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- Going Through an “Asian” Time in Your Life? We Have Thoughts...
Going Through an “Asian” Time in Your Life? We Have Thoughts...
Dear Hyphenly Readers,
So far, 2026 has thrown a lot at us. We just celebrated the Year of the Horse, Holi and Ramzan, while witnessing major political upheavals, rising living costs, and growing job insecurity. It’s no wonder that the internet has become our “third” place— somewhere outside of home and work where we can just exist without worries.
Through this, the internet is going through a very… “Asian” time in its life. And what started off as a handful of fun social media trends has quickly become the TikTokification of cultural identities.
Just a few months ago, my feed was flooded with scenes from Mongolia after the massive popularity of the Korean reality series Physical: Asia.
Then, there was a whole discourse on “Indian baddies” that came up when Tyla performed in Mumbai.
Similarly, when the “cool Indian girl” became popular, people were shocked to see aesthetic parts of India, wanting to recreate the natural ‘coolness’ of the original creator:
When your culture is at the forefront of the internet, it is natural to feel pride. It feels good to be seen. Yet most times, this experience is soured. Sometimes it’s traditional clothing or jewelry being re-marketed and sold without acknowledgement of the culture. Other times, it’s the rise of inappropriate and harmful beauty techniques (think: fox eyes?).
Not long ago, bubble tea was the drink everyone was obsessed with. This Taiwanese milk tea became not just a trend, but a symbol of pride. Drinking boba meant you were in the know. And then, a business went viral on Canada’s Dragon’s Den for pitching a boba tea that was “no longer ethnic.”
So, the question is: are we losing the plot? When things become trendy, we use them as a status symbol, but can we derive status from symbols we don’t understand? More importantly, what harm are we doing when we reduce traditional aesthetic to “trends?”
Gorillaz just released their latest album The Mountain. This album is a big collaborative project that was heavily influenced by the musicians’ travel to India that intentionally centers Indian artists such as Anoushka Shankar and Asha Bhosle. At a time when racism against South Asians has been skyrocketing, this album feels fresh, renewing our strength in cultural appreciation.
“Largely recorded on Damon Albarn and Jamie Hewlett’s travels of India—with a cast of the country’s musicians—the album unites the voices of the living and dead, with posthumous recordings from the Gorillaz archive of some of their late collaborators.”
Similarly, a Black Eyed Peas song has been making the rounds of the internet with another viral makeup trend.
In the “Bebot” trend, Filipina beauty is celebrated as the Black Eyed Peas song rapped entirely in Tagalog by Apl.De.Ap plays in the background. On Her Campus, Julianna Marie writes:
I’ve always been proud to be Filipino, and seeing the world finally hype up our beauty is a win, as far as I’m concerned. I just hope that when the next trend comes along, the people who wore our features as a filter remember that for us, being Asian isn’t a trend. I’m a bebot because of the features I inherited from my mother and my grandparents and Filipino roots — and I still will be long after the algorithm moves on to another facet of Asian culture.
Here’s a creator explaining the significance of the lyrics:
What Julianna Marie writes can be used to critique the other popular trend of going through a “Chinese time in your life” trend as well:
This is usually a fun and harmless trend with people eating hotpot, drinking hot water, and following the workouts of old Chinese uncles and aunties. But many do not reflect beyond the surface: what do the lyrics of the viral song mean? Why do so many Americans want to enter the “Chinese” era of their lives? Critics have explained that this trend is popular because China is a much more communal society. The act of sharing a cigarette at 1 AM with strangers is appealing to Americans who live a much more individualistic, work-oriented culture. But at a time when immigration is in chaos in the US, and anti-immigrant hate is on the rise, being Chinese is not as convenient as getting Chinese takeout.
There is a lot to be said about cultural appropriation vs. cultural appreciation (and honestly, that conversation deserves more than a paragraph). But here’s what we keep coming back to: a trend has an expiration date. A culture does not.
Communities whose cultures are being cycled through the content machine deserve more than a moment of virality followed by silence. So, we’re choosing to highlight creators who have taken these viral trends and used them to showcase the vast aspects of their cultural identity.
We hope you’ll follow them not just when they’re trending, but long after the algorithm has moved on.
Until next time,
Team Hyphenly
This newsletter was curated by Suhasini Patni.
Hyphenly curates the latest news, art, and businesses from immigrants around the world. Have a tip or story we should feature? We’d love to hear from you.
Visit us at www.immigrantlypod.com
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