen one until I met a really nice Singaporean guy. We’ve known each other for years online but we never met in rl. So last month when I went there we finally got a chance to meet face to face. As another Asian woman, I really like what I see in him. He’s still got this bit conservative vibe from Asian guys, but also the gentleman mannerism you usually see in western guys. It’s like, he’s got the best from both sides. I guess it’s because Singapore is one of the developed country in Asia. Had we live in the same country I would relentlessly pursue him lol.
Ok so I have to disagree about Asian guys picking up the bill . I dated a Chinese guy I met on line who totally lied about his personality and demands. When we finally spent time in person I ended up paying for almost everything even though he makes FAR more money than I do, and I’m a single hard working mom. When he came out to meet my family and was staying at a hotel he got hungry really super late at night and called me…ordering me to cook him dinner and leave my children at home to deliver it to his hotel even though there was several inexpensive restaurants available nearby that also have delivery. He was high maintenance, whined about everything, including the weather ( had a little rain it being Spring)in my home town. I spent the time and money to drive him out to my favorite Lake Resort in Idaho and even offered to buy his coffee and he only spent about 15 minutes there and acted like a total spoiled rotten brat. He was increadably rude to my family, and even insulted my mom’s beautiful, healthy home cooked dinner. He wanted to know how organic it was, and turned his nose up at everything. (My mom is an increadable cook and alot of the veggies came from her garden.) He said that my family laughs too much, and the females should not talk. Interesting how our welcoming him, trying to talk with him offended him,considering we are a kind, positive big family. He also told me ” how to drive” and treated me like I was a dumb female. ( I am certified to frive a bus with disabled passangers, and a great driving record. He also had no idea how to drive in my town, but shouted directions at me.)I tried very hard to get to know him, and forgive his rudeness, but he was determined to act like a snob, and I told him he could pay for a cab to drive him to the airport, I wasn’t giving him a ride. Also he is in his late 40’s but wants a young trophy type. I’m a 40 year old attractive, loving blonde, who even has younger guys hitting on me .He thought I should be a size 2 like Chinese. WTF? I have huge boobs, and a curvy butt, so I will never be a size 2. I have dated guys who are black , Latino and White, and no one ever treated me as disrespectful that Chinese guy. It easy to see why his Hispanic ex. wife left him.
hahaha.. sorry to hear that…
try other country, Korean,Indonesia or Singapore will be better..
China is a bad choice..
Beth the guy is my kind of guy. He is likely a leykis 101 follower. he was realizing its best to avoid single moms. And at 40 you’re no trophy.
Purely anecdotal, yet I sense that you are making assumptions about all Asian men based on this single experience.
I guess you just met a bad egg.
Sorryto hear that. Just wanna tell you not all chinese guys behave like that. In general they are pretty nice.
Sorry to hear that Beth. The guy sounds like the exception and not the rule. Most Chinese guys whether native or American are really good and standup gentlemen. You just ran into a bad apple.
Chinese are horrible. There are nicer Asians out there. Avoid the Chinese.
My God, the amount of lies in this article and in the comments section. Look, at the end of the day, White Guys, Black Guys, Arabs/Muslims and Indian Men (and yes, we aren’t actually Asian – we look and act better) are superior in EVERY WAY. Just learn to deal with it ladies – your lives will be much better when you accept us with open arms. Peace out!
@Jatsinder Singh:
Bro, your ego is louder than your logic. You should probably stop being immature and grow up. It’s very difficult to imagine that you “look and act better” when you’re being such a jackass here online.
Short Version: You’re mentally inferior. Get your facts straight, kid.
Wow so Indian is not considered Asian. That’s genius. I’ve seen some retarded Indians before and no they are not all better than Asian men. You can’t say one race is better than other. I can point out the stupidity in every race. What a stupid comment.
Judging by your name and comment you’re obviously Indian. If your people are so superior, why is India so poor and struggling?
Lmao this guy is such a troll. Come on guys, it’s obvious he is jealous and can’t learn to accept the truth.
So sick of these type of discussions which are created by white males. If a asian female wants to be with another ethnicity then go for it, I saw a old white male yelling at his not so old but obvious asian spouse the other day, and he looked destitute. So if being a bondage slave for a non asian man turns the asian female on, be happy. As for Asian men having small dicks, I ‘d rather have it a smaller package but more effective one.
Right on Asia guy lover. The most racist are these people usually white guys who write this to put us down.
Yup. White American Jews are racist toward Asians, especially toward Asian men. They look at Asians as “safe” minority group to make fun at since we’re not gonna burn down their homes. Swarthy short fat hairy hook nose Jews change their names to sound WASP and like to marry white gentile
women hoping their children dont look typically Jewish looking. Jewish executives own Hollywood. Look how disproportionatey they are represented in Hollywood.
Ironic story is Hollywood’s first lead romanic actor was a Japanese Anerican back in rhe 1920″s. They realised they didnt likw white women drooling over an Asian guy.
I can confirm Myth 11 is not true. 6.5 inches and I’m 5.8.
Also sorry to hear Beth, this is definitely not the stereotype. You must have encountered a bad one.
I’m so sick of people bashing on different ethnicity. It is true that Asian men are on average the smallest for penis size because I have done extensive research, but why should size matter. I’m a white male and I treat all people with respect. Every woman that knows me says I’m a really nice guy
You are an awesome person! I do as well treat everyone with respect even if I’m not attracted to them and I will never shame, belittle, hurt or make someone feel inferior for whatever reason. It’s pathetic that some people treat others like that, but I’m sure it surfaces around jealously and only wanting to make themselves feel better because they know they are inferior in a way
Average size for all races is 5.3 inches if the erected size is measured by a doctor, standardized worldwide. Dozens of studies show that there is no size difference between races, if the measurement is standardized.
Studies which show asian sizes below 5.3 inches are non-erect sizes, but most white guys conveniently leave this info out.
Funnily enough, self-reported size are often way above 5.3 inches. Ive seen some studies citing an average of 7 inches for European or African countries, but these are self reported.
Meanwhile selfreported Asian country averages are around 5.3 inches.
Conclusion: All men worldwide are insecure about their size so that they have to lie in anonymous studies, except Asian men.
Funny really, and a pathetic
There are good and bad guys in every culture, let’s face it
Yes, there are.
I will say that the one Asian-American guy I dated treated me better than the Caucasians I’ve dated. Hoping I find another like him.
Thumbs up for your comment Jennifer! 🙂 Asian American guys are indeed really terrific guys once you Caucasian girls take the time and give yourself a chance to know one better. Being open-minded is key here.
I’m half-japanese, for the occidental people I’m too japanese, but for the japanese my eyes are too big, so, can someone tell me what the f*** am I? haha..
And you can’t generalize people just for their race.
As far as I am concerned, you are a creation of God and you have value. Your background probably gives some unique insights.
I don’t know if this sounds stupid to share, as if it compares to your experience, but here goes: growing up, I had dark brown hair with blue eyes. From some people I would hear that since I had brown hair, I was “supposed to have brown eyes.” From others I heard that I “should” be blonde because I have blue eyes.
After learning that I am largely Irish-American and sharing that, some people wonder why I don’t have red hair. Or they say, “No kidding. You’re as pale as they come.”
Anyway, people say stupid and ignorant things (including you and me). It stinks. If you come up with a good comeback, let me know. I suppose you could ask, “Why does that concern you? You wanna have my baby?” Lol.
Im nepali, from nepali perantage, i think we are classified as asian as we are almost slap bang middle of the asian continent.
We can handle our likour and rump like rabbits(could be mountain air/water) we also have a reputation for beef and loyalty.
Punjabi/indians share similar traits i presume you would classify/pigeon hole as asian, them mans can drink….
So your whole generalisation of asians therefore your logic is flawed at the very least my brother according to me