Mail+Order+Brides


 * SEX TOURISM: MAIL ORDER BRIDES **

 Now, sex tourism can occur in the comfort of your own home. As technology continues to grow and expand, it is clear that there are more and more ways to connect people of different countries and different cultures. This not only applies to the exchange of ideas, goods, and services, but also to the exchange of sex, love, and relationships. Though this is easier now with the availability of technology, the speed of modern travel, etc, sex tourism has been around in the Unites States since the first European settlers.
 * History **

 In fact, “The first American mail order marriages occurred shortly after Britain and France established their colonial settlements in the early 1600s,” (Zug, 2012) The first settlers planned to come to the Americas, make a fortune, and return to their home country. The initial plan was not necessarily to permanently settle and stay. Because of the type of work, the initial settlers were mostly men (Zug, 2012). Most women were not interested in coming to the colonies. In order to ensure the longevity and success of the colonies, the male settlers needed an anchor, a reason to stay; mail order brides, now known as the Jamestown Brides, became the answer to help the colonies survive (Zug, 2012). Because of their key role in maintaining the colonies, these women were seen as heroes who were chosen to be the first founding female settlers of the Americas: “The colony was not simply looking for any woman willing to immigrate; they were looking for “founding mothers.” The Virginia Company’s letters indicate that significant attention was exercised in choosing the women. The recruits were all women who had been received. . . upon good recommendation. They were not prostitutes, criminals, or beggars,” (Zug, 2012).

 Next we see a new generation of male order brides during the western US development coinciding with the gold rush. Just as with the first colonial settlers, the people of the western frontier were mostly men. Because all the men were leaving for the west, many single women were left on the east coast and in the south (Mason, 2016). Though these arrangements seemed mutually beneficial, these mail order bride connections were sometimes met with dangerous situations or financial scams. We see dating services and personal ads that provided these cross-country set ups. Below, you can see a few examples of these ads:
 * 1) "I am fat, fair, and 48, 5 feet high. Am a No. 1 lady, well fixed with no encumbrance: am in business in the city, but want a partner who lives in the West. Want an energetic man that has some means, not under 40 years of age and weight not less that 180. Of good habits. A Christian gentleman preferred." (Mason, 2016)
 * 2) "A gentleman of 25 years old, 5 feet 3 inches, doing a good business in the city, desires the acquaintance of a young intelligent and refined lady possessed of some means, of a loving disposition from 18 to 23, and one who could make home a paradise." (Mason, 2016).

 As we saw in the introduction on sex tourism, mail order brides are sought from around the globe. The most popular destinations, however, are Asia, Eastern Europe, and South America. While the first mail order brides in the US were seen as heroes or brave pioneers, current mail order brides are often grouped as women who are sex trafficked or exploited and are “…generally seeking to escape adverse home-country socioeconomic circumstances through one of the few avenues open to them,” (Lee, 1998). Overall, today, we see the stereotypical and media associations with mail order brides to include women who are “victims of force, kidnap, and prostitution. They are described as desperate women who must be saved from the dangers of mail order marriage” (Zug, 2012).
 * Modern Mail Order Brides **

To combat this danger and to regulate mail order marriages, the International Marriage Broker Regulation Act (IMBRA) was passed in 2005. IMBRA was created to protect and limit abusive relationships This law was to protect and safeguard both the Visa applicant (mail order bride) and the US petitioner (IMBRA, 2016). The IMBRA requires a background check and past criminal records to be sent to all foreign visa applicants. It also requires that US citizens disclose that “he or she met his or her fiancé through an [International Marriage Broker]” (IMBRA, 2016).

There are many companies now that operate as marriage brokering services. These groups are often in charge of Romance Tours; these tours can cost up to 4,000 plus airfare and consist of social gatherings and events to set up and introduce potential mates- some of whom have already been chatting online.The primary function of these agencies is not to promote cultural exchange, but rather to turn a profit by charging men in industrialized nations for the service of connecting them with available women in other, often developing, countries. You are not essentially trading money to buy a person per se, in most cases it seems like it is under the guise of purchasing the ability to be introduced to many foreign women and then it is up to you to woo them and pay for things. One of the most popular sites, A Foreign Affair, even had a documentary [|(//Love Me)//] made about it and the subsequent relationships stemming from their "Romance Tours." In addition to this cost, it is also assumed that the cost of bringing or sustaining this relationship falls onto the man or person seeking the mail order bride.

Based on the aforementioned information, it is notable to consider who do we, as individuals, as a culture, etc, view as the victim in a mail order bride situation. Some argue that if the US had different views on mail order brides that it would give the involved women the opportunity to be independent and powerful, just as their predecessors in the United States (Lee, 1998). In addition, when we look at other cultures, there are many arranged marriages that incorporate the exchange of dowries or money. Is this any different? Further, some might argue that the men who pay thousands of dollars for these romance tours and are met with scams and subsequent empty pockets are actually the victims. Or perhaps, neither party is a victim, and given the adequate safety precautions to avoid fraud and abuse, both parties are consenting adults doing what they must to survive.
 * Additional Considerations **

References