Podcast Summary: Kat on the Loose – "FETISHED WITH KAYLA YU"

Host: Kat Zammuto
Guest: Kayla Yu
Date: August 20, 2025

Episode Overview

In this raw, honest, and deeply personal episode, Kat Zammuto sits down with Kayla Yu, multi-hyphenate creative (actress, model, musician, and travel journalist), to discuss Kayla's new book Fetished: A Reckoning with Yellow Fever, Feminism and Beauty. The duo dives into Kayla’s journey with cultural stereotypes, fetishization of Asian women, traumatic industry experiences, self-acceptance, and healing. Their nuanced conversation unpacks layers of sexual objectification, social constructs around race and beauty, challenges in the entertainment industry, and empower listeners—especially women—to reclaim their stories.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Power and Process of Radical Openness

• Kayla's Motivation for Vulnerability:
  • Living in sobriety (11 years), Kayla learned the therapeutic value of sharing her truths:
    • “I believe in taking your secrets and just saying them because it takes the power away.” (02:12, Kayla)
• Kat’s Podcast as Healing:
  • Both hosts agree openness inspires healing in themselves and their audience.

2. The Title & Meaning Behind "Fetished"

• Origin of the Book’s Name:
  • Originally titled “Yellow Fever Hustler,” it shifted after confusion with the term “Yellow Fever.”
  • “My editor...came up with the title Fetished. I love it. Just that one word, it's not a common word, so it really catches your attention.” (03:05, Kayla)
• Breaking Down "Yellow Fever":
  • Explained as a term for a specific fetish where non-Asian men objectify Asian women as submissive and hypersexual:
    • “Do you treat women as lower than you?” (03:30, Kayla)
    • Clarifies difference between preference and fetishization.

3. Personal Stories: Stereotypes, Fetishization, and Cultural Narratives

• Kat Connects as a Latina:
  • Draws parallels between stereotypes faced by Latin American women, especially Brazilians, and Asian women. (06:11, Kat)
• Impact of Historical Colonialism:
  • Kayla discusses the roots of Asian women’s fetishization stemming from military and colonial encounters. (05:20, Kayla)
• Modern Examples of Fetishization:
  • Kat recounts witnessing a viral BDSM-themed photo shoot with an Asian model, illustrating ongoing objectification and online culture's role.

4. Trauma in the Entertainment Industry

• Kayla’s Experience with Predatory Photographer

  • At 19, Kayla responded to what she thought was a legitimate modeling ad, only to be assaulted and filmed without real consent (11:13).
  • She details the complexity of such assaults:
    • “Not all men can understand. They're like, ‘Well, you didn't scream and say no, right?’” (10:19, Kayla)
  • Only realized years later how traumatizing and violating the experience was, especially after the video was published and seen by friends.

• Societal Judgment:

  • The lasting judgement is always on the woman, recounting examples like Pamela Anderson and Kim Kardashian:
    • “Somehow I always feel that in the situations, it's always on the woman.” (15:23, Kat)

5. Cultural Beauty Standards and Body Image

• Double Eyelid Surgery:
  • Kayla's choice, roots of the surgery, and conflicting feelings about changing an ethnic trait to fit Western “attractive” standards (18:05):
    • “I don't regret this surgery...But if I lived in a different society...we wouldn’t all feel the need to cut ourselves up to look better.” (19:52, Kayla)
• Labiaplasty & Body Dysmorphia:
  • Following her trauma, Kayla underwent labiaplasty, rooted in shame and body image issues, debunking harmful and absurd myths about Asian women's bodies (28:31).
    • “I guess for me, I associated just my female sexual parts, like attracting all this, like negative attention from men...so I felt like I needed to fix it.” (30:30, Kayla)
  • On reflection: “I don’t think I needed it...there was no real reason for it.” (31:08, Kayla)

6. Navigating Dating & Fetishization

• Screening Potential Partners:
  • Kayla shares that many Asian women have to ask about dating history to discern if someone has a fetish:
    • “If I’m dating a non-Asian guy, I have to ask, what was your ex-girlfriend?” (31:44, Kayla)
  • Discusses the importance of feeling valued as an individual rather than fitting a type.

7. Representation in Media

• Entertainment Industry Stereotypes:
  • Kayla and Kat discuss the scarcity and typecasting of Asian women in Hollywood.
  • Kayla’s excitement at landing a small (“day player”) but non-stereotypical role in Fast and Furious: Tokyo Drift:
    • “Every other time I was getting offered prostitute or massage parlor girl...at least I’m not a prostitute.” (35:54, Kayla)
  • Optimism for growing representation: K-pop, Netflix’s “Squid Game,” and Michelle Yeoh’s Oscar win (36:01).

8. Healing from Trauma & Addiction

• Kayla’s Path to Recovery:
  • Extensive drug use as a coping mechanism—ecstasy, K, pills, cocaine—following her assault (17:11).
  • Sobriety and therapy were crucial for self-acceptance and healing:
    • “The first step was getting sober, and after I got sober...then getting therapy and reading books and kind of just learning to...change [the] critical voice in my head.” (39:16, Kayla)

9. Advice for Young Women & Survivors

• Staying Safe in the Industry:
  • Kayla’s practical advice:
    • “Bring a friend with you on those early auditions that you’re not sure about. That would have saved everything for me.” (41:33, Kayla)
• Owning Your Story:
  • On leaked intimate content:
    • “Just own it and tell your truth...it just makes you a stronger person.” (44:05, Kayla)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “Taking your secrets and just saying them...takes the power away.” – Kayla (02:12)
• “You deserve better.” – Kat, responding to Kayla’s ex-boyfriend’s lack of support after learning about her assault (28:23)
• “If you’re truly going for a personality, the women are gonna look incredibly different...because you’re looking for what’s on the inside.” – Kayla (34:19)
• “I think happy people—happy women—don’t go out there hurting women.” – Kat (25:04)
• “We have to keep pushing for more representation and not just roles that stereotype.” – Kat (38:16)
• “You just have to believe in yourself and be kind to yourself.” – Kayla (45:09)

Important Timestamps

• 02:51 – Origin and meaning of the book title, “Fetished”
• 05:20 – Colonial history’s role in fetishization of Asian women
• 10:44 – Kayla describes her traumatic assault during a modeling shoot
• 17:11 – Discussion of drug use as coping mechanism for trauma
• 18:05 – Decision to undergo double eyelid surgery and societal pressures
• 28:31 – Labiaplasty and harmful myths about Asian women’s bodies
• 31:44 – Navigating dating as an Asian woman; identifying fetishization
• 35:34 – Representation (and lack thereof) in Hollywood
• 39:16 – Kayla’s healing process: sobriety, therapy, and self-acceptance
• 41:33 – Kayla’s safety advice for aspiring models and actors
• 44:05 – On reclaiming leaked intimate content by owning your story

Tone and Language

• Conversation is candid, supportive, and empowering—even when discussing traumatic and sensitive topics.
• Kat is direct but empathetic; Kayla is vulnerable, self-aware, and fiercely honest.

Conclusion

This episode is a must-listen for anyone seeking insight on race, gender, and resilience in the face of adversity. Kayla Yu’s story is a reminder of the power of vulnerability, the necessity of representation, and the importance of supporting women in—and outside—the public eye. The episode closes with a call to keep challenging stereotypes, believe in yourself, and support independent bookstores by picking up Fetished.

[End of Summary]