‘Stop dreaming’: Student shares emotional video of her Asian parents disapproving of her art major

April 11, 2022

A Vietnamese TikTok user shared a video on Saturday of an emotional conversation she had with her parents, during which they voiced their disapproval of her choice to major in the arts.

The young woman, Kaitlynn Bui, is seen in the video teary-eyed while eating dinner with her parents. Her mother questions how she will support herself after graduating with an arts degree, saying it is “very hard to survive.”

Bui, whose username on the social platform is @kaitlynnbui, then jokes that she will “find a rich husband,” to which her mother responds that she is too short and small and has “nothing in comparison to others.” Bui’s father goes on to say that she needs to “stop dreaming” and “live with the reality.”

Many users in the comments expressed their support for Bui while encouraging her to pursue her dreams despite her parents’ criticism. Chef Jon Kung stepped up to offer encouraging advice, sharing, “Hello. Theatre degree here and I use that way more than my law degree. Stay strong. It will be okay.”

Many others also related to Bui, sharing their own experiences of having their life choices strongly objected to by their parents. One user commented that they are “dealing with the same culture and the same pain,” while another wished that “Asian parents were more supportive.”

Since it was uploaded two days ago, Bui’s video has amassed 7 million views and 1.3 million likes.

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