In her debut memoir-in-essays, former model Kaila Yu writes about being an object of Asian fetish with a sharp eye and eye-opening candor. Throughout Fetishized: A Reckoning with Yellow Fever, Feminism, and Beauty, Yu peels back the curtain on the personal, cultural, and historical forces that shaped her self-image, exposing how pop culture, colonialism, and desire intertwined to distort both her sense of beauty and her sense of self.
We asked her to answer our My Reading Life questionnaire so readers could get to know the books that shaped her life and influenced her debut book.
What was the first book you were obsessed with as a child?
The Velveteen Rabbit. I mention it in my memoir. Even now, the image of that poor, discarded bunny can make my heart ache. I was secretly jealous of him, to be loved so completely and unconditionally that he became “real.”
What book helped you through puberty?
The Joy Luck Club. It was the first book I’d ever read that reflected the Asian American experience, and I felt profoundly seen. During those years, I was awkward and uncomfortable in my skin. This book gave voice to feelings I didn’t yet know how to articulate.
What book do you think all teenagers should be assigned in school?
Minor Feelings. For older teenagers, this book offers a vital window into the experience of minorities in America. For non-Asians, it reveals why we can’t simply “choose not to see color.” It’s beautifully poetic, unapologetic, and unflinching, weaving in history that too often goes untaught in schools.
If you were to teach a class on Damn Good Writing, what books would make the syllabus?
On Writing by Stephen King: An engaging memoir and practical guide from one of the most prolific authors alive.
Trick Mirror by Jia Tolentino: A razor-sharp essay collection examining the ways media and the internet shape our psyches.
Three Women by Lisa Taddeo: Painstakingly reported and sensually written nonfiction that reads like gripping fiction.
Yellowface by R.F. Kuang: Timely, addictive, and razor-sharp satire; I devoured it in one sitting on a long flight.
What books helped guide you while writing your book?
My Body by Emily Ratajkowski: A nonfiction collection of essays exploring capitalism, patriarchy, sexuality, and body image within the entertainment industry, written by a real-life sex symbol.
Female Chauvinist Pigs by Ariel Levy: An unflinching examination of the post-feminist era, when women were taught that sexualization equals empowerment.
What books are on your nightstand now?
Love Yourself Like Your Life Depends On It by Kamal Ravikant. These days, I’m mostly reading nonfiction, and this book is changing my life. It teaches an easy, actionable way to love yourself even more deeply.
Girl on Girl — An examination of the misogyny in mass media during the ’90s and early 2000s, and how it mistreated celebrities like Britney Spears, Kate Moss, and more.