Is the Popularity of ‘Wasian’ Casting True Progress? | The Social

Added: 2026-05-09

[00:00:00]All right, so let's dive into this next juicy conversation. You might have seen the term Wasian lately and it's used to describe people of white and Asian descent. Like heated rivalry star Hudson Williams AND THE RIGHT. I KNOW. WOO. And the cast of Lav Lav Lav Lav Lav Lav A's new music video.

[00:00:20]A writer for the Toronto Star says Wasians are the coolest kids of the moment, but it's both exciting and a little unnerving when your cultural background is trending. So the question is, is this increased representation true progress? What do you guys make of this? You're on the fence, right? Oh, interesting.

[00:00:40]>> I didn't need anyone to tell me that I WAS VERY COOL.

[00:00:43]>> [laughter] [applause] >> SHE'S BEEN WASIAN AND TRENDING FOR 48 YEARS, BABY. [laughter] LISTEN, I I I don't take offense to the term. It's not a term that I've heard mainstream almost at all. We just call ourselves mixed kids. Yeah. Why I don't think this is offensive is at least for now. I mean, things could change. Right now, I don't think it's offensive because when I saw that video, I have to tell you something. I actually got really emotional watching it and you're just like, why? It's just a hot Hudson Williams. And yes, I was crying cuz he's very hot. Every single person in this video is a mixed Asian kid like me and I got to tell you something. Growing up where you never felt like you belonged.

[00:01:19]I wasn't European enough. I wasn't white enough. I wasn't Asian enough. There was just no representation. When we talk about representation, the idea of seeing yourself also makes you feel like, do I belong here or do I not? This video was would have been impossible when I was a kid.

[00:01:34]>> Yeah. And this is exactly what probably six-year-old Melissa needed was this video to say, you're going to be all right, kid, because you never had a plan.

[00:01:42]>> [cheering] >> I'M NOT offended by this term. No, I totally get that. I guess you know what came to my mind when I heard this story was when early on before he totally blew up, Simu Liu was on on this show and I remember him and Laney were talking actually about the way he on Instagram was very purposely sort of showing himself shirtless and he wanted to become >> symbol. Yeah, he wanted to be more of a teen sex symbol because he said traditionally Asian men often in Hollywood have not been seen as the leading romantic lead or as the sex symbol and it was really important. So I guess this trend of Wasion why again and obviously I'm married to someone who's Wasion.

[00:02:17]So I'm obviously attracted to that look or right? I'm [laughter] trending with that. My son is trending. Everybody trendsetter. But I think that there's I wonder what a person who is full Asian would feel about this because what makes it different is there's the whiteness is added in and that's what's trending and it almost jumped the queue for people who are full Asian to really be trending for. Does that make any sense? It makes a heck of a lot of sense. I do think it's progress but I think there's a big difference between being represented and being reduced to a representation. Does that make sense? I read a great piece in the Atlantic recently about this very thing in novels. The idea of identity being front and center in basically on every novel that's being written in the last five years and this line struck with me. The best representation isn't when identity disappears and it isn't when identity becomes the whole story.

[00:03:07]It's when a character's identity is allowed to exist alongside all that messy stuff like desire, jealousy, ambition, boredom, all that human stuff.

[00:03:15]And that's why Shane Hollander in Heated Rivalry really really resonated with me because he wasn't written as a as a lesson or a symbol. He got to be this fully formed character who just happened to be half Asian. Do you know what I mean? The half Asian part wasn't part of the plot line. He was just allowed to exist.

[00:03:34]>> Yeah, I get what you're saying. Totally.

[00:03:36]100%.

[00:03:37]>> It's just it's a Listen, I I know it's trending and it's a light conversation but as a black woman I just feel like this conversation makes me kind of strikes a chord. I've never heard of the term Wasion but to your point this idea that all of a sudden it is trending and it's popular and it's great if you are half Asian and mixed with white. And you know, the colonialism has done a number on a lot of us to think that when you're mixed, you're better looking version of like when you're half black, you're cuter cuz your hair is curlier, your eyes are green. So, I'm wondering like there's a part of me that feels like, "Okay, I'm It's the representation is great." But there's a part of me that's like, "As a trend, so what are we doing?

[00:04:11]What are we seeing in the dating world?

[00:04:13]Hey, I'm an Asian woman. I'm looking for a white man." Cuz it's trendy. Like I just feel like there's a part of me that's like, "Uh Listen, I love that Hudson Williams out there. I love that you see the representation." But there's a part of me that just feels like we should just keep an eye on this and make sure that it's not a trend. Yeah. And that those people are being seen for real people and it's just, you know, >> Yeah. Yeah. I agree with you. Agree.