If we flick through the trend archives of the internet, history repeats itself yet again. 

“It’s my first time being Chinese.” “I’m in my Asian era.” “Woo woo things I’m doing this Chinese New Year.” Are circulating online, but it's not the first time something like this happened; think Scandinavian scarves, braids... the list goes on.

For the most part it might seem harmless on the surface, for many of us it lands… a little strangely.

Less than six years ago, being Asian wasn’t an aesthetic. Side comments about your lunch smelling, jokes about what you ate, associations with being dirty, strange and associated to a viral outbreak.

Growing up in New Zealand as a minority, those moments were normalised. Most of the time they probably didn’t come from malice; but intent doesn’t erase impact.

For many of us, it meant learning to shrink parts of ourselves. Trying to blend in, act a certain way, be less aware of our differences. It’s something you often only realise later - when you start unlearning that instinct to make your culture smaller.

Now suddenly, being Asian is trending. Mystical. Spiritual. Sophisticated. Cool (we always been cool though).

The shift is jarring, and the situation stirs up memories long buried. The same cultural markers that once made people feel “different” are now aesthetic and aspirational?

At the same time, curiosity about other cultures isn’t a bad thing. In many ways, it’s progress. I love seeing cultures being celebrated, people being curious, accepting Asians for who they are, because at the end of the day we are all human. But what happens when the trend moves on?

Culture isn’t something you try on for a week. It isn’t an era, a costume, or a personality trait. It’s ancestry, history and family.

When you've moved onto the next trend of the week, we are still Asian, just like we always have and always will be.

Engaging with other cultures can be meaningful - when it comes from curiousity, learning, and respect. But when it’s framed as something to step into temporarily for views, the line between appreciation and appropriation starts to blur.