Making It Awkward
Making It Awkward
Jessica Wilson, MS RD
The Fetishization of Asian Women and Subverting Stereotypes with Kaila Yu
43 minutes Posted Sep 25, 2025 at 10:11 am.
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Show notes

Kaila Yu, author of the newly released Fetishized; A Reckoning with Yellow Fever, Feminism, and Beauty, joins Jessica Wilson, MS RD the show to talk about the fetishization of Asian women.

Kaila reflects on the women in the media who influenced her, and her path into the pinup and import modeling industry. She devotes a chapter to the book and film Memoirs of a Geisha and Jessica and Kaila talk about the ways the book and movie continue to impact societal views of Asian women.

They also got into the origins of the model minority myth and the connections to trad wives today.

In Fetishized Kaila also explores the legacy of U.S. occupation in shaping Western perceptions of Asian women.

Kaila in Teen Vogue re: Love Island

Fetishized; A Reckoning with Yellow Fever, Feminism, and Beauty

Kaila on Instagram

Fetishized in NYT!

Atlanta spa shooting

"Oxford Study" on social media

Debunking "Oxford Study"

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Jessica Wilson's book: It's Always Been Ours; Rewriting the Story of Black Women's Bodies