It’s not long since the world’s found out about the real possibility of a new addition to the members of England monarchy! Apart from websites and forums filled with after talks here comes a new trend in homemade video making with exotic titles:
Kate Middleton:THE UGLIEST GIRL IN THE WORLD!
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pfF4lEA0Waw]
have you ever noticed that men are smiling more in their wedding pictures, just like depicted here? wonder why?
So, I came across this Anthology research paper that pointed out some historical notions on the Gentlemen’s Agreement of 1907 which followed massive Korean picture bride’s arrivals between 1910-1924, to the land of hope. It’s a very interesting topic to talk about, thus I encourage you to read through this entry and if it rose any undigested points leave a comment to discuss it with me.
Redefining the boundaries off Traditional Gender Roles
Korean picture Brides, Pioneer Korean immigrant women, and Their Benevolent Nationalism in Hawai’i
Written by, Lili M, Kim
This research paper covered the Gentlemen’s Agreement of 1907, which Japan voluntarily cease issuing passports to all Japanese labors coming to the States. This restrictive agreement allowed for the immigration of the wives and children of the working labors on the sugar plantations in Hawai’i. Unmarried Japanese labors also took advantage of this provision by sending for picture brides. With Japanese annexation of Korea in 1910, Korean’s were considered Japanese nationals, so Korean labores also happily sent for brides.
When the picture bride practice began as a result of that one thousand Korean picture brides came to Hawai’i and the continental United States between 1910-1924. The reason it stopped was due to the immigration Act of 1924 which prohibited the immigration of anyone ineligible for citizenship and thus stopped virtually all Asian immigration to the United States.
The sent away Korean brides were aged between 14-16 and they were willing to risk life with a total stranger in a new land that they never been to, in exchange for the opportunity to the education, escape Japanese domination, and pressure religious freedom.
Unlike other cultures, which parents are willing to sent away their daughters to overseas for the hopes of having her set up by a rich man that they never saw in the first place, in Korean version wanna-be-brides had a hard time convincing their parents to sail them off!
For their part, Korean men used all sorts of deception that the heaven made it possible for them by this picture marriage miracle and allowed them to allure perspective wives (men are unbelievable, aren’t they?).
Men often sent pictures from their younger days to conceal their actual age, they were in most cases in their mid 30s. They also tried to give an impression of wealth that they did not have by renting a suit or taking a picture next to their boss’s automobile, etc…
Upon bride’s arrival to the shores of Hawai’i, when the supposedly a love in the first sight between the lovebirds had to finally occur, that was another disaster to this tale! Most men didn’t look anything like their sent away pictures!
Their worker’s clothing (as a note, deodorant was not invented back then so please feel for the lady) and dark tans from working in the sugar plantation fields all day (having tan historically is not favored by women seems like it, someone let the singer Rain/Bi know of this please) b/c having this tan actually gave away their poor economic standings! (Oh that’s why, how interesting!)
Going back to Korea, however, was not an option for the doomed brides, for two reasons:
Firstly, although the thought-to-be-rich husbands paid for the one-way trip of their brides now couldn’t afford to pay for her return ticket, and if they could they wouldn’t ever let her leave their soon-to-become-happy-marriage and go back to Korea!
Secondly, going back meant a life of unbearable shame in Korea!
Here comes even worse, the only way to stay in Hawai’i legally was to marry their prospective husbands (this is a good topic for a screenplay of a film, don’t ya agree? especially the way I try to make it sounds like 
Thus, some picture brides held out as long as they could, here is a diary from one of them: 
“I’m so disappointed I cry for eight days and don’t come out of my room. I don’t eat nothing, but at midnight when everybody sleeps I sneak out to drink water, so I don’t die….
But I know if I don’t get married, I have to go back to Korea on the next ship. So on the ninth day I came out and married him. But I don’t talk to him for three months “
such a poised girl! If I were her I wouldn’t talk to him till the day I congratulate his death to his corpse and then unbearably wait to see his proud mama for rising such noble son, shows up and cries herself to death over his grave!, but what do I know? Probably the second he’d aimed to kick my ass with his belt, I would try to seduce him with my charm by give him one of my sluty looks then jump on him with kisses *scratching head*
Despite a disappointing beginning, some these picture brides it’s said that had happy marriages (having in mind the constant sacrifice-making-Korean-women!) But in some cases, husbands became abusive out of paranoia, afraid their new wives might run away, (Oh yeah?! so they got on it at last, huh! and this is by assuming they had no other malfunctioning biological abnormality to make them enjoy their boring evenings by beating the crap out of their wives, I guess), in most cases they had them locked up before going to work each day (so great to be a women! don’t ya agree? wonder if they had inside built-in restrooms!)
This account was about Korean men, but with all my heart I believe there exists such men in every town and city with all sort of nationalities. As a women, I’m trying my darnest to believe there are however some good men out there too!
