TikTok sketch depicts difference between Asian American and Asian reactions to cultural appropriation

November 11, 2022

A TikTok video depicting the difference in reactions between Asian Americans and Asians in relation to cultural appropriation has gone viral.

Read Choi, who has over 4.5 million followers on TikTok, uploaded a video on Thursday pointing out how Asian Americans react differently to foreigners wearing traditional Korean clothing as compared to Asians.

In the video, Choi pretends to be a foreigner wearing a hanbok.

Responding as an Asian American, Choi says, “Are you wearing a Hanbok? That’s cultural appropriation. Stop colonizing my culture. That’s offensive.”

In contrast to the seemingly angered response, Choi then goes on to depict how a person who grew up in Asia might react.

“Wow, it looks so good. You look so handsome. You did well. Very cool!” Choi says in Korean.

“Maybe… they appreciate the culture, and we don’t have to blame them for not knowing all our history?” Choi wrote in the post’s description.

The video has since garnered nearly a million views and more than 170,000 likes, with viewers agreeing with the reality of Choi’s sketch.

“This! I own a Japanese Kimono that was gifted to me, but I’m white and can’t even wear it,” one user explained. “It is beautiful and I felt stunning, but the backlash is starting to make me resent the gift and make me sad. It sits in my closet collecting dust because I have no heart to throw it out, but refuse to wear it.”

“When I was [in] Seoul, I woke a Hanbok and all the grannies said I was really pretty,” another viewer said.

“Facts. It’s the same with Africans and African Americans. I think our experiences are different,” one person commented.

“Trans-racial” influencer Oli London commented on the post with two laughing emojis, prompting one user to respond, “Oli u are the problem here.”

Featured Image via readchoi

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