“The Oxford Study” Needs To Be Studied​​

Chloe Yeo

September 21, 2024

Nelly Furtado, a pop sensation of the 2000s, faced controversy over a line before the chorus of her song “Maneater.” The lyric, “She love you long time,” seems harmless, but the phrase represents centuries of stereotypes against Asian women. The broken English and the allusion to Full Metal Jacket (1987), a degrading depiction of Asian prostitutes, convey the evolution of Asian stereotypes. The newest term used to disparage Asian women is “Oxford Study.” 

There are mixed opinions on the origins of the “Oxford Study,” but it is speculated that the title is a reference to an article published by the Oxford University Press. The article examines the relationship between Asian women and white men in media. As opposed to the current meaning of the slang term, the article itself sheds light on the submissive stereotyping and fetishization of Asian women in media. 

However, the Guardian credits TikTok user, @lightskinbbyrei, for posting a reaction to a video of an Asian woman and a white man, captioned: “The power of the Caucasian [male] over the Asian female subconscious needs a full Oxford study.” 

In either case, the term “Oxford Study” perpetuates the myth that Asian women desire to be the object of white men’s desires, whether that be in either a serious or casual relationship. Asian women can have a racial preference when dating. Still, no Asian woman’s relationship with a white man deserves to be reduced to a stereotype that uplifts white men and objectifies Asian women. 

  The romanticized interracial relationship originates from Old Hollywood when the majority of Asian women were either stuck as sex workers or pressured into marriage in the 1900s. Hollywood, then, turned their lives into movie tropes to please white male audiences and validate their exotic and hyper-feminine perceptions of all Asian women. The core of Hollywood’s portrayal of Asian women relies on the looming presence of the U.S.'s victory over Japan in WWII. 

The majority of Asian women's stereotypes heavily emerged from the West’s hyper-exoticization of the East. America’s victory in WWII translated onto Hollywood’s screens, and the overarching idea of the West “conquering” the East was represented in the media’s depiction of a white man and an Asian woman coupling. 

Gina Marchetti’s book, published in the 1990s, centers on the representation of Asians in Hollywood. She asserts the film industry “has long been fascinated by Asia, Asians, and Asian themes. Mysterious and exotic, Hollywood’s Asia promises adventure and forbidden pleasure.” This “exotic” perception of Asian women is a product of American society’s stigmatization of Asian brides and prostitutes. Asian women had always been excluded from society, but when Hollywood began romanticizing their marginalization to fit the narrative of Western dominance, Asian women lost any and all control of a narrative they never had access to.

Many Asian women have come forward about their experiences on TikTok, where “Oxford Study” comments litter their pages. In a later section of The Gaurdian’s article, Sophia, 22, states that even just the “optics of being seen with white men, even in a peripherally romantic sense” invokes “Oxford Study” comments. The article then proceeds to quote specific examples of degrading comments. In response to a post about a white man and Asian woman coupling, one commenter wrote, “Naw you Asian women love being humiliated by white men.” Another wrote, “Oxford study final thesis.” Asian women cannot protect themselves from the narrative that their relationships with white men are rooted in some innate need to please white men. 

This narrative exists outside of their relationship with white men. Not only do ‘‘Oxford Study’’ comments dehumanize Asian women, but by extension, the comment brings into question whether or not a supposed “sex object” can even form a real romantic relationship; essentially, the Oxford Study suffocates any perception of a happy, healthy relationship between an Asian woman and a white man. 

In 2024, “Asian American women reported that gendered racism attempts to silence their voices and force them into acting submissive and passive (Ahn et al., 2022). Thus, forming a romantic relationship with someone [who]  holds more social power may help to mitigate this felt disempowerment.” Asian women cannot escape their stereotypes because their association with white men compromises their autonomy. Asian women cannot express their sexuality because their race itself leads them to be infantilized or demonized. While “The Oxford Study” may or may not be real, this social media phenomenon still degrades Asian women and invites random people to harass Asian women for their relationships with their partners. The societal consequences of Asian women’s relationships with white men far overshadow their capability of owning their sexuality. The term may die out but one thing is definite, all women, especially Asian women, shouldn’t need to explain themselves or their choices to the rest of society.