Why Asian Guys Are On A Roll

Wayne Chang is on the front lines of the new vibe. In New York's hyperhip East Village, the ubiquitous presence of Asian males has almost become its own cliche. Chang says Asian men are the next "trophy boyfriends." Rosevear agrees. "It's almost like Asian boyfriends are the fashion accessory of the moment," she jokes.

But not everyone sees interracial dating as a good thing. Asian-Americans in interracial relationships risk being labeled "white-washed" or "race traitors" by members of their own community. Some people oppose interracial dating for fear of losing partners to other groups.

And, warns Shinagawa, all intermarriage still is not equal. He claims the typical Asian man will not gain an equal level of acceptance from marrying white as his Asian female counterpart would. "Does it bring a greater social approval from white America [for the man]?" he asks. "No. Does it bring greater approval from the Asian family? No. It brings no greater regard from any side." Because of that, Shinagawa says, divorce rates for interracially married Asian men are much higher than those for Asian women.

Whatever one's views about intermarriage, most academics see the new dating patterns as a positive development. "Before, we were invisible in America," says Ronald Takaki, a professor of Asian-American history at the University of California, Berkeley. "Now we're immensely visible. We're redefining what it means to be American." And Asian men are redefining themselves.

Lynette Clemetson

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