Interracial Dating and Common Combinations: Why Are Some Interracial Couplings More Common?

[FireAza]

So I read a small article in a local free newspaper that talked about a study relating to interracial dating and what races are commonly chosen. Here's what the study found:

*Asian women are a strong preference for males, except for Asian males.
*Women prefer white males, except black women
*Asian women are more receptive to white males

Unfortunately, I don't have the article with me and I have no idea what study it was referring to, but this did get me to thinking about something I've been noticing for quite some time now. There definitely seems to be some common trends when it comes to who dates who in interracial relationships. I then I get to wondering why people seem to constantly choose these particular races.

I've definitely noticed (and keep in mind, these are only my observations) that white men dating East Asian women is very common (I'm one of these guys actually) but you really don't see the reverse of a white girl dating an Asian guy (I only know of one such couple) and you also don't often see a white guy dating a South East Asian or an Indian girl. White girls dating black dudes is somewhat common, but I think I've only ever seen a white guy dating a black girl once.

So why is this? Well, personally (and you'll have to excuse my bias towards Asians, as I have no experience with other races) I think it comes down to two key points:
A) How physically different the person is from you
B) What traits you find appealing that you can't find in people of your own race.

For point A, this seems to be the Caveman brain at work. Caveman brain doesn't trust people who look too physically different from him, so he doesn't trust people people with with say, a different skin tone from what he has. So for the example of white guys and Asian girls, there's not a huge number of differences. White people can also have black hair, brown eyes, a small stature like East Asian people. And despite the stereotype of East Asians having "yellow" skin, in reality a lot of East Asian people are whiter than many Caucasians. The only real difference is the "Epicanthic fold" eye shape and dry ear wax (seriously, look it up!). Which is a pretty small difference in the end. So on a very primal level, we commonly seem to want someone who's different, but not too different.

Point B is more personal tastes really, but what if what you find attractive isn't common among the opposite sex in your race? Speaking for myself, I like very feminine, "delicate" girls, and most of the girls around here are very loud and masculine (Australian culture FTW ). Sure, I have met a few feminine white Australian girls, but very few, so I'm gonna throw my hat in with where I have the best chance: East Asian girls. A lot of this is obviously cultural, since femininity and "cuteness" are prized traits for girls in countries like China and Japan, but stuff like a petite build are very much in the genes.

Aside from myself, I've noticed a few things relating to this topic. In movies, the white male protagonist will often have a white female love interest, but Asian is also very common, just look at any movie with Lucy Liu in it Hollywood tends to aim for the tastes of the average white dude, so this kinda imply this is a common thought. You don't even need to have "yellow fever" I've known a few people who didn't have a preference for Asian girls but have still dated them.

What's also interesting is how this seems to span generations. Even today, a white girl dating a black dude might still cause a stir, especially among people of an older generation. But at a family gathering, I overheard some friends of one of my relatives, who I'd say was around 60 or so, talk about the attractive Japanese women who works at their workplace and everyone in the conversation seemed to be in agreement. Keep in mind, these are not just people of an older generation, but also from a country town, whom are not exactly famous for their tolerance for people of other races.

I also talked about this topic with a Chinese friend of mine, who flat-out told me she doesn't like black guys. And while she doesn't have a particular preference for white guys, she does find them attractive.

So what do you guys think? Anything interesting to add? And let's be civil about it!

 

[Thaluikhain]

So why is this? Well, personally (and you'll have to excuse my bias towards Asians, as I have no experience with other races) I think it comes down to two key points:
A) How physically different the person is from you
B) What traits you find appealing that you can't find in people of your own race.

Er...no mention of cultural influences?

For example, there's a common fetish for a stereotypical Asian women amongst white males. "Yellow fever" it's called. Society fetishises ethnicities differently, Asian women have been fetishised in a way that makes the idea more popular, if you see what I mean.

 

[FireAza]

You mean, like, how people of a certain race are perceived in your own culture? That's basically point B, but I guess you could split it out into two points...

 

[JoJo]

*Asian women are a strong preference for males, except for Asian males.
*Women prefer white males, except black women
*Asian women are more receptive to white males

I've heard these before and they are largely true in my experience, though there are always exceptions. On average, the white male has a stronger and more masculine appearance than the Asian male and the Asian female a more feminine and petite build than the white female, so it seems natural that this is the way people will swing if they are going to date outside their own race. As for where black people fit into this... black men in particular can be very masculine and physically fit, which attracts women of all races to them. Black women don't have this advantage though and they lose out on their general physical appearance: Sub-Saharan Africans and their descendants are genetically furtherest away from the other races and so while their appearance objectively is no better or worse than white or Asian people, to many white or Asian people they simply are too different looking to be truly attractive. It's not PC to say so but if I'm honest, I can't really find pure black people physically attractive, though if one had the right personality I wouldn't rule them out. Looks don't matter so much to women, who tend to be more attracted to status or power, but they do matter a lot to most men, which explains why black male and white female pairings are more common than vice versa.


Also I think culture can affect the rate of pairings, in the UK for example the most commonly seen pairing is Afro-Caribbean and White, despite Asians existing in similar numbers to Black British people. I believe this is because Afro-Caribbeans have a more similar culture to the Europeans already living here, whereas many Asians (particularly South Asians) still identify strongly with their own culture and prefer to take a bride from their own community.

 

[FireAza]

It's not PC to say so but if I'm honest, I can't really find pure black people physically attractive, though if one had the right personality I wouldn't rule them out.

Political correctness shouldn't be a factor in what one finds attractive, but yeah, I know what you mean. Though, Michonne from The Walking Dead is kinda hot. That might just be that sweet sword she has though

 

[Thaluikhain]

It's not PC to say so but if I'm honest, I can't really find pure black people physically attractive

Ah, but then we go ask why that is...or at least why that is for people in general, not anyone individually.

Our culture has ideas about beauty that we all grow up with, that are hard to put aside, and that tends to favour white appearance. Black hair...there's a really big can of worms there, about how natural is perceived as not being normal.

 

[kurupt87]

Stereotypical Asian girl is small, demure, cute and submissive.

Stereotypical black guy is big, strong, cool and dominant.

It's not exactly rocket science.

 

[Hero of Lime]

Here in southern California, White Male/Asian Girl couples are very common, as there are large Asian populations in this state. We pretty much have a decent sized population of every race, so you'll see just about every possible combination. Though the only rare interracial couple is as the OP says, is a black and white couple, of either gender combo. Asian and Black is even rarer too now that I think about it.

It's probably for many different reasons, but in California's case, it's probably because like I said, we have every race represented pretty well.

 

[Wraith]

You also have to add in migration. I live in an area of DC where I am surrounded by black females. So naturally, I may end up dating one, whereas if I moved to an area of DC where there is a larger amount of Caucasians (Georgetown or Eastern Market), I would have a better chance of meeting and dating one. There could be a number of reasons for stuff like this happening- the Caveman brain as you stated or personal taste- but I also believe the amount of alternatives a person can have plays into it as well.

 

[FireAza]

Here in southern California, White Male/Asian Girl couples are very common, as there are large Asian populations in this state.

What about the reverse? As you said, the reason this would be a common couple is because of the high Asian population, but that shouldn't mean only white guy and Asian girl.

 

[Phrozenflame500]

http://i.imgur.com/mlVmLa7.png

Anyways, personally I prefer white women (I'm white btw) for no particular reason. Although I do know most of my friends are into Asian/Latino women for whatever reason.

Eh, different strokes I guess. Although I wouldn't be surprised if there was some sort of cultural influence.

 

[Mossberg Shotty]

Some of my friends/co-workers refuse to date outside their race, and I've never really understood why. I find certain women of almost every culture attractive, in one way or the other, though I'm not without my preferences.

My current girlfriend is Mexican, but I've always wanted to date an Asian. I should probably point out that I'm a white male. I like white women as well, but I crave a bit of variation.

 

[PoolCleaningRobot]

A) How physically different the person is from you
B) What traits you find appealing that you can't find in people of your own race.

Uhhhhhh, maybe. If you're in college I'd suggest you take a course on Race, Class, and Gender to learn more about it. I took one last semester and I find it surprising how much I learned from a filler class I took for an easy A. I also can't look at threads on gender representations without face palming anymore, but hey, knowledge comes at a price.

Anyway, a lot of it simply has to do with these minorities are portrayed in the media. Asian women for example are still pretty heavily stereotyped, particularly advertising. They're frequently portrayed as mysterious, exotic, foreign, and whatnot in a pretty sexual way. Think of how often you see an Asian female character that was portrayed something like a simple housewife? They're also portrayed as competitive, just like white males. Maybe that has something to do with it?

In America[footnote]read this in a Bandit Keith voice[/footnote], black women are typically raised by their parents to be more independent. Because of this black, female, teens on average have higher self-esteem than their peers of other races. It might be a trust thing when it comes to white dudes who more often than not, did not come from the same neighborhoods or part of town. In contrast white, teenage, females have the lowest self-esteem. Black men are typically depicted as hyper masculine so maybe its a status thing for white women?

I'm not a 100% on anything. All I can do is name some general trends I remember learning. I'm also assuming this study was done in America which possible, but if its an Australian one then I can just be completely ignored :/

For point A, this seems to be the Caveman brain at work. Caveman brain doesn't trust people who look too physically different from him, so he doesn't trust people people with with say, a different skin tone from what he has.

Please never say this again. That's not how it works. In Ancient times people were way more likely to be judged by their religion and class rather than their skin tone. The way we view other races and genders is taught entirely by our current culture

 

[Headsprouter]

Spoiler: Deugh, now I feel awkward leaving this in the open...

Asian girls, I get it, but then again, I don't. As on who, not to sound sleazy, appreciates the presence of dat ass, and is irked by the lack thereof, I will always feel that...physically, they have something missing...

Don't worry, I realise how shallow that is to say.

...Black women...they can be magnificent, but as of yet, I have only found one that had me thinking "Damn...", but then again, I have met no more than two in a social situation. The rest were passerbys, and I tend not to dwell on those.

Caucasians, they are the overwhelming majority where I live, so obviously that will factor in to me saying yes, I have found many to be attractive.

Hispanics/Latin girls, you never see them, here, but I've been on holiday to Spain many times, and they are...something else, man. But that accent can be bothersome. I dislike the Spanish language. Give me the "down south" accent any day.

But as for preferences, a lad like me with no dating experience is not allowed to have them. Beggars can't be choosers after all. I just felt like sharing my opinions. Excuse me, I don't get the chance to enjoy this kind of conversation, often. If you still think my opinion counts, I am a white male.

 

[Kenbo Slice]

I don't know. I'm a white guy and I prefer to date black or latina women. I just find them more exotic I guess.

 

[likalaruku]

I'm a white chick & I prefer:
*Asian men.
*Black women.
*Native American men.
*Indian women (The ones that don't bleach their hair & skin).
*Albinos with sharp, symmetric facial features.
*Scrawny men with long hair, regardless of race. No preference for hair color.
*Redhead girls. Red looks good on all women. No preference for natural redheads.

 

[Flunk]

I'm a white man and I don't really care about "race" when it comes to dating. If I like her, I like her. There is no reason to limit your options.

 

[manic_depressive13]

It's obviously due to culture. For example black women are unlikely to respond to white men due to the awkward racial implications and power dynamic. Black women are considered a "fetish" for white men so a black woman can never be sure if she is being approached because that guy genuinely likes her, or if he sees her as an object to be obtained. There's also all the disturbing history of black women being raped by white men. On top of that, given that black people are the recipients of the most racism, both their men and women are the least likely to be responded to, due to both conscious racism and unconscious internalisation of racist stereotypes.

Meanwhile, Asian women are stereotyped as being submissive and demure, so they are highly sought after. White men get the greatest response from women because white men get the most everything.

 

[Julius Terrell]

Stereotypical Asian girl is small, demure, cute and submissive.

Stereotypical black guy is big, strong, cool and dominant.

It's not exactly rocket science.

Since I'm not the stereotypical black guy being only 5'5" and built like a runner, Where do I fit in?
I always hear people say that being black is an advantage, but I fail to see any of them.
I'm glad someone made this topic, because I've always wondered about this kind of stuff myself.

I've seen so many white male/Asian woman couplings that I started to wonder "What's so special about them?"

As far as myself is concerned, Black women have never been interested in me(not the typical black guy). I've pretty much given up on the idea of dating African American women. White women have been more receptive of me, and I like that a lot. Honestly, I'd love the idea of dating women of other ethnic backgrounds. I've never dated an Asian. I'd jump on the opportunity if given half the chance. I've always wanted someone of Spanish/Dominican decent.

Everything about me is basically the opposite of what is idea, but all I can do is work with what I have. Certainly have no ideas of doing what Michael Jackson pulled. How does something like having your pigmentation removed even achieved?

In the end I feel like a second rate specimen next to white men, because they are pictured as the idea. It just makes me mad on the inside sometimes.

 

[V8 Ninja]

It probably has to do with lots of cultural ideals/generalized preferences that vary drastically between countries/regions/areas such that only a team of highly talented experts could even begin to describe the logistics of it all.

So yeah, I got nothing.