(2021)

Website concept and design

“mithi” is a satirical dating website inspired by and commenting on the practice of mail order bride services and the effects of colonialism that persist in normalized racism and sexism. “mithi” explores how the Asian American — and more specifically Filipino-American — experience is defined by struggles to conform to stereotypes such as caretakers and sex objects. As anti-Asian acts of violence run rampant amidst the global pandemic, simultaneously the Asian American is expected to maintain their role as the model minority, timidly accepting the treatment forced upon us and falling back into the hands of imperialism. Stemming from a wide range of systems, from the global market to the family, these limiting roles interact with one another and function like an ouroboros, a toxic cycle perpetuated by those closest to us so that we attract people who will fulfill the role of supervisors to keep us within our accepted boundaries. “mithi” is meant to show how these expectations manifest themselves within our family, social, and work life and the way it seeps into everything we do.

To further drive these concepts of unattainable perfection through stereotyping and racial biases, the program and project “thispersondoesnotexist.com” was used to source the profile pictures for the example matches. Other photos utilized in the site are similarly sourced from generic stock, again calling to the commentary of artificial relationships and states of existence.

Fulfill your fantasy at mithi.com