Consider Before Consuming How Fetishization in Porn Reinforces Harmful Stereotypes
13 snips
Aug 27, 2025 Kaila Yu, the author of the memoir *Fetishized*, navigates the challenges of fetishization and media exploitation, sharing her deeply personal experiences including a sexual assault that was recorded without her consent. The conversation delves into how pornography perpetuates harmful stereotypes about Asian women, stripping away individuality and fueling societal misconceptions. Kaila emphasizes the urgent need to challenge these narratives and the impact they have on self-perception, identity, and overall societal views of violence and sexuality.
AI Snips
Chapters
Books
Transcript
Episode notes
Memoir Connects Personal Trauma To Cultural Tropes
- Kaila Yu explains her memoir Fetishized explores how pornography and media shaped perceptions of Asian women and her life.
- She connects personal experience with broader cultural tropes and media examples that sexualized Asian women.
Public Violence Spurs Personal Reckoning
- The 2021 Atlanta spa shootings triggered Yu to reflect on how fetishization normalizes violence against Asian women.
- She realized her earlier choices to lean into fetish tropes contributed to wider harmful narratives.
Fetishization Is Dehumanizing, Not Just Preference
- Yu defines fetishization as dehumanizing people into interchangeable objects rather than a mere preference.
- She contrasts attraction with treating women as disposable tools for pleasure.
