Orientalism and Fetishisation of Asian Cultures

According to Edward Said, orientalism is a construct that sets up the binary between Western and Eastern culture. Because of orientalism, people from Western countries see people from the East as sly, mystical, and untrustworthy. The idea of orientalism was born when imperialistic European countries began to take hold of Asian countries. Because of orientalism, Westerners now see themselves as superior than the Other People from Eastern countries.

Orientalism is definitely still present today, one of the most prominent examples is Islamophobia and prejudice against people from the Middle East. Many Americans have unfounded fear and anger towards Muslims after 9/11.

But orientalism is not always easy to see. Orientalism today is present in the fetishisation and appropriation of Asian culture, especially Japanese culture. The people we call weeaboos have an over-exaggerated view of Japan and they see Japanese people as images to be put on a pedestal or in a picture frame, rather than actual human beings. This mindset can lead to the sexualisation of young girls from any Asian country that Westerners view as Other. This is obviously incredibly harmful and predatory, and it all stems from the sense of removal Westerners have from Eastern countries, because to the people who are fetishizing them, those girls aren't really people, they're just some entertainment from a faraway place.