In this op-ed, David Yi, Founder and Editor of Very Good Light, explains why pop culture has a problem perpetuating a stereotypical image of Asian culture, and why the latest example to surface is so much more than a viral video trend.

Growing up, I couldn’t find many Asian American pop culture figures to look up to. As a child, I’ll never forget constantly being asked if I was Chinese or Japanese (I’m neither), as if Asia — a vast, diverse continent — had only two groups of people. Then, there were more obvious instances of racism that came in the form of children slanting their eyes and bowing in my direction. Years later, I continue to see the same, problematic situations occur.

You may have come across a recent social media challenge inspired by Nicki Minaj’s newest single, “Chun-Li,” which is named after a popular female character from the video game Street Fighter II. While the song’s lyrics suggest an empowering message, encouraging men and women to celebrate their own superheroes like Chun-Li, (Lara Croft and Storm from X-Men are also name-checked) it sadly has created an environment for Asians to be stereotyped.

On the surface, the social media challenge is innocent enough: Users simply film themselves lip-synching verses from Nicki's new song, usually with some dancing involved. Videos range from selfie-style clips filmed in cars and bedrooms to videos involving slick choreography. However, some users have taken it as an opportunity to stereotype Asian culture, by way of styling hair in double buns to subtly mimic Chun-Li. While the character wears a similar hairstyle in the game, double buns have long been one of the most commonly appropriated ways to style hair in an “Asian” way, as popularized by many anime characters such as Kagura from Gintama, as well as Miaka Yuuki from Fushigi Yuugi. (In addition to anime hair imitations, “ox horn buns,” a similar style worn by Chinese children on traditional holidays, have also been the subject of appropriated dress.) The bottom line? People should know better by now.

One instance of the now-trending #ChunLiChallenge features emerging rapper Asian Doll (who doesn't appear to be of Asian descent) dancing with chopsticks in her hair — a problematic beauty motif that's she's worn several times before. In a seemingly tone-deaf act, Nicki regrammed the video to her own account on Sunday.

At the heart of the issue is the subject of cultural appropriation, which seems to happen regularly enough regarding various Asian cultures. Just last month, Bella Hadid seemed to casually appropriate Japanese culture with an alter ego named Rebekka Harajuku. During Coachella, people wore vaguely Asian-inspired parasols and kimonos readily and in the open. The way people are interpreting the #ChunLiChallenge with signifiers like double buns and chopsticks as hair accessories is yet another instance of people co-opting another culture with impunity. Chopsticks, as it goes without saying, are not hair accessories; they are utensils with which we eat food. What’s more, is that proper chopstick etiquette when putting them aside also involves never crossing them in an “X” shape, or standing them up vertically into rice. (In Japanese culture, the latter is considered extremely offensive and disrespectful to the dead.) Other signifiers pertaining to Japanese hair culture that are often appropriated also include Kanzashi, the ornamental flower hairpins and accessories worn in special occasions and ceremonies — and no, Coachella is not one of them.