Asian mail-order bride advertisements were removed from the Austin Chronicle after sparking outrage in the Asian American community.
On Friday, the Austin Chronicle, a local, independent newspaper, issued a public apology stating that the “offensive sponsored post” had been removed from their website.
“Going forward,” they added, “we will not host any mail-order bride sponsored ads, and we will be having vigorous internal conversations about past and future sponsored posts.”
Co-founder and host of the podcast “The Tao of Self Confidence,” Sheena Yap Chan, who interviews Asian women about their inner journey to self-confidence on the show, posted her disbelief on Twitter:
“Seriously how do articles like this get approved. Asian women are not your brides that you can order off a catalog. This narrative needs to end.”
Korea American blogger Phil Yu, also known as “Angry Asian Man,” reposted the ad on Twitter with the caption, “What in the f*ck.”
While some Twitter users echoed similar outrage, others appeared more or less indifferent.
The Austin Chronicle is not the only newspaper to have recently featured Asian brides. Last year, SFWeekly promoted Filipino wives who “actually enjoy housework.”
The post further described Filipino women as “loyal to their core” and “absolute pros when it comes to home cooking.”
In a sponsored post by the website “Tigers of Tinder,” Oakland-based newspaper East Bay Express also published an article titled “Best Asian Mail Order Brides Sites, Top Websites To Find Marriage and More in 2022.”
The page includes a pros and cons list for each of the mail-order bride sites, including descriptors like “a little pricey” or “excellent translation services.”
Featured Image via Hanna Auramenka
