Rice Rockets Blast Off
We’ve all experienced rice rockets rolling down Geary Boulevard, cutting us off and then speeding ahead, as if daring us to race. A lot of times, the driver is Asian American, young — and male. They maneuver their machines with control and bravado, swerving at high speeds to avoid the SUV pulling out of a parking space, and then shifting gears and maxing on the gas. Vroom.
It is an American rite of passage. And a growing trend. Car shows have popped up around the country, attracting as many as 15,000 people per venue. Most enthusiasts are Asian American, but other groups are catching the fever. This week Universal Pictures releases the much anticipated The Fast and The Furious, a film based on the import car scene. (Asian Americans are sadly absent from the script. But that’s another story.)
For the most part, it seems all good. The only problem: it’s sexist, and not just subtly so. Have you ever done a search on “import car”? If not, you would be surprised by the sheer number of hits — and the girlie sites. Yep.
A side industry that has developed are import models — mostly Asian American girls who wear revealing clothing and pose for pictures with the guys at the car shows. The events have opened opportunities for Asian women trying to break into the modeling business. And there’s nothing bad about beauty, sexuality and celebrity, all of which the women engender. The problem lies beneath the good ole boys’ revelry.
Car shows reinforce the commodification of women. The models become just another accessory for the automobiles. Some of the girls at the shows have complained that the guys there are rude, pulling them and practically demanding pictures. Some regulars at the events are known to refer to the young women as hos, while in the same breath claiming it’s all in good fun.
In this case, I can only wonder. Is car culture imitating life, or is life imitating car culture?
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