Eileen Gu and Alyssa Liu are being co-opted by an extremist mixed-race eugenics movement. What does this phenomenon reveal about our geopolitical moment?
I think this roots back to techno-orientalism/fetishizing (east) Asia as being more cultured/disciplined/futuristic/advanced/cleaner than other places, especially given how the West's fears of being technologically, economically, and politically overtaken by (probably just east) Asia are becoming more realised by the day. So this new wave of eugenics you describe seems to be an attempt to domesticate the exotified (east) asian-ness -- the 'model minority', into a sort of 'honourary' whiteness, if that makes sense.
This article is INSANEEEEE. I dooo think it's also interesting to note that when people talk about East vs West or being Wasian they mostly mean being EAST Asian, and not much to do with the other parts. This is something you see reflected in most conversations surrounding "Asia".
If you look at JD Vance’ Hillbilly Elegy or “Shameless” originally set in the northern rust belt of England then translated to Cleveland for Showtime, you can juxtapose its pathology against the meme that Asians are smarter/ work harder/ delayed gratification. So the dominant western culture wants to meld with the East Asian culture that personifies the idyllic Protestant work ethic. Beautiful, smart, vaguely exotic.
Incredible dive; had no idea about the eugenics undercurrent which is so dark. I’ve been feeling something like discomfort when it comes to the level of adulation being shown to these hot new public figures (see also: Hudson Williams, Lola Tung) on account of their mixed bg. On the one hand, it is zero fault of their own; all of them embrace that aspect of their identity. On the other, this “Princess of Wasia” thing seems to have gone from in-community joke to fetishization from folks outside the community.
This cultural reinforcement, whether ill intentioned or not, of Wasian >>> Asian feels like another vector for yt supremacy in a moment where progressivism has stalled, and frankly a regression back to the social norms of 20-30 years ago.
Part of me is resigned to only seeing representation in the form of Wasian faces in Western public life for the next 5-10 years.
Not sure if you've seen this, but Laufey (yet another Wasian) just released a music video featuring Hudson Williams, Lola Tung and Alysa Liu (+ Megan Skiendiel of Katseye, another Wasian). (https://youtu.be/yNa8jP4zoJo?si=eOSeDwrkt2K-ZErz) Had to come back to this article after watching it.
I don't know how I'm feeling about the Wasian all-star army in the music video. Especially with the intersperses of Chinese material culture (steamer baskets, Laufey's cheongsam/qipao and mahjong that's not even being played correctly...) lingering in the background of the video. If this is the kind of representation that Wasians are going to be demonstrating, is it really any kind of development for ESEA representation at all? Kind of just feels like they're just throwing in cultural callbacks to their genetic heritage to emphasise the Asian in their Wasian-ity.
Great note. Tangentially related to the idea of "Wasian >>> Asian" but I feel like our standards for Wasians have stalled????? Like 2010 Wasians totally mogg Hudson Williams and Lola Tung lol
Extremist is right... 46F Wasian here. Just got back home to the US after two weeks in Hong Kong for CNY with family. In some ways, I think (female) Wasians have always had to deal with aspects of fetishization, but this article feels so dark and more than a little dystopian. Well-written and insightful, just super creepy.
There’s so many ethical issues with talking about young women this way, especially based on gossip. They are human beings—not lab experiments existing for your entertainment, regardless of their parentage. Mixed people deserve respect.
Interesting article! FYI, orchid is not a gene-editing startup. They do embryo selection. Gene editing human embryos has only been done once, by He Juiankui, in China.
I am a wasian woman (half chinese too, like the two women in the article) and really this article made me feel really sick. I know that it's important to track cultural trends and important to think about the implications of them so I'm not trying to discredit this article, but I feel really weird about it. I grew up in the American south and have experienced quite a bit of the typical micro-aggressions common to biracial / mixed people. I remember when it was neither good nor bad to be wasian, just a mild curiosity, if that.
Now something I did not choose to be born as is being politicized / dissected like this. Again I am not inherently critical against the discussion of it itself, maybe the overall tone... , but man... People are psychotic about wasians, particularly the east asian flavor, but often forget about the individuals behind it. I am a human being, I am not a lab experiment, I am alive and I did not choose to have two parents of different races and cultures, and so are eileen and alyssa
This is nothing new and nothing more than one sees all the time in California for a couple of generations. The only difference is the rare convergence of two high-profile athletes.
I think this roots back to techno-orientalism/fetishizing (east) Asia as being more cultured/disciplined/futuristic/advanced/cleaner than other places, especially given how the West's fears of being technologically, economically, and politically overtaken by (probably just east) Asia are becoming more realised by the day. So this new wave of eugenics you describe seems to be an attempt to domesticate the exotified (east) asian-ness -- the 'model minority', into a sort of 'honourary' whiteness, if that makes sense.
Yes!! This!
Wasian eugenics ie. Asians pilfering white gamete banks is an Asian phenomenon
Nonsense. Both Gu and Liu Asian parents that have their kids IVF with white donors.
This article is INSANEEEEE. I dooo think it's also interesting to note that when people talk about East vs West or being Wasian they mostly mean being EAST Asian, and not much to do with the other parts. This is something you see reflected in most conversations surrounding "Asia".
As a Filipino I totally get you
If you look at JD Vance’ Hillbilly Elegy or “Shameless” originally set in the northern rust belt of England then translated to Cleveland for Showtime, you can juxtapose its pathology against the meme that Asians are smarter/ work harder/ delayed gratification. So the dominant western culture wants to meld with the East Asian culture that personifies the idyllic Protestant work ethic. Beautiful, smart, vaguely exotic.
Incredible dive; had no idea about the eugenics undercurrent which is so dark. I’ve been feeling something like discomfort when it comes to the level of adulation being shown to these hot new public figures (see also: Hudson Williams, Lola Tung) on account of their mixed bg. On the one hand, it is zero fault of their own; all of them embrace that aspect of their identity. On the other, this “Princess of Wasia” thing seems to have gone from in-community joke to fetishization from folks outside the community.
This cultural reinforcement, whether ill intentioned or not, of Wasian >>> Asian feels like another vector for yt supremacy in a moment where progressivism has stalled, and frankly a regression back to the social norms of 20-30 years ago.
Part of me is resigned to only seeing representation in the form of Wasian faces in Western public life for the next 5-10 years.
Not sure if you've seen this, but Laufey (yet another Wasian) just released a music video featuring Hudson Williams, Lola Tung and Alysa Liu (+ Megan Skiendiel of Katseye, another Wasian). (https://youtu.be/yNa8jP4zoJo?si=eOSeDwrkt2K-ZErz) Had to come back to this article after watching it.
I don't know how I'm feeling about the Wasian all-star army in the music video. Especially with the intersperses of Chinese material culture (steamer baskets, Laufey's cheongsam/qipao and mahjong that's not even being played correctly...) lingering in the background of the video. If this is the kind of representation that Wasians are going to be demonstrating, is it really any kind of development for ESEA representation at all? Kind of just feels like they're just throwing in cultural callbacks to their genetic heritage to emphasise the Asian in their Wasian-ity.
Great note. Tangentially related to the idea of "Wasian >>> Asian" but I feel like our standards for Wasians have stalled????? Like 2010 Wasians totally mogg Hudson Williams and Lola Tung lol
Extremist is right... 46F Wasian here. Just got back home to the US after two weeks in Hong Kong for CNY with family. In some ways, I think (female) Wasians have always had to deal with aspects of fetishization, but this article feels so dark and more than a little dystopian. Well-written and insightful, just super creepy.
There’s so many ethical issues with talking about young women this way, especially based on gossip. They are human beings—not lab experiments existing for your entertainment, regardless of their parentage. Mixed people deserve respect.
broke: White people are the master race
woke: Wasians are the master race
bespoke: Asian Latinos are the master race (specifically, the cosmic race)
As a Filipino (basically Latino Asian) i can definitely get behind the 3rd statement
👊🇵🇭🔥
Asian Aryanism
Literally
Interesting article! FYI, orchid is not a gene-editing startup. They do embryo selection. Gene editing human embryos has only been done once, by He Juiankui, in China.
Thanks for calling me out on that! Let me change that part
I am a wasian woman (half chinese too, like the two women in the article) and really this article made me feel really sick. I know that it's important to track cultural trends and important to think about the implications of them so I'm not trying to discredit this article, but I feel really weird about it. I grew up in the American south and have experienced quite a bit of the typical micro-aggressions common to biracial / mixed people. I remember when it was neither good nor bad to be wasian, just a mild curiosity, if that.
Now something I did not choose to be born as is being politicized / dissected like this. Again I am not inherently critical against the discussion of it itself, maybe the overall tone... , but man... People are psychotic about wasians, particularly the east asian flavor, but often forget about the individuals behind it. I am a human being, I am not a lab experiment, I am alive and I did not choose to have two parents of different races and cultures, and so are eileen and alyssa
It's endgame white fever among East Asians. Both of their Chinese parents specifically wanted white mixed children.
Signed, a blasian
nice
Glad you liked it Aidan!
Outstanding read
Love u bro
They're literally just rich girls, holy fuck.
Immediately thought of this paragraph on certain Chinese billionaires using IVF to build armies of children (though not Anglo Saxon mix):
“Another, earlier Weibo account verified as being operated by Xu wrote in 2023 that he hoped to have “50 high-quality sons”…
Xu Bo had several children (all of mixed Chinese and Jewish descent)”
https://www.wsj.com/us-news/chinese-billionaires-surrogacy-pregnancy-7fdfc0c3?st=Ebvec3&reflink=article_copyURL_share
It is interesting the US is defined as white and China as Asia.
This is nothing new and nothing more than one sees all the time in California for a couple of generations. The only difference is the rare convergence of two high-profile athletes.