I've been reading the forum and seeing a lot of references to DHs. Checking the Q&A acronym list yielded no explanation to what DH is but finally I found that DH meant domestic helper. In this region esp HK, these would be Indons and Phillippinos. I'm not local but from the region. Western educated ethnic chinese. I have traveled widely and seen my fair share of interracial attraction and preferences. I for one cannot figure the Caucasian preference for seemingly native asians. What I mean by that is asians who have a very rural look. I don't mean any disrespect and of course opposites attract. In each country, such as Thailand, Indonesia, Philippines, Malaysia, countries who have a long history of local natives  (you can leave out Singapore), you can find such differences in their population. There are the obvious haves and have nots. The 'haves'  are obviously richer, more attractive and quite commonly, fairer. The 'have nots' are the opposite.

Back to my point. DHs here are obviously the 'have nots' and in my 40 years of existence, I can hardly find them attractive. Of course there are exceptions but there is a general avoidance of this pool. Reading the exciting romps would not even interest me the slightest to check out the scene.

My question would be does this similarly happen in the western culture? Would North Americans keep an arms length from latinos (who am I kidding?) and do western Europeans stay away from say Romanians, Czechs or Polish?

I apologise if I had offended anyone for this question.

I'll answer your question in two parts.

First, beauty is in the eye of the beholder, and often beauty is the unfamiliar.  So to Western cultures, Eastern women can seem desirable because they are unfamiliar, even if they are not beautiful to the locals (who look for their own unfamiliar definitions of beauty).  

DH may be the have-nots, but they can still look good to a Western eye that is not used to picking out slight imperfections.  Also, the have-nots teld to try harder, perform better/more, and be more appreciative.  This also contributes to "beauty" and/or just fun.

There is also the "savior" or white knite feeling of taking out a DH (or any WG really).  Eaven a lowly Westerner can feel like a king compared to a DH.

Second, in North America there is a lot of racism.  But a lot of that goes away when LB starts doing the thinking.  I know some people who don't really like blacks, but they wouldn't turn down a slim, well spoken, sexily dressed woman in a bar, no matter what her race is.  And "Latino" is about as huge a classification as "Asian," so it's almost worthless.

I think (no experience) in Europe a lot of the racism stems from past national conflicts, so maybe there are stronger feelings there.

Well, I am not offended at all... But I think you are wrong.  Just because YOU don't find a filipina or an Indonesian attractive doesn't mean they are not attractive.  I find many of them to be the mostbeautiful gals in the world.  

Trust me that westerners think the preferances of many Asian men to be odd as well.  It seems to works both ways.

Vive la differance.  As they say.......

Don't knock my lovely DH's there is more to a beautiful women than looks and light skin my friend

And I forgot to add when does lack of money make a women unattractive?

The grass is always greener on the other side.

To each own preference......

I definitely respect that.

In my course of work, I do travel to some remote places of Indonesia and I also agree that when LB takes over coupled with alcohol,  any one can look like a beauty queen.

Not all fit that description, which is obvious for anybody who has visited the area.  Some are educated and come here due to few opportunities back home.  And like others say, beauty is in the eye of the beholder.  

Further to this, a westerner can spend many years living here without having to learn the local language, understanding the culture (eg customs and superstitions), etc.  They don't need to because they are not expected to assimilate.  The same applies to DHs.  Even if they have learnt the local lingo and adopted the local ways during the many years spent here, they will never be seen as a local.  DHs and expats might belong to different income brackets and have various other differences, but they share similar qualities.  Both are in need of companionship and both are viewed as outsiders.  A glue that bonds both groups together.  Just one way of looking at this.

Yeah TD, that it is a very interesting and valid point about Hong Kong Society.  

Expats are always outsiders, no matter how well they speak Cantonese or how long they've lived in HK.  As are DHs (whether they are from PI, Indonesia, Vietnam, Thailand, etc.).  Just another thing that helps the attraction grow, I suppose.

And, of course, I find many, many, many of these ladies to be drop dead gorgeous.

If you ask the average American if they understand the "class system" as it applies to different Asian Cultures.  Japanese vs Chinese vs Thai vs Korean.  I believe they would be surprised to find this structure exists.  I know I was oblivious to it before another member from the forum I met in HK educated me.

In the US all of these people are seen as Asian.  We understand the difference but have little insight into the class structure tied to nationality in Asia.

An American only sees their perception of beauty.  Class is a non-issue in any case I can imagine.  I can't see an American seeing a beautiful Indonesian woman and passing on her because she is a farmer's daughter.

In the US it is common for beauty to be a path out of poverty for many woman in America.  A common saying is Beauty is valuable in all markets.  But maybe not in all countries.

J

[ Last edited by  jake.houston at 31-8-2013 04:17 ]

Males don't care about social status of female as long as female is attractive (to them). Females often have status in mind when choosing partners. Due to limited sexual capital after pregnancy, females evolved to be far more selective and cautious about their partners. Status/wealth has been imprinted as a positive sexual quality in the female mind. Males only evolved to be sexually aroused by physical cues, such as a pretty face, large tits, petite figure, or whatever his subconscious deems fit for children. Males have no problem entering into a monogamous relationship with a person who has less wealth, females do. You almost never see rich females enter monogamous or seemingly monogamous relationships with males significantly below their wealth status. While I agree that generally in developed countries, richer girls tend to be more attractive, this is not always the case. For example, in Mexico, easy access to fast food and low incomes create a generally unattractive lower class female who is very obese and short. In Asian countries, poverty has not made women fat and stout, presenting an excellent opportunity for middle/lower class Westerners from developed countries for sex.

You are obviously western.

What you wrote only applies to the West.  Asian males are KEENLY aware of race (and its implied status) in Asia. The bias is so strong it overides the normal allure of physical attraction.   Hong Kong is great example... Only Expats (westerners who don't care where a gal comes from) chase the Indonesian and Filipina DHs during the Sunday maid parade.  Such gals are "beneath" the average native Hong Konger. I've heard such repeated here enough times in one form or another, and the reality "onthe street" is further proof.  

I am sure this might be a controversial statement.  So I welcome my Hong Kong Native friends to debate it...  Admit it or not, Hong Kong remains a very racist and class-stratified society.  

I still love the place though....  (:>

You are right that I am Western. I don't mean to come off as aggressive in continuing to argue this, but this is interesting to me. In the United States, in the early 20th century, it was considered taboo for whites to mingle with blacks. Suggesting such a relationship at that time would have been considered taboo, and few would confess for having strong sexual attraction to the other race. Do you honestly think that a sexy Thai girl would be way less attractive to an equally sexy Hong Kong native for the average Hong Kong male? Don't you think that it is more likely that Hong Kong males delude themselves or put on a facade about only being attracted to natives over other races to fulfill a societal expectation? (For example, maybe they don't want their family seeing them marry an Indonesian) It is a well known fact that societal standards don't influence male sexuality to the degree that it influences female sexuality. In other words, for the purpose of only a one night stand, if the average Hong Konger was given a choice between fucking a 10/10 Thai Girl or a 9.9999..../10 HK girl without anyone finding out, do you think that the HK guy would still choose the HK girl? I think that once LB starts doing the thinking, no race is beneath you.

This is exactly the case at walkups. The Thais at the walkups seem to be quite popular with local Chinese.

Hey Bro, no worry -- you are not being aggressive (and I am not trying to be either -- just debating).

Yes, I am sure the HKer will bed the most "attractive" gal willing to bed him.  But the qualities that make someone attractive go beyond just the physical -- and societal pressures guide and shape what each of us thinks is attractive.  We can't help it (though I agree that women feel much greater societal pressure than men in most cultures).  Still, your point is valid... Behind closed doors (versusthein a bar where all can see) the Hker is more likely to choose purely based on physical looks or an assumption of how much of a wildcat a gal might be in bed.  There is zero social exposure or stigma to be conscerned about.

So, in the case where sexual function (looks and skill) are the ONLY attributes being considered than yes -- the HKer, just like anyone else, will choose the gal he deems fittest on those attributes and ignorednore other attibutes (race, culture, language, education) that would normally filter his selection.

And by the way, I am not saying the west is not racist, it certainly is.  It has few and weak class divisions so upward mobility is fluid, common and easy (a gal or guy mating up or down is common and scarcely mentiomed excpet at the extremes).  But racism is alive and well.  Perhaps  more hidden than HK.