Asiancomeback: Behind The Scenes

In this article, the girl behind Asiancomeback (a self described "meme activism" account on Instagram) shares her journey to almost 20,000 followers.

By: Isha

Behind this page is an average teenager that loves food, listening to music and dancing. This a platform whose aim is to bring all Asians, from the South, South East, West, North, and the East together. Growing up, I heard a lot of things like “You don't look Asian” or “Indians aren't Asian” and so on. Almost every Asian kid in the west has heard these things. Society doesn't really know what Asia (and Asians) are truly like. Media has a large part to play in the forming of this perceptions. Seeing Asian roles in movies and tv shows is rare. If there do happen to be any, others might just base all Asians on that one small character. How many Indians have been compared to Raj in The Big Bang Theory? More often than not, these shows and movies contain stereotypes which make people think, “All Asians are like that” It's definitely not right. Asians have so much talent that the world needs to see! Not all Asians have “small” eyes (the correct term is monolids). We are not all light-skinned and slim.  Not all Asians are East Asian. We come in all different colors, shapes and figures!

“Almost every Asian kid in the west has heard these things”

The reason I started this account was because I wanted my voice heard. Most “Asian” accounts are based only on East Asia, which left out the rest of us. It was only once in a while they would post about India to make it seem diverse (they also completely excluded Central Asia and the rest of South Asia. Many people already have the idea that East Asians are the only Asians so these pages were just promoting that harmful idea. It's like the rest of Asia is non-existent, which is crazy, because how do you miss nearly 1.5 billion people? Include all Asians in your activism!

“How do you miss nearly 1.5 billion people?”

My own experiences and current events, led me to start an activism/meme based account in late March. I started off with only 150 followers in the first month. I really had no idea that I would get as many followers that I have now but to me, spreading awareness was more important. I'd post about issues that happened in everyday life and would throw a meme or two in there once in a while. It wasn’t until May when I started posting more memes. This was a platform where I can express my humor but also educate others. So in a way I’m an “Asian Meme Activist” which puts activism through memes.    Of course, being an Asian page comes with a downside. I get irrelevant comments on my posts every single day. Some comments are incredibly offensive, racial slurs, crude remarks, and downright rudeness are just some of the things I see daily. I’ve dealt with a lot of racists so the best I could do is either educate them on with what’s being talked about, or just block them. We want to spread positivity, no hate!

“Some comments are incredibly offensive: racial slurs, crude remarks”

 I want my account to be a platform where people from different parts of Asia and other places connect. It’s really important to spread awareness about the diversity of Asia. This is a safe place, and it makes me so happy to see my followers interacting. They are definitely the sweetest and most supportive people I’ve met in my life. I’m thankful to have each and every one of them, and I am thankful to have the opportunity to make a difference, one meme at a time.