Love

Malaysian Woman Opens Up About Her Experiences Dating A White Man

2019-09-20 , 5:00 am

Fact: I have a friend of mine who once told me that her friend would only swipe right on white girls on tinder.

It even got to a point where he would set his location to be in America so that he would ONLY see and swipe on white chicks. #truestory

Thanks to their exotic features, white people are considered a “catch” in today’s Asian society.

Even I’ll admit. The celebrity crushes that I have had so far are all White.

But how does it feel for an Asian to date a white person? Is there a stereotype around Asians who choose to date white people?

Or is there already a general stereotype out there for people in interracial relationships?

Sabrina Tan from TODAYonline opened up about her experience as a Malaysian Chinese-Pernankan dating her Caucasian partner in Malaysia.

And it’s an eye-opener, indeed.

Stereotypes Associated With Dating White Guys

Tan mentioned that assumptions about her sexual drive, her partner’s genital size, her intentions to migrate to the West and the amount of money that her partner’s earns are common.

Walking down the street in Malaysia and getting stares from strangers was described as an “everyday thing”.

A Change in Perspective

When Tan and her partner took a month-long trip to Taiwan, she was pleasantly surprised by the locals there.

They never gave them weird looks, like the locals in Malaysia.

In fact, when they ask questions about their relationship, the Taiwanese people were more keen to know if her partner was enjoying his travels in Taiwan.

To add on, strangers in restaurants would introduce their local delicacies and tell them more about the cuisine.

Tan and her partner are currently living in Thailand.

And even in Thailand, their conversations are never crude.

The Stats On Interracial Marriages

In the globalised world that we live in today, there are many who find themselves in the same shoes as Tan.

Not just with white guys, many others who are in interracial relationships also face discrimination from their friends and family members.

In 2017, more than one in five of all marriages here were between people of different races.

In other words, 22.1% of marriages here were interracial.

This was a significant increase as compared to 16.4% in 2007.

In The Same Shoes

Tan is not the only one who faces discrimination in Malaysia for being in an interracial relationship.

She talks about her Indian-Malaysian friend who once shared her story with her.

A group of Indian guys had approached her as she was showing her partner around Bukit Bintang. What came out next was beyond rude.

The group of complete strangers asked her: “What is wrong with Indian guys that you have to date a foreigner? You think we are not good enough for you?”

Not only were they rude, but they were also threatening. They quickly left after to avoid confrontation.

Red flag alert.

Bringing Them Back To The Family

Tan also talked about how her cousin, who was a Buddhist, married a Muslim-Malay man when she was seven.

She revealed that her aunt was very against the marriage.

Years later, her aunt revealed that she was afraid that after converting to Islam, her cousin would have to follow her husband’s requests.

She was afraid that her son-in-law would want her daughter to stay away from her non-Muslim family.

However, she has learned since then and has accepted him. She said that it’s his heart that matters the most.

Love Is Love

At the end of the day, we should be able to love whoever we want without any fear of discrimination.

If you are making fun of your friend for dating someone that’s not their own race, stop it!

And if you are in an interracial marriage, I sincerely hope that you do not have to go through what Tan and the others had gone through.