Caitlin Delim is a 17-year-old Filipino-American from Las Vegas. She attends a performing arts school and majors in choir.
Delim told BuzzFeed News that her English teacher asked her class to do a project that would end with a created product. As she was passionate about her Asian heritage, and as May is Asian-American and Pacific Islander heritage month, she decided to base her project on a campaign around her identity.
hello friends!! im working on starting up a campaign to bring awareness to the lack of asian representation in media!!
From this, she started the idea of #PraisinTheAsian, a hashtag campaign to encourage people of Asian heritage to share selfies and their experiences of being stereotyped or misrepresented.
@c2itIin being misrepresented or stereotyped
Since the project's launch, numerous social media users have been using the hashtag to praise, to show solidarity, and to share their experiences of underrepresentation.
#PraisinTheAsian this tag is so lovely, everyone is so beautiful 🇮🇳
I was told I wasn't Korean enough for most of my childhood and teenage years. #praisintheasian
Gotta rep my Viets and Cambodians 🇻🇳🇰🇭 #PraisinTheAsian
#PraisinTheAsian because South Asia is often left out in discussions on Asia 🇵🇰 Pakistani-American
Delim told BuzzFeed News that she initially hesitated to start the hashtag. However she's found the reaction to be hugely positive and inspiring.
#praisintheasian hi black koreans exist
#praisintheasian because I am so proud to be Japanese and I wouldn't trade it for anything in the world🇯🇵❤️
Since we #PraisinTheAsian I make sure to speak Thai in my vlogs cuz I feel like 2 many young Asians are embarrassed of their native language
proud to be turkish 🇹🇷❤️ #praisintheasian
"It's crazy that people have responded so quickly and so positively," she said. "I really didn't expect for my hashtag to go anywhere outside of my circle of friends."
proud to finally fully accept who i am and be able to defend it without feeling embarrassed #PraisinTheAsian 🇯🇵🗾😛
is it too late for #praisintheasian lol
ima use this as a way to let yall know im indonesian and not filipino or anything else lmao 🇮🇩 #PraisinTheAsian
#praisintheasian because I'm bengali and I have fierce appreciation for my ethnicity
You can find more contributions to Delim's project through the #PraisinTheAsian hashtag.
#praisintheasian because there's more to me than chinky eyes and yellow skin