Fashion blogger Chriselle Lim shares moving story about not fitting in: 'I just hated how I look'

In the weeks leading up to Asian Pacific American Heritage Month, Korean American fashion blogger Chriselle Lim shared a touching story on TikTok that has since gone viral.

On April 16, Lim, a mother of two, discussed how she was bullied when she was young.

“Growing up, I always felt ugly, rejected and alone,” she says in the short clip. “Being one of the only Asians at my school, sometimes I would hear people calling me c***k or g**k. I had big front teeth that I hated, and I just hated how I look. No boys liked me as I was awkwardly tall and lanky and had no boobs.”

But Lim said she was able to channel that negative experience into something productive.

“But little did I know, this would be my superpower,” she continues in the video. “As my peers were partying and dating, I started reading and learning. I became obsessed with fashion. My point is, no matter where you are in your life, don’t let that define you. Use your insecurities as your superpower.”

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She then ends the clip with a noteworthy piece of advice.

“Don’t look at where you are now, look at where you want to be,” she says. “Work hard and dream big.”

The video became an instant hit on TikTok, where it received over 3 million views and nearly 9,000 comments.

“I love that you’re so super nice and inspiring!” one TikTok user wrote. “The girls are lucky you’re their mum.”

“I love this,” another posted. “You’re such an inspiration.”

Lim, who has 1.5 million followers on TikTok and 1.3 million followers on Instagram, founded the beauty blog The Chriselle Factor in 2011. She has since worked with several luxury brands, including Dior, Gucci, Fendi, Louis Vuitton and Versace. In 2016, she was named Blogger of the Year at the 2016 Bloglovin’ Awards show.

Lim’s experience of being bullied for her race is, in fact, common among Asian Americans who have reported being picked on. According to the American Psychological Association, more Asian American victims of bullying said that they were bullied because of their race than did white victims, African American victims or Latino victims. The organization further notes that immigrant and second-generation students of Asian descent were more likely to be bullied than third- or later generation students.

If this story resonated with you, you might want to consider reading about why being Asian American has been a blessing amid rising anti-Asian discrimination.

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