Reporters note: I am sharing my personal perspective as a person of Chinese descent; I do not speak for all Chinese people or represent every experience within our community.

“Day one of becoming Chinese,” reads the text in a social media video made by creator Ohplsnatagain, a non-Chinese woman. In the post, she participates in Chinese practices such as wearing house slippers, drinking hot water and wearing red. Recently, videos like these have taken over the internet, with video after video of non-Chinese creators claiming they are in a “very Chinese” time in their lives. It’s shocking to me to see that each post was very popular, with tens of thousands of likes. Merely six years ago, during the COVID-19 pandemic, being Chinese meant being a target for hatred and discrimination.

According to a 2023 report, since 2020, 39% of Chinese Americans reported knowing another Asian person who had been attacked or threatened. There are countless incidents of Chinese people being spit on, bullied or otherwise harassed for “causing” the pandemic.

Historically, Chinese Americans have faced systemic oppression and discrimination. Chinese railway workers in the 1860s were paid less than their white counterparts and assigned to more dangerous jobs. Laws like the Chinese Exclusion Act made it clear that Chinese people were not welcome in the U.S.

Now, seemingly all of a sudden, Westerners want to be Chinese? My first reaction was that this social media trend represented cultural appropriation, not appreciation. According to Britannica, cultural appropriation is when the dominant culture adopts aspects of a minority culture in an exploitative, disrespectful or stereotypical way. Through this lens, influencers were using Chinese traditions to generate reactions and potentially earn money from their posts.

However, the line between cultural appropriation and appreciation is thin, and I began to feel that this social media trend walked that line, albeit precariously. Cultural appreciation can be defined as a genuine and respectful attempt to understand and celebrate a culture. With the “very Chinese” social media trend, none of the videos had a mocking tone. The trend was also started by Chinese influencer Sherryxiiruii in a video where she jokingly calls the viewer Chinese, inviting them to participate.

I encourage any non-Chinese people interested in our culture to continue learning about and taking part in it. I believe that culture is meant to be shared, not reserved for a single nationality, regardless of where it originated.

I’m glad Westerners are enjoying Chinese customs, but I want them to acknowledge where they come from. Being Chinese is not a trend, nor can one “become” Chinese by simply posting about a Chinese practice on social media. Our identity and unique experiences are more nuanced than what can be captured in a minute-long video. I encourage Westerners to actively learn about and understand the history and bigotry against Chinese Americans.