From ‘mail-order brides’ to ‘passport bros,’ the international dating industry often sells traditional gender roles

By: Julia Meszaros, Texas A&M University-Commerce, The Conversation

Outlets: The Conversation

Published: November 21, 2025

Words: 1,254

Last Updated: 3 days, 18 hours ago

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By Julia Meszaros, Texas A&M University-Commerce

Fifteen years ago, when I started studying the international dating industry, few people took the subject seriously. The term “mail-order bride” was treated as a punch line – something outdated, associated with lonely men and poor women who migrated from Eastern Europe, Asia or other places to meet their new husbands in the United States.

But I’ve seen firsthand how ideas about gender, intimacy and global mobility …

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