‘Wasian’: why this mixed-race term is suddenly everywhere

Olympic gold medalist Alysa Liu, ‘Heated Rivalry’ actor Hudson Williams and singer Laufey became household names for various talents this year, but for many online fans, these stars are not just celebrities, but princes and princesses of the fictional royal court of Wasia And “Wasian Avengers‘who are united by their mixed-race identity.

Wasian, a portmanteau of white and Asian, isn’t a new term, but “it just hasn’t been that visible until now,” says Myra Washington, an associate professor at the University of Utah who studies mixed-race identities. “You’re just now seeing this generation that has come up with a whole new way of categorizing themselves.”

On TikTok and Instagram, there is a growing fixation on tracing the white-Asian ancestry of mixed-race celebrities – and famous Wasians are embracing the label.

In a social media post for Laufey’s new music video “Crazy”, starring Liu and Williams, along with other Wasians such as actress Lola Tung and Katseye’s Megan Skiendiel, Liu wrote “Shoutout Wasiaaa” as her caption, to which Laufey replied, “Long live wasia.”

“Growing up, I felt a general lack of representation for people who looked like me in music and media. With the ‘Madwoman’ video, I wanted to be that representation,” says Laufey told the Hollywood Reporter on why she cast these Asian Americans in leading roles for her video.

Wasian’s fans appreciate the newfound visibility. Chicago-based Hailey Buss, a 22-year-old TikTok creator who describes herself on her social media as the “secretary of wasia” biobelieves Williams’ meteoric rise on the TV show “Heated Rivalry” and Liu’s gold medal in speed skating have helped make 2026 the year of the Wasian.

“All the Wasians are uniting and saying, ‘Oh my God, there are so many of us that we didn’t know about,’” Buss said.

LeiLani Nishime, a communications professor at the University of Washington who researches multiracial Asian Americans, said Wasian is just the latest popular mixed-race Asian term in American history. For example, after the Vietnam War, some white, some Asian Americans may have been called out Americansespecially if they were believed to have been fathered by American service members stationed abroad. And in the ’80s and ’90s, hapa, a Hawaiian word for “part,” became a popular way to describe the mixed identity of Asian and Pacific Islanders, until it fell out of favor with appropriating Hawaiian cultureNishime explained.

Nishime said that at best, the term Wasian can help name a certain kind of experience and help people with this mixed identity find community with each other. “Being able to have a name allows people to think about race in more complicated ways,” Nishime said.

Calling yourself Wasian is also a playful portmanteau that invites jokes and makes talking about racing fun.

“A queen hasn’t really been decided yet, but everyone agrees that Keanu Reeves is the king” of Wasia, Buss said of online fans playfully sharing the royal family of Wasia‘s lineage.

“The term Wasian itself is kind of goofy, so I feel like it’s meant to be funny,” Nishime said.

But problems can arise for people who don’t like humor. Nishime’s concern “is that it may start to create these boundaries and people will say, ‘This is how a Wasian person should be.’”

Washington cautioned against labeling people as Wasian if they have not yet publicly recognized their multiracial identity as such. “My only caveat is that people can’t use it on other people. You can only use it on yourself,” Washington said.

What unites some Wasians across their diverse ethnic heritage is not just jokes about the imaginary continent of Wasia – it may be a shared sense of displacement and alienation from being multiracial. Buss noted that Wasians are often exposed to damaging “Oxford studies.” stereotypes that criticize the romantic and sexual choices of Asian women who date white men.

“Every Wasian always says, ‘Oh, you’re not white enough, oh, you’re not Asian enough,’” Buss said.

Buss, a Korean-American, said that when she lived in South Korea, she was not accepted as Korean. Therefore, they and other Wasians relate to the broader term mixed race. “It’s easier for us to say Wasian instead of specifying what kind of Wasian we are because we don’t feel like we belong to our ethnic group in the first place,” Buss said.

Blasians, or people who identify as Black Asian, also had a moment of high visibility before this current Wasian era, which is an example of how these trends “are always cyclical,” Washington said. For example, before the rise of presidential candidate Kamala Harris, there were Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, Tiger Woods and model Kimora Lee Simmons in entertainment and sports as famous Blasians.

Even within the Wasian community, there is uneven attention to which Wasians are elevated. It is striking that the most popular Wasians at the moment are of East Asian descent, such as Williams and Liu. Buss noted that Laufey’s video only represented East Asian Wasians as protagonists, and that there “should be” much more South Asian representation.

“Part of it is that East Asia is richer and has a lot more political power,” Nishime said of this uneven focus. “Because of that hierarchy, those are the people who are going to get the most attention, get the most press and be focused in those conversations.”

It’s an example of how attitudes around mixed-race identities are evolving, but more progress needs to be made.

For now, the increase in media representation of Wasians on screen is a small step forward for Wasians seeking community online.

“A lot of people in my [TikTok] comments are like, “Oh, I’m 25 [% Asian]. Do I still count?'” Buss recalled. “And people will respond and say, ‘Yes girl, you’re one of us.'”