Model and college junior Abe Kim has risen to viral fame after posting a TikTok video addressing the fetishization he faces in his dating life.

The clip, which has received over 607,000 likes to date, sparked thousands of comments from viewers who experienced similar racism and from critics.

Kim says the video, while made "in good fun," was an attempt to open up a conversation that he'd tried to have with his friends in the past, with no success.

While the college student plans to address issues of race in the future, he wants to resist the pressure to become a spokesperson; he'd rather post whatever content feels most meaningful.

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Abe Kim downloaded TikTok one month ago, but his content has already racked up over 2 million likes and his account has accrued nearly 115,000 followers. The model and college junior recently achieved viral fame for a video he posted addressing an issue he faces in his dating life in California.

"When ur asian and hooking up with a white person at their house and u realize that they might be fetishizing you." Kim captioned the clip, which has received over 607,000 likes.

@boopyape when ur asian and hooking up with a white person at their house and u realize that they might be fetishizing you #foryou #fyp ♬ original sound - boopyape

In the tongue-in-cheek video, the college student lies on a bed, spotting Totoro-themed objects around an unfamiliar room ("My Neighbor Totoro" is a Japanese animated fantasy movie with an enthusiastic and dedicated fandom).

The TikTok video immediately received thousands of comments — from people who could relate to the experience of fetishization, defined as making someone the subject of a sexual obsession, to those defending their love of "Totoro."

"When u see K-pop all over their room that's when u gotta run," one commenter wrote.

"It's when they have BTS posters everywhere that you really gotta get concerned," another said.

"Or maybe they have a harmless interest. Let people live," one critic commented.

"I don't see why people can't love different things without them being connected like this," another wrote, sparking a longer discussion among outraged viewers.

"Because this concept is actually a real thing that Asians have to think about...???" one commenter replied.

Kim told Insider that reading the comments on the video sparked had been an "interesting experience," and despite some of the critical comments, he stands by the point he was making in the video.

"I was telling my side of the story and how this is a real thing," he told Insider. "When I do go on a date or on a casual hookup or something like that, one of my first thoughts is 'wait does this person have the right intentions?' It's kind of instinctive, it's not even conscious, it happens right away."

Life’s a beach and I’m just playing in the sand...🤗😍💋❤️ Join me on my quest for true love on e-harmony. Link in bio A post shared by abe (@abeyoon) on Mar 18, 2018 at 11:55am PDT Mar 18, 2018 at 11:55am PDT

Kim says that he'd tried to have conversations with his friends about his experiences with racism in dating — from feeling objectified to being outright rejected because of his race. When he brought up his frustrations, his white and white-passing friends would often minimize his concerns.

"It was just really awkward for them," he said. "They would respond with 'oh, I'm sorry,' and shift the conversation."

While he describes the TikTok video as "all in good fun," Kim says he posted the clip with the intention of advancing the conversation in a more effective way. "With that kind of conversation, it doesn't get anywhere," he explained. "I just felt like I needed to change something and I needed to do something about it."

The viral video isn't the first TikTok Kim has harnessed the power of TikTok — and humor — to call out racism. In a video uploaded several weeks earlier, he parodied his conversations with white people who asked him "what kind of Asian" he is.

"It seems almost objectifying," he told Insider of his experiences that inspired the video. "They do this guessing game, 'Oh are you Korean, Japanese, whatever.' I thought that with TikTok, it just makes the conversation a little more palatable because we're using humor."

Moving forward, Kim hopes he can upload content that appeals to him, without having to become a designated spokesperson.

"I've always been known as the person who speaks up about race and gender politics, and I will continue to post about it, but I wanna post what I wanna post, even if that means posting goofy stuff, " he explained. "I don't want my platform to always be talking about being Asian and the crosses we bear."

Kim hopes to emphasize all the different components of his life, from his career as an actor and model to his time as a college student studying business.

"Sometimes TikTokers will put themselves in a box. I don't wanna do that," he said. "In order to have a wider audience I have to touch and open hearts in different ways."

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