Therefore, an Asian American may marry a White person because s/he (consciously or unconsciously) wants to be fully accepted in White society.

However, to many people, this theory sounds rather condescending since it presumes that the only reason why an Asian American would marry a White would be to fulfill a need for acceptance.

It's hard enough to find a person with whom you are completely compatible.

These critics also note that it is the saddest irony when Asian women either allow themselves to be objectified and fetishized or when they buy into and accept these demeaning portrayals of Asian men and eliminate them as potential partners.

As one particularly stark example of the "cultural penalty" that many Asian American men face when it comes to dating and overcoming the cultural stereotypes against them, a team of economists at MIT recently analyzed the dating preferences of users of online dating sites (PDF of the study, 1.5mb).

Combined with the cultural stereotypes or fetish of Asian women, many scholars argue these can be some factors that affect why many males (particularly White males) are attracted to Asian women.

In this sense, Asian women are not seen as equal partners but rather, as sexual objects to be controlled and used by the male.