Grab your matcha, manga, and your adidas Chinese New Year Tang Jacket, because we are about to unpack the Asian Persuasion takeover from the boot of a Jetour. Culture and pop-culture are slowly being de-gentrified as Asia gains a growing global influence. Prior to this cultural and economic remix, Western fashion, entertainment, and technology were seen as normal and standardised, while every other culture was deemed “ethnic” and “cheap”.
Previously, buying an Asian-manufactured car was shrouded in scepticism. However, in recent decades, there has been an influx of Asian car manufacturers. Japan gave us Toyota, Suzuki, Nissan, and Mazda. China gave us Chery, Jetour, Jaecoo, and BYD. Korea gave us Hyundai and Kia, and India gave us Mahindra and Tata. This took the spotlight off of European car manufacturers as Asia bestowed cheaper, chicer, and chargeable cars upon us, with 37 new features. This makes us wonder why we questioned them in the first place. Heated seats, panoramic roofs, and 360-degree cameras are not too shabby, so why did we have to have a German or Swiss car? Moreover, on top of commercial car sales, the exclusivity and level of dope-as-hell-ness of JDM cars has piqued our interests more than ever before. Everyone wants a Nissan Skyline GT-R, Toyota Supra, Mazda RX-7, Honda NSX, or Subaru Impreza WRX STI to live out their Fast and Furious fantasies, myself included.
We never thought we would live to see the day that snail mucin was key in one’s skincare routine, but alas, Asia, you’ve done it! In terms of fashion, aesthetics, and cosmetics, they have everyone covered. Japanese streetwear, Korean skincare, and Indian haircare are increasingly becoming popularised. The regularisation of turmeric face masks, balloon silhouettes, glass skin, Y2K baby tees, balletcore, amla hair oil, chunky kawaii shoes, and semi-formal blazers allows Asian fashion and beauty to take the stage, displacing Western, colonial-based trends and monopolised industry accumulation.
Asian entertainment is also steamrolling their swag, with Bollywood, anime, TikTok, Nintendo, PlayStation, KPop, and KDramas being major contenders in our daily lives. Weekly Kung Fu Kitchen visits aside, Asian food has deeply influenced what we eat today, like noodles, chutneys, stirfries, biryani, and sushi. Moreover, Asian drinks are now on our local menus – Vietnamese iced lattes, Thai milk tea, Japanese matcha, and Korean soju – and it has got me feeling like lowkey I wish I was made in China.
Now, the traction of becoming Asiatic fanatics carries something quietly political about Asia’s cultural boom, which is the de-gentrification and de-centering of the West in global culture and as the default standard. This is important because not only does it tackle the “Western = universal” bias that subconsciously and comfortably sits in our heads, but it also gives Asia more economic and cultural authority as they become influential on their own terms. So, is the group chat making it to Japan for the next holiday?
Visual: Mila Jordaan
