Lisa Fu is the Western Organizing Director at NAPAWF. She is based in Los Angeles, CA.
Even though I read and hear about different racist, sexist and ignorant attacks that women of color face every day, every once in a while I’m caught off guard in a way that I can’t anticipate. Like this email our office got not too long ago:
Dear NAPAWF,My name is _(omitted)_, I am a designer. I am looking for an experienced seamstress and have tried to find one for a long time. Someone suggested that I contacted your organisation [sic] since a lot of asian women sew there [sic] own clothing and there are some really good seamstresses.
Maybe you can tell me where I can put an add [sic] up?
Thank you so much for your help.
After reading this, my reactive-pissed off-high-speed-stream of consciousness went a little something like this…
“What? Are you kidding? Is she serious?? Is this a joke? I’m so sick and tired of your ignorance, stereotypes and sense of entitlement towards us… the fact that you're trying to wipe away the history of struggle and movement-building in our communities in a single email, a brief thought. And you’re perpetuating stereotypes of small, nimble, obedient Asian women that we fight against every day of our lives - (rumbling pit of anger broils in my gut)…
Hey, why should I be surprised?...Isn’t this how most of this country thinks? I can only dream that the answer is no…Yeah, I’m one of those people swimming in the big bubble of social justice work, surrounded by fierce sisters, allies and comrades that live, breathe, and play like me... getting emails like this remind me that there’s a lot more work that needs to be done, blah blah blah... Yeah. I get it…but sometimes I like being in the idealistic bubble… is it really a bubble anyways? Maybe east and west coast bubbles and a few in between…
Yes, there are a lot of Asian women who are seamstresses – but the stereotype goes way deeper than that. It’s about recognizing the struggle of immigrant women workers working in sweatshops and their right to a workplace with fair wages, better working conditions, and free from sexual harassment, exploitation and discrimination. And recognizing the intersections between the garment industry with that of globalization, capitalism, racism, sexism and all those other –isms… Damn, so thanks for reminding me that really this is why I do the work that I do...thanks for reminding me that another world is possible…
So that was my stream of thought. I’m curious… what’s yours? How would you have responded? Share!
If you’re interested in learning more about the struggles and fight to support Asian women in the garment worker industry, here are a few of the many resources you can check out: Sweatshop Warriers, Garment Workers Center and read about one of the most famous cases in the country, the El Monte Thai Sweatshop Workers. (And for those of you wondering how we responded to this email – NAPAWF’s fabulous Courtney Chappell schooled her.)
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I know what it's like to enjoy being inside the "bubble." I like to be in my bubble, too, whenever possible. It's so much friendlier.
"So that was my stream of thought. I’m curious… what’s yours? How would you have responded? Share!"
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the first thing i read in this post was the email. and i must admit even as your average, middle class, overly privileged, white girl... i was rather disturbed. actually i was completely disturbed.
i have a hard time understanding why this sort of racism and stereotype still exists. i understand why its so easy to just assume and judge, but really, youd think wed have gotten over it by now.
and what would i have done? more than likely i would have sent a calm but overly condescending email back explaining her own misguided racism and stereotypes without even addressing her original question.
I really should feel pissed off about this. However, being a woman of Asian descent, I've had to deal with a lot of this stereotypical crap and mostly me method of dealing with it has become laughter.
Soooo... what would I have sent back? I don't know. If I was in a saucy mood, I suppose I would have offered my own sewing abilities. Just give me the address and I'll be there. One caveat is that it may take just a little bit of time, since I'll be travelling by ricksha.
"Dear Mr. Designer,
I believe that your contact referred you to us because, as soon as you explained your predicament, he or she realized that your racist and sexist biases were a much bigger problem than your lack of an experienced seamstress.
If you’re interested in learning more about the struggles and fight to support Asian women in the garment worker industry..."
Me being a Korean American woman, this leaves me speechless! Are you sure it's not Sean? Remember when he e-mailed this blog "with superiority?"
Not to be flip, but I probably would have responded much the same way as I responded to the woman who left the answering machine message for me the other week, asking for someone else with my first initial and my last name, but a different first name, who then insisted that I should "have [So-and-so] call," them even though I clearly identify myself on my answering machine message and there's definitely no such person as So-and-So Mylastname at my number.
I kind of went, "WTF?" and then I hit the delete button. The round file is actually a great way of dealing with people making importuning, impolite requests.
Conversely, you could try a tactic a favourite writer of mine uses, which he claims works really well, which is to enclose the offending item in an envelope with a note that says something along the lines of, "Someone is sending offensive mail with your name on it; just thought you might like to know before your reputation gets trashed." That's about the closest thing to a "Teachable Moment" I can think of in this situation.
Wow. I don't know WHAT I would've said. Granted I'm a lower middle class white chick, but honestly- that pisses ME off. Moreover because it implies that all women sew. Hell I couldn't stitch a button to my friggin pants. I'd probably have said to the 'designer'
"Yeah, I'll be right over after I finish the mani/pedi I'm doing on your wife. Btw, do you want me to bring my own fur from the baby seals I've clubbed for your industry too? Piss off jackass."
i think its almost ironic that people keep referring to the designer as a "mr" or "him" or implying theyre a man in some way.
in the article it states that she is female...
this isnt a male isolated mindset, its everywhere...
i think its almost ironic that people are referring to the designer as a male. the article states they are a female.
“What? Are you kidding? Is she serious?? Is this a joke?"
this isnt a male isolated mindset, its everywhere.
every gender, race, economic status, geographic region...
its even in us...
its a plague
there were assumptions that the designer was male. i dont know if it was because of their occupation or because of the misogynistic, racist bullshit... but that act in itself is stereotyping...
dont get me wrong, im not bashing anyone who posted on this... im guilty of much worse, im sure... i just want to point out the irony behind it all
Oooo... good one, Interrobang. I'll have to remember that tactic. :)
See, my first thought was to point out to the author that she really ought to be searching by interest, not by ethnicity, and suggest putting up notices in local sewing supply stores. But then I thought, "Why should I spend the effort helping her?"
Not to rock the boat, but it's not like the writer of the e-mail meant to be offensive. So replying rudely won't make it better, it will just shock her. Wouldn't it be better to educate? Don't accuse her of being racist, tell her why what she said was offensive and explain the struggle against stereotypes that you face. She probably just honestly doesn't know, not everyone is so aware.