Exotic, submissive, chic, obedient, mysterious, domestic, petite, oriental, raunchy, Asian, women.

Peggy Lee’s “I’m a Woman” chorus plays on repeat as the words light up the pitch-black Forum 1, slide after slide. The lights flicker on and four Asian women stand in front of black stools. The four begin to describe a scene in which a man approaches them in a crowded room, in a smoky place, in a bar with no light.

A slide, representing the man, reads “I love your eyes.”

“What is there to love about my eyes?” the women respond. “That they are slanted, making me a geisha who will walk on his back, who’ll have dinner on the table and dessert between my legs, who will give him the best blowjob of his life.”

Like magic, Peggy Lee’s voice blares through the speakers “Cause I’m a woman.”

This was just the start of the short play R.A.W. (‘Cause I’m a Woman) sponsored by the Department of Performing Arts April 13.

Three USI faculty members (Stephanie Young, Alice Shen and Pei Cheng Wei) along with student Joyah Brooks portrayed the strong-willed women in the 20-minute play by Diana Son.

The play focused on four different Asian women who share their experiences of being stereotyped as exotic women and respond to their comparison to geishas. The struggles each of the women face are unique and touch down on different stereotypes Asian women face in America.

Dennis Black, director, proposed doing the play here at USI two and a half months ago and was greeted with a small budget. He wanted to do something to start a dialogue on campus about differences in people.

“At the beginning of the school year there was a lot of controversy going on about the mosque at ground zero,” Black said. “There was all this hatred towards Muslims and a USI professor was harassed at Target. Then, this semester, the Day of Silence and all these other events were happening to recognize tolerance and it was the perfect time to do such a play.”

The stories in the play range from being made to brush their teeth so the all American boys won’t taste their native dish kim-chee, to ending a relationship over disagreements over speaking in a foreign language.

Stephanie Young, assistant professor of communication studies, portrayed one of the women in the play, then led a talk-back discussion immediately following the performance that allowed audience members to share their reactions to the play. Young said that she was approached by Black to participate in the play.

“I read the script in bed one night multiple times,” Young said. “The experiences in the play resonated with me as a biracial, bisexual woman, and I knew I wanted to do it.”

Young and Niharikia Banerjea, assistant professor of sociology, led the panel discussion after the play that not only encouraged the audience to share, but dealt with issues of identity and offered their opinions on the subject.

Monique Darden, a social work major, attended both showings and had no problem sharing her reaction.

“It really got me thinking about what I really do think about race and sexuality,” Darden said. “I had a breakthrough in my life. It doesn’t matter if we are black, white or Asian; people are just like me with emotions and feelings. That’s what is most important.”