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The majority of research on romantic relationships has tended to focus on marriage, with relatively less attention paid to dating. This study examined the relationship between Asian American dating, both interracial and intraracial, and a variety of factors thought to be associated with dating in this population, including acculturation, ethnic identity, attractiveness, interracial dating experience, ethnicity of friends, parental influence over dating, and density. Participants were administered measures of these variables and were asked questions regarding their likelihood of dating both Asian Americans and White Americans. An interesting pattern of results emerged when the variables were put into regression equations to predict both interracial and intraracial dating. Findings are presented and implications discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mass media sources such as television and movies arguably offer up little in the way of positive Asian/Asian American images or role models. This article contends that the media do not often portray the diversity that is inherent within the Asian American culture and that such a paucity of Asian images may greatly affect perceptions Asian Americans may hold both of their own racial group and of the larger society. This article examines both media images of Asians and Asian Americans and autobiographical information from Asian American literature to illustrate the potentially detrimental effects of being a person of color in a society that emphasizes a monoracial standard of beauty. Information gleaned from first-hand accounts from Asian Americans often points to the media as a potent source of information as to how attractiveness is defined and measured. This article concludes with a discussion of some brief case examples and ethical imperatives for mental health workers in terms of both self-awareness and education as well as considerations for culturally sensitive therapy.

This article attempts to address standards of physical attractiveness in the United States and the effects these standards have on Asian Americans. In the U.S., attractiveness appears to be defined overwhelmingly by White criteria, and people of color are often neglected or overlooked. There appears to be convergence from a number of fields (i.e., ethnic studies, film studies, and literature, in addition to experts in the field of ethnic minority mental health) that White standards of attractiveness exert a deleterious effect on Asian Americans. This article will discuss the limited mental health research that does exist in this area and make suggestions for further research in this field. Discussion will center around acculturation and ethnic identity as possible mediating factors that may influence reactions to standards of attractiveness.