#158 Kaila Yu on Fetishization, Feminism, and Memoir as Reckoning

What does it mean to be fetishized—and how do you turn that gaze back on the culture that created it? Estelle Erasmus chats with Kaila Yu, a freelance writer whose work has appeared in The Los Angeles Times, Rolling Stone, The New York Times, Business Insider, Condé Nast Traveler, and more. Before turning to journalism, Kaila was a model and the lead singer of the all-Asian American female rock band Nylon Pink. Her debut memoir, Fetishized: A Reckoning with Yellow Fever, Feminism, and Beauty (Crown Publishing, Penguin Random House), braids cultural critique with personal narrative to examine identity, representation, and the male gaze. In this episode: Growing up in the “pornified” 2000s and how it shaped beauty ideals and agency The “ABG” (Asian Baby Girl) aesthetic, model-minority myths, and resisting stereotypes Structuring a memoir-in-essays using cultural archetypes (Geisha, Butterfly, China Doll, “Not Lucy Liu,” etc.) Weaving research (colonial histories, media analysis) into lived experience Gen Z, #MeToo, and why we need cultural reckonings now, not 20 years later Life after entertainment: choosing writing for longevity and self-definition Watch on YouTube: https://youtu.be/4hAi3MN_Png   Order her book on Estelle’s Bookshop https://bookshop.org/p/books/fetishized-a-reckoning-with-yellow-fever-feminism-and-beauty-kaila-yu/212b9185f28e897d?aid=98827&ean=9780593728017&listref=authors-who-have-appeared-on-freelance-writing-direct&next=t Connect with Kaila Website: https://KailaYu.com Instagram: https://instagram.com/KailaYu   Get More from Estelle: Webinars: NEW: Sign up for my free online Editor-on-call NYU event on October 29th Inside Slate: An Unfiltered Conversation with Senior Editor, Rebecca Onion. Register here Sign up for my webinar on October 9th in collaboration with Writer’s Digest Mapping Your Memoir: How to Find the Heart and Shape of Your Story. Sign up here.  New Essay: Read my latest essay on Another Jane Pratt Thing. It Happened to Me: I Deliberately Ruined My Nasty Co-Worker's Wedding Video. I loved telling my story all these years later. And don't miss the episode with Jane #155, where we dished all about Sassy, XoJane and more. TEDx Talk: How to Get Noticed in Your Writing and Beyond In my talk I blend personal storytelling with actionable strategies for standing out—starting with a chaotic moment involving Thomas the Tank Engine. Watch, comment, and share Explore More: Writing That Gets Noticed – Buy the book | Audiobook Subscribe on Substack: https://estelleserasmus.substack.com Latest posts: “When Writers Are the Ones Blocking the Page: 6 Ways to Move Forward (and An Offer); Stop Counting Your Words. Start Shaping Your Story” and “How to Get Published in Cosmopolitan or Seventeen” More episodes: Freelance Writing Direct Podcast Follow Estelle: Instagram TikTok Twitter BlueSky