From “Farming Daughters” to “Virgin Brides”

Abstract

This article examines the complex and paradoxical relationships between sexuality and transnational marriages between Taiwan and Vietnam. On the basis of an examination of the websites of Taiwanese marriage agents and in-depth interviews with Vietnamese immigrant wives, I demonstrate that these marriage agents know the traditional expectations of their male clients, and hence frame Vietnamese women as images of “virtuous sexuality” in their advertisements. This advertising strategy subsequently encourages more and more Taiwanese men to seek Vietnamese wives. “Virtuous sexuality” becomes the main selling point which enables Vietnamese women to easily migrate into Taiwan as a wife, but it can constrain their lives in Taiwan. Although this representation places these women in inferior positions, they use their “virtuousness” to gain acceptance in the new home and resist discrimination. The paradoxical relationships between “virtuous sexuality” and Vietnamese women are situated not only in hierarchical economic differences between Taiwan and Vietnam but also in a landscape riddled with patriarchy and traditional gender norms.