Once, eating at an upscale restaurant in a small town in the United States, I overheard a conversation between several people sitting next to me joking about an ordered bride and how low their demands were: “Here’s a glass of clean water for you, sweetheart. ” Bursts of laughter. At first, I was angry, because I had heard that Russian women seeking international marriage were labeled “mail order brides” in the United States and, being from Russia, I totally disagreed with the label. At the same time, there is nothing wrong with making fun of the concept of a woman “sent in a box” to her husband who lives in a richer country (especially to make people aware that this situation actually happened) but when this image is generalized for certain nationalities or for women from certain countries, then it is really not acceptable.

It is interesting to note that … Read More