Blasians much like Blatinos comprise a unique place in the ethnic landscape of today’s dystopian culture wars where white vs black battles alongside trans vs cis and men vs women. Sort of. Being that the Asian factor much like the Latino factor puts Blasians more middle adjacent than actually squarely in the middle.
What even is this new fangled word Blasian I’ve been tossing about? Well, Urban dictionary says… yeah who cares? Blasians are children with parents from both the afro and Asian diasporas. So we’re talking about two people from different regions, languages, cultures, and faiths coming together to produce a sort of human distillation of both into a single human. Marvelous, right?
So since we focus on all things Korea here at Kiss My Kimchi I thought it would be neat to highlight a few Blasians of the Korean extraction. Drum roll, please!
Jenny Park (박제니)
First up, Jenny Park, hailing from South Korea. She’s a Nigerian-Korean model, influencer, and social media star. Born in 2006 Jenny found fame when she began modeling at the age of 14. She has modeled for Ferragamo, Vogue Korea, Vogue Italia, Elle, Dazed, Harper’s Bazaar, Cosmopolitan, Marie Claire and more. Her commercial work includes brands such as Vans, new Balance, Fresh Beauty, McDonalds, Crocs and Dr. Jart+.
Her dad is Nigerian and her mother is Korean.
Han Hyun-min (한현민)
Keeping things going on the model train we have Han Hyun-Min also hailing from South Korea. He works as a model, actor, and rapper. Born in 2001, he was raised in Itaewon in Seoul. He was discovered by a modeling agency when they came across his photos online and his career took off. From walking runways of top designers to modeling campaigns of the hottest brands as well as film & television appearances. He even dabbled in rap with his Netflix show So Not Worth It.
Amerie (에므리 )
1 thing remains a bop for all ages. The banger blessed us all back in from artist Amerie who delivered a sound that heralded the future of pop/r&b. It’s a shame other artists capitalized on her sound before she could rise to superstardom. She has the looks, the voice, and the style to compete with the pop songbirds of today but her career stalled and the magic fizzled. Born Amerie Mi Marie Rogers in Massachusetts, USA. She lived for a bit in Korea for a few years but the majority of her youth she spent growing up in America. From the early 2000’s she began making a name for herself in the recording industry. Hits began to climb the charts but none more so than 1 thing from her album Touch which should’ve catapulted her into superstardom. Still she has a solid career and still makes music today as well as film & television appearances and even a children’s book she authored.
Her dad is black American and her mother is South Korean.
Tati Gabrielle (타티 가브리엘)
I first saw Tati Gabrielle on the Horror Dramedy supernatural show Sabrina streaming on Netflix. She definitely stood out with her mysterious presence and nymph-like features. She’s a stunner and the camera loves her. Born Tatiana Gabrielle Hobson in 1996 in California, USA she began acting early in school productions and soon found herself also thriving in theater festivals. Her parents encouraged her to explore her Korean roots and she took that to heart learning to read and write Korean in hopes of becoming fluent. In her latest project for Netflix, Kaleidoscope, she plays computer programmer Hannah Kim and gets to speak Korean in the role. She’s also starred in other film and television shows such as the 100 and You, but the one I treasure the most, aside from Sabrina, is the video game adaption Uncharted where she plays mercenary Jo Braddock. Gun toting adventurer on the trail of lost relics. What’s not to love?
Her dad is black American and her mom is half Korean, half black.
Chanel Iman (샤넬 이만)
Stomping the runways of the world since the 2000’s Chanel Iman has graced both magazines and screens in a career that keeps going and going. Born in 1990 in Georgia, USA Chanel began modelling as a child and quickly rose among her peers to be one of the most sought after models for runways and ad campaigns. She’s worked for brands such as Swarovski, Benneton, J.Crew, Sak’s, Victoria’s Secret, and Ralph Laruen while also walking for houses Baleciaga, Versace, Oscar de la Renta, Yves Saint Laurent, and many, many more. She’s even dabbled in acting, appearing in one of my favorite films, Dope, by Rick Famuyiwa.
Her dad is black American and her mom is half Korean, half black.
For more insight of Blasians in Korea here are two folks with far more experience than I.
Definitely more blorean folks outside Korea. Blask am also sounds like a bbq wing dipping sauce
Blorean? Seriously? Blasian sounds so much better.
Are there more Blasians living in South Korea or outside South Korea?
I would say outside of Korea but you never know.