The Biological Rationality of Racial Fetishes
By Peter Clark
Sexual racism is a problematic feature of dating and pair-bounding preferences. It is seen as reinforcing racial stereotypes and dating hierarchies (Bedi, 2015) among majority ethnicities. Racial fetishization has subjected minority women to harassment (Buchanan et al. 2018), violence (Olive, 2012), and sexual objectification (Zhang et al. 2024).
Many researchers have written about the ethical issues of racial fetishes, but few have attempted to explain the cause within the context of biology. The Biological Rationality of Racial Fetishes seeks to expound a biological explanation for this phenomenon. Racial fetishes could be viewed as an adaptive heuristic to avoid inbreeding. Inbreeding is associated with an increased incidence of genetic disorders (Alvarez et al. 2011).
This concept is a two-tiered sorting mechanism that relies on phenotypical differences and cultural stereotypes, the assumption being that if a potential mate has a different skin color, accent, bone structure, and or cultural background, there are no familial ties. These differences signal to the potential suitor that they will avoid the risk of inbreeding.
There is no excuse for the suboptimal societal outcomes of race-based sexual objectification, but this is merely an attempt to find a biologically rational explanation.
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