Lola Tung, Hudson Williams, Laufey, Megan Skiendiel and Alysa Liu on the set of Laufey’s latest video “Madwoman.” (Photo credit: Nicole Mago)

By Jessie Yeung

When Icelandic Chinese musician Laufey dropped her latest music video last month, starring a cast of mixed white and Asian celebrities, the internet went wild.

“Laufey collecting wasians like pokemon,” read one social media comment, using a portmanteau to describe people of mixed white and Asian descent. “WASIAN AVENGERS,” another comment cheered.

The term “Wasian” has been used since the early 2000s, but it has recently blown up on social media thanks to the emergence of several high-profile figures — many of whom starred in Laufey’s music video, including Olympic figure skater Alysa Liu, “Heated Rivalry” actor Hudson Williams and “The Summer I Turned Pretty” actress Lola Tung.

“Wasian” is just the latest among many attempts to shorthand biracial groups; elder millennials may be more familiar with reclaimed terms like mestizo in the Philippines and the Hawaiian hapa haole which are more​ broadly applied to any mix including Asian and Pacific Islander ancestries.

In Laufey’s video for the song “Madwoman,” the stars wear 1960s mod fashion, complete with go-go boots and colorful geometric prints, while enjoying dim sum and playing mahjong — a nod to both sides of the singer’s heritage.

She is among those who have publicly embraced the Wasian label — which has helped many people who self-identify as such to feel more seen, though not everyone feels the same way. Laufey said she “felt a general lack of representation for people who looked like me in music and media” when growing up.

“Madwoman” is “what younger Laufey would have loved to see,” she said; when Liu posted a photo from the shoot, the Olympian captioned it, “Shoutout Wasiaaaa,” to which the Laufey responded, “long live wasia long live alysa liu.”

To read the entire article: https://www.cnn.com/2026/05/26/style/wasian-meetup-celebrities-controversy-intl-hnk-dst