Spotlighting Ashley Yi: Embracing Culture and Authenticity on TikTok

Ashley Yi

Ashley Yi (@ashyizzle) is a proud Korean American creator on TikTok who uses her platform to share her journey of self-discovery, promote Asian culture, and inspire others. Through her videos, she brings awareness to the API community and radiates love and positivity.

Growing up in a predominantly white community, Ashley struggled with her cultural identity and felt ashamed of being Asian. She felt like a white girl trapped in a Korean girl's body, trying to balance familial ties and cultural values while assimilating into mainstream American society. This burden weighed heavily on her.

However, Ashley's perspective changed as she grew to love her culture and embrace self-love. Instead of simply sharing links or news about Asian hate crimes, she started posting about Korean food and how it connected her to her family and culture. This approach allowed her to bring humility, appreciation, and comfort around Asian culture to others. Through her TikTok videos, she brings awareness to the API community and feels a sense of belonging and representation.

The TikTok community has inspired Ashley to be her authentic self. It has provided her with a platform to express her true self and connect with a supportive community. Before TikTok, she struggled with body image and tried to fit into the mold of a fashion and lifestyle influencer. However, TikTok showed her that normal people doing everyday things can be entertaining and captivating. Inspired by other creators, Ashley decided to combine her love for storytelling and food. TikTok allows her to be genuine and has empowered her to radiate love and positivity in her videos. She has even received messages from people who have been helped with their eating disorders through her content.

One of Ashley's favorite types of TikTok videos to create are her motivational car talks. She shares lessons she has learned and replays them every morning as affirmations. These videos not only bring her comfort, confidence, and relief but also touch her followers and provide them with a little pick-me-up. Knowing that her videos positively impact others brings her joy.

Off of TikTok, Ashley is passionate about trying new foods, traveling, live music, fashion/beauty, photography, and animals. She hopes to share more of these passions in the coming months. She looks up to Anthony Bourdain and shares his curiosity to try everything and dive into different cultures around the world. Through her perspective, she wants to travel and share these experiences.

When asked about her favorite food, Ashley's number one choice is sushi. She also cannot live without Korean cuisine. While she doesn't have a specific favorite restaurant, she loves the experience of eating out, especially Korean BBQ.

The best advice Ashley ever received is that being authentic is more important than being popular. Once she embraced this belief and committed to it, everything in her life fell into place, and she received more opportunities.