I’m an Asian girl. Yes, I do like video games and have a strange obsession with sushi. But, no, I do not parade around in a school girl outfit, watch anime or yell “Yatah!” when I’m excited.
That’s why apps like LovePlus — which caters to pedophiles and creeps — for the iPhone and Nintendo DS make me angry. I mean there’s plenty of ridiculous iPhone apps, like the one that claims to cure impotence, but this one is just disgusting. You pick one of three virtual Japanese girlfriends (who range in age from 12 to 15) and objectify her to your heart’s content. Each of them has their own “personality,” which is a mixture of every single manga stereotype.
The company insists that the app has no sexual implications, but that was thrown out when a guy actually married his character in December 2009. Cute love story, Reuters? Really, you don’t see anything wrong with marrying a child who can never age?
Not only can you poke and prod her on your phone, you can also take her on vacation. Men with prepubescent fantasies are traveling to Atami, Japan for a virtual romantic experience. There are spots where you can pose with your “girlfriend” so you can send photos to your family (and chat room friends) back home.
Allowing an older man to take his pre-High School aged girlfriend on vacation to do whatever he wants with her, even if it’s just pretend, is an outrage. It is apps and materials like these that promote this mindset that make men look for and expect a static, subservient woman who will fulfill his needs at the touch of a button. This will never happen, nor do I — or millions of women out there — desire for that day to come to fruition.
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