I PERSONALLY WENT ONLINE to "consume" a mail-order bride through Asian Blossoms. Once again, I acquired a fake email address at Hotmail. I went to the web site and browsed it. Of course, the ads of the Asian women were already up with most of them also having a picture, but in order to have their email addresses or home addresses, one has to pay for them.

THERE WERE FOUR WAYS to gain access to their addresses.

• The first is to use a credit card and gain instant access when Asia Blossoms immediately sends one email with the appropriate passwords for the addresses of the women online. One address costs $9, three costs $15, ten costs $29, and twenty costs $39. If one becomes a Gold Member, which costs $79, one gets the addresses of forty women and a personal ad included in a newsletter sent to 500 women in Asia. As a Platinum Member, one gets unlimited access for thirty days and one's personal ad sent to 1000 women in Asia for $99.

• The second method of gaining access to addresses is to send an online check, which also guarantees "Instant Access" for the same prices as the credit card methods.

• The next method is to use a 1-900 number with one's credit card. The prices through this third method are $10 for one address and $35 for ten addresses.

• The fourth method is to mail one's money in the form of cash in dollars to the company with an email address.

  Once the company gets the money, it will send one the appropriate passwords. I utilized this method because I liked the anonymity of the process and did not want to use my credit card. The prices are the same for this method as the credit card, and hence, I ordered three addresses for $15.

Asian Females Breaking Stereotypes MARCH FONG EU Prominent Chinese women who has been breaking countless stereotypes within her long political career SUCHIN PAK MTV's "VJ" is providing an example to the MTV-generation of an Asian female with her own mind and views. ANNA MAY WONG Acting pioneer who fought to break Asian female stereotypes throughout her long movie career from the 1920's to the 1960's.

THE THIRD ASPECT of the circuit of culture is the identity of the consumers of Asian mail-order brides. Once the analysis is taken to the identity level and beyond, there is not much distinction between mail-order brides from paper catalogues and Internet sites. A look at the identity of these consumers will show that they are only looking for exotic, submissive Asian women. Yet, these men are not typically the "losers" that one would expect.

WHILE THE DATA on the type of men that marry mail-order brides is limited, all of the information tends to agree with certain facts. The only empirical research that has been done is by Davor Jedlicka from the University of Texas in 1985, which is somewhat dated but useful nevertheless. Jedlicka sent out 607 questionnaires to men seeking mail-order brides and received 260 responses. The research showed that the men were

• typically white (94%),
• highly educated (50% with two or more years of college,
• 6% with M.D.'s or Ph.D's,
• only five did not complete high school),
• politically and ideologically conservative (56% identified themselves as conservative), and
• generally economically and professionally successful (64% earned more than $20,000 per year,
• 42 were in professional or managerial positions).
• The median age of the men was 37.
• Fifty-seven percent had been married at least once, and
• most of them divorced after an average of seven years of marriage.

THE MAIN POINT OF THIS STUDY is that most of these men have been married at least once and are now divorced and probably disillusioned with Western women. For his concluding thoughts, Jedlicka states that the men are mostly "above average." He paints a very attractive picture of these men who buy women to marry.

IN OPPOSITION, many sources view these men in a different light. While they admit these men are usually educated and successful, they also claim that these men only want submissive and controllable women due to their past failure with Western women. Dr. Gladys L. Symons of University of Calgary claims that these men most likely grew up before the rise of the feminist movement and, therefore, cannot handle "liberated" American women. "These men want women who will feel totally dependent on them. They want women who are submissive and less intimidating," says Symons.

FURTHER, IN 1985, the Japanese American Citizens League conducted research citing that the men were:

white, much older than their brides, are socially alienated, experience a feeling of personal inadequacy, are politically conservative, frustrated by the women's movement, and find the traditional Asian value of deference to men reassuring.

This quote shows that the identity of a mail-order bride consumer is a man looking for the stereotyped Asian woman.

ANOTHER CRITIC OF THESE MEN and Jedlicka's flattering portrayal of these men is Krich, a writer for Mother Jones. In his article, which refers to Jedlicka's study, he asserts that these men "speak of wanting someone 'who'll be there every night' as one put it, 'who won't cheat, and who I can trust to do right by me - even down to how she takes care of the dog.'" In her thesis, Mindy Lauck states, "While these men may in fact be highly educated, they are clearly misinformed. These men are merely white privileged males who cannot bear the thought of having their safe patriarchal world taken away from them." Even Gary Clark, author of Your Bride Is In the Mail, states, "the feminist movement is to blame" for the mail-order bride industry. Taking into account the characteristics of the men who marry mail-order brides, these sources translate the men into individuals wanting wives they can control - nice, submissive, little Asian girls.

THE TESTIMONIES FROM THE MEN who marry mail-order brides tell of their own identities. One man from the Far East Match says, "The Philippine woman is content to be at home, content with where she is, content with the relationship, and content to serve the man." A man named Lou, who married Tessie from the Philippines, comments, "Asian countries make fine superior products, and I prefer a fine superior lady for my wife." A Midwesterner in his fifties with two divorces on file and a newly married Asian mail-order bride justifies himself by saying:

My first wife wanted a car, then she wanted to go to work. She wouldn't cook or clean. When she started drinking, I sued for divorce and she took me for everything I had. Then I married again. This one had - whaddayacallit? - premenstrual syndrome. She went wacky and tried to kill me. I dumped her after that. But now I have a woman. She ties my shoes for me every morning. I really don't want her to, but she'd be offended if I didn't let her.

The aforementioned Gary Clark states that these men want "a woman significantly younger than themselves (between 10 and 20 years)," someone who is "physically attractive, charming, gentle, sweet, feminine" and whose primary career goal is to "become his wife, as opposed to pursuing some professional career." In essence, the identity of these consumers is the man, who has become disillusioned by American, liberated women and now wants the stereotyped geisha girl or China doll.

Article References Supporting Documentation Asia Blossoms Ibid. Ibid. Ibid. Clark, Gary. "Separating fact from fiction about mail-order brides" March 3, 2001 Glodava, Mila and Onizuka, Richard. Mail-Order Brides: Women for Sale. Alaken, Inc.: Fort Collins, Colorado, 1994, p. 25. Ibid., p. 25-26. Asian Women United of California. Making Waves: An Anthology of Writings By and About Asian American Women. Beacon Press: Boston, 1989, p. 319. Glodava, Mila and Onizuka, Richard. Mail-Order Brides: Women for Sale. Alaken, Inc.: Fort Collins, Colorado, 1994, p. 27. Ibid., p. 26. Bowden, Robert. "Point, click, matrimony." (June 10, 1996). Tampa Tribune Glodava, Mila and Onizuka, Richard. Mail-Order Brides: Women for Sale. Alaken, Inc.: Fort Collins, Colorado, 1994, p. 29. Small, Michael and Mathison, Dirk. "For men who want an old-fashioned girl, the latest wedding march is here comes the Asian mail-order bride." (September 16, 1985). People Weekly Ibid. Clark, Gary. "Separating fact from fiction about mail-order brides." March 3, 2001 Espiritu, Yen Le. Asian American Women and Men: Labor, Laws, and Love. Sage Publication: London, 1997, p. 94. Ibid. Asian and Russian Ladies - March 8, 2001 International: A China Doll - March 8, 2001 Lucky Flower - March 8, 2001

REPRESENTATION of the Asian Mail-Order Bride Industry is the fourth aspect of the circuit of culture. There are two representations in this industry: the women, who are the mail-order brides, and the men, who purchase them. The representation of these women strictly adheres to the stereotypes of Asian women.

ACCORDING TO YEN LE ESPIRITU, the author of Asian American Women and Men, there are two ways to represent Asian women.

• The first is the "castrating Dragon Lady who, while puffing on her foot-long cigarette holder, could poison a man as easily as she could seduce him." She is dangerous and deadly yet desirable all the same, but not desirable enough to be a mail-order bride.

• The second way is as the "Lotus Blossom Baby," who is "modest, tittering behind her delicate ivory hand, eyes downcast, always walking ten steps behind her man, and best of all, devoting body and soul to serving him." This "Lotus Blossom Baby" is the representation of the Asian women in the mail-order bride industry. This representation is also the culmination of the Asian woman stereotype.

THE ADVERTISEMENTS ON THE WEB SITES clearly play up this "Lotus Blossom Baby" image of Asian women. At Asian and Russian Ladies, the site advertises, "Imagine that there are heart stopping, young, sweet, exotically beautiful women waiting to meet you." Not only are they "young, sweet, and exotically beautiful" but they also fulfill the fantasies of Asian women that men, who seek Asian mail-order brides, have.

FAITHFUL, BEAUTIFUL, SUBMISSIVE and hardworking are the characteristics advertised at the site of "International: A China Doll" about the Asian women on their site. Browsing further though this site, one sees an ad stating, "I am a traditional Chinese girl and would be a wonderful wife for a wonderful man. I like to keep household cozy and in order," with a line under it suggesting, "Marry This Peach of a China Doll!" At luckflower.com, the site states:

Oriental/Asian ladies are totally different from American ladies. They are more sweet, affectionate and not concerned with feminist rights. They are more appreciative and respectful and enjoy being of the feminine gender. They don't care about your age or your bank account. They are grateful for opportunities that we take for granted every day. Believe it of not, they consider the chance to marry a kind, faithful American or European man an opportunity of a lifetime. You are her dream come true and she is yours!

This quote clearly plays up the "Lotus Blossom Baby" representation of Asian women. The Asian mail-order bride industry plays on these stereotypes of Asian women due to the characteristics of the men who are the consumers.

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