Asian American Stories

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Beauty

Maybelline Is Making History With Its All-Asian Beauty Campaign

Karina Hoshikawa

May 5, 2025

Entertainment

Katie Leung Is Fully In Her Post-Harry Potter Era

Melissah Yang

Nov 18, 2024

Asian American

It’s Time To Own Our Beauty: Meet Michelle Lee, Not Your Token Asian...

Michelle Lee

May 20, 2024

Asian American
Katie Fang’s TikToks Empower Young Asian Girls To Be No One Else ...
It was your average bad day for your average 17-year-old. Katie Fang, then a high school senior, was supposed to have the day off from work, but instead, w
by Sara Tan

Most Wanted
9 Wonderful AAPI-Owned Brands You Can Shop Straight From Amazon
Here on the Refinery29 Most Wanted team, we’re all about shining a light on BIPOC-owned brands that deserve more love and recognition. To celebrate t
by Venus Wong

Jewelry
6 Buzzy Asian-Owned Jewelry Brands To Add To Your Shopping Roster
We hold jewelry close to our hearts, and to close out the Lunar New Year celebrations with a bang, we’re sharing AAPI designers you can shop year-rou
by Vivien Lee

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Asian American
8 AAPI-Founded Home Brands We Know & Love
While May is an apt time to shop Asian American and Pacific Islander-owned businesses, it’s essential to support them all year round. Plus, with all
by Alexandra Polk

Asian American
Gemma Chan Swears By These Drugstore Serums For Her Skin
Gemma Chan can now add runway model to her already impressive resumé. On October 2nd, the Don’t Worry, Darling actress wore a black, asymmetrical Lo
by Sara Tan

Dedicated Feature
Instagrammer Christine Yi Escaped Death Twice — This Is How It Ch...
In 2012, 35-year-old Christine Yi’s life was, on paper, a “success.” She’d raised $4 million at her hedge fund job in less than three years and
by Alyse Whitney

Dedicated Feature
This Painter Broke All The “Rules” To Fulfill Her Chi...
Picture this: A gauzy, dreamlike canvas depicts a young Asian woman sitting hunched on a chair, her chin resting on one hand. Dark swimming goggles mask th
by Fawnia Soo Hoo

Dedicated Feature
Beauty School: Honoring Vs. Appropriating
by Hilary Shepherd

Dedicated Feature
The Difference Between Appreciating & Appropriating Asian Beauty ...
Welcome to Beauty School, where Refinery29 and Ulta Beauty explore a rich, diverse curriculum in order to spark honest — and authentic — conv
by Andrea Cheng

Not Your Token Asian
Chloe Kim’s Newest Trick: Breaking The Role Model Myth
For the two-time Olympic champion snowboarder, the pressure to be the best comes with the task of being a role model for an entire AAPI generation.
by Melissah Yang

Not Your Token Asian
South Asian Women Are Deleting Dating Apps & They Couldn’t ...
Every few weeks, Malvika Sheth can be certain of one thing — she’s going to get a reminder from her parents. It might come through a WhatsApp message,
by Katherine Singh

Not Your Token Asian
100 AAPI Beauty Leaders Were Attacked On Zoom. The Industry Staye...
Despite a documented increase in attacks against Asian Americans, nearly one third of Americans are still unaware that they are happening — and it’s af
by Sara Tan

Not Your Token Asian
Sex, Drugs & Alcohol: Korean Americans Find Success In The Taboo
“What do you want to be when you grow up?” This question, commonly posed to young kids, can have no wrong answers. Well, except maybe if the people ask
by Jasmine Ting

Not Your Token Asian
Kelly Mi Li’s Hustle To Create A Bling Empire Has Its Limits
Those who only know Kelly Mi Li as a cast member of Bling Empire might be convinced that her life revolves around her relationship. Her storyline in season
by Olivia Truffaut-Wong

Not Your Token Asian
The AAPI American Dream Is More Than Just Money & A Good Job
Immigrants have long pursued the American Dream and its promise of upward mobility, with better opportunities and more fortune. It’s an ideal that th
by Melissah Yang

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Good Game
Fuslie Proves Being Yourself Is Never Out Of Character
Tens of thousands of people watch streamer Leslie Fu roleplay as someone else on Twitch. By immersing herself into another life, she’s come into her own
by Melissah Yang

Movies
In Everything Everywhere All At Once, Michelle Yeoh Find...
There’s a moment, fairly early into A24’s genre-bending film Everything Everywhere All At Once, when you realize just how meta the Michelle Yeoh-st
by Katherine Singh

TV Shows
Pachinko’s Cast Hopes You Finally Have That Con...
hile Pachinko may squarely be about one Korean family, its message of opening the channels of communication within your blood brood is something we all can
by Melissah Yang

Style
Want To Support Asian Americans In Fashion? Start In The Garment ...
Nestled between 34th and 40th Streets, from Broadway to Ninth Avenue, is the Garment District, where 54% of all businesses are Asian-owned and led.
by Eliza Huber

Somos Latine
Why We Need To Stop Labeling Asian-Latinx Food As “Fusion”
I’m Japanese & Uruguayan, and here's why the term "fusion" obscures the culinary stories of Asian and Latinx communities.
by Niki Nakazawa

Asian American
Margaret Cho On Asians Behaving Badly
"There's a relative of mine who [my parents] always compare me to. She wore men's clothes, and she was so famously ugly that people would come from other v
by Christina Lee

Asian American
Inside The Exhibition Box: How White Sexual Imperialism Has Trapp...
On March 16th, 2021, eight people in Georgia were killed in a string of shootings that took place at three different spas and massage parlors: Young’s As
by Anouk Yeh

Asian American
I Run Tiny Gentle Asians. My Mom Has Spent Her Life Avoiding Bein...
My mother is a master of shtick. She is childlike and fit for theater, with the kind of bossy tenacity that’s practically a requisite for immigrants. Whe
by Melissa Kenny

Asian American
Visibility Isn’t Enough. Asian Americans Need To See Ourselves
A stranger asking me where I’m from doesn’t horrify me — it just jolts me out of place. Suddenly I’m looking at myself from outside my own body, as
by Whizy Kim

Asian American
When Our Bangs Reached The Skies: A Celebration Of Vietnamese New...
"So much of being Asian and an immigrant is to just 'fit in' and 'not make too much noise.' The Vietnamese New Wave scene was a total revolt against that."
by Thuc Doan Nguyen

Asian American
“Asians Don’t Quit”
For immigrants, activities like piano aren't just "for fun." They're spaces in which the rules of America are taught and confirmed.
by Connie Wang

Asian American
Asians Moved Back Home En Masse: Then, Something Beautiful Happened
“I honestly didn't expect to love it as much as I did.”
by Katherine Singh

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