Faculty of Design

Illustration

Beige Blum

Deflowered

The term "Lotus Blossom [Baby]" is an Asian fetishist term referring to "quiet, gentle, modest and obedient" Asian women, especially in a war or post-war context. The Lotus Blossoms are portrayed as being innocent and pitiful, in need of saving by a white male (soldier) counterpart. It puts Asian women in the place of being war trophies or spoils of war, and portrays Asian women as sexually compliant and submissive to white colonizers.This stereotype, in connection to the prevalence of Asian fetish, makes other Asians question and damn interracial couples as being inherently a result of Asian fetish. In other words, Asian women who are in relationships with men of other races (particularly Asian-White pairings) are seen as “easy,” “whitewashed,” “colonized,” etc, by their fellow Asians. This piece connects the lotus blossom imagery to the idea of being “deflowered” in a way, losing one's value and/or virtue to others.