In this episode, John sits down with Katy Ho, author and founder of BAD ASIAN, a community and Substack dedicated to exploring what it means to push back against the expectations placed on Asian people in the diaspora. From growing up as a minority in a predominantly White city to building a platform around reclaiming identity on your own terms, Katy is a sharp, fearless voice on the intersections of race, gender, and cultural belonging.

In our conversation, Katy unpacks the three components of what it means to be a Bad Asian: from resisting the model minority myth, to challenging gender expectations placed on Asian men and women, to navigating parental and cultural expectations. We also get into the viral "I'm in a very Chinese time in my life" TikTok trend and what it reveals about how Asian culture is consumed and commodified in mainstream media.

Notable Quotes:

"There's such a long history of how colonialism and imperialism and white supremacy were created to put Asians in this place of being the model minority: of keeping our heads down, being quiet, and complying with the system. Being a Bad Asian is about rebelling against that." — Katy Ho

"Culture is about being part of a community and having a shared experience. You can't claim a culture for yourself. The culture has to claim you as its own." — Katy Ho

"I think the greatest thing we can do for our community right now is create spaces of deeper conversation: to be frank, to be direct, to be unpolished, to be raw." — Katy Ho

Katy Ho Links:

https://katyho.substack.com

https://www.instagram.com/katyho_