Has the end of our American obsession led to the rise of East Asian influence?

We're trading ranch for gochujang and Barbies for Labubus

Growing up, all I wanted to do was live in America and go to school on a yellow bus.

When I finally made it there on a family holiday to Florida, it only confirmed my belief of being born in the wrong country.

I can still picture climbing into our rental evergreen coloured Chrysler Voyager, drinking cartons of Nesquik at the breakfast buffet and buying all the trainers because they were so much cheaper.

All of my favourite TV shows were American: Buffy The Vampire Slayer, Saved By The Bell, Sweet Valley High… Morphing into Girls of the Playboy Mansion, Jackass and LA Ink as I got older.

This continued in my adult life. I went to New York for the first time at 18 and have been back 6 or 7 times since? I’ve been to Memphis, Chicago, Seattle, Portland, Las Vegas, San Francisco and of course Los Angeles.

Don’t get me wrong, I will always love America and it’s still the first place I think of for a holiday. But, as desperate as I am to return to Los Angeles, I’m wrestling with the morality of it.

However, I don’t think the generations below me, have the same fuzzy feelings about the country of the star spangled banner that I do.

Partly, it’s the access to information we now have. Growing up, if I wasn’t taught it in school or on an Encarta CD-Rom/library book, I didn’t know about it.

The Internet and social media has educated and shown us perspectives, we would never had had access to before.

But, it can’t be denied that America has also changed.

Whereas before I associated American schooling with jocks, cafeterias and Jansport rucksacks, my first thought is now mass shootings.

Florida was the ultimate holiday destination when I was younger, but now it feels like Trump county. Along with the many other places I’d like to visit, which now appear either problematic or dangerous.

Then, there’s the problem of availability. Growing up, you’d only have access to an Oreo, if someone packed a sleeve in their case for you.

Now I can get Five Guys, Popeyes, Wendy’s and Taco Bell on my Deliveroo.

Pop Tarts, which were my generation’s Crumbl Cookies, can now be bought here in Home Bargains. Probably even your local Tesco Express, tbh.

London has been taken over by scam American candy stores and with the return of Sephora to the UK, we have most, if not all, the beauty brands we couldn’t access before.

I hate that we’re like this, myself specifically, but when things become too easily available, they do become less covetable.

In fact, the USA, has dropped so hard on social media, that my algorithm is now full of Americans coming to the UK to try Greggs.

Let that sink in.

Not to mention the comment sections are particularly brutal on any American home cooking or shopping video. However, I am glad it’s not just me that finds the obsession with paper plates bizarre.

All of this has created the perfect breeding ground for East Asian influence to take dominance and nowhere is that more noticeable than with the Labubu effect.

The last time I remember a toy/collectible causing fights and making BBC headlines, was back in the Buzz Lightyear/Teletubby days. But, Chinese owned PopMart, has proven that they know exactly what we want (even if we don’t).

Mystery boxes, bag charms, these trends all come from East Asia and it should be noted, they aren’t just ‘trends’ there.

Could it be that we’re reviving our kawaii obsession of the ‘00s? Yes, minus Gwen Stefani and her Harajuku girls. But, could it also be that we’re craving some much needed fun/personality in unpredictable times, when the colour grey has been our only constant?

The success of Netflix’s Squid Games has shown that not only can we all cope with subtitles, but that we’re also craving new, fresh formats and more importantly, dialog.

I just saw the live action version of Lilo and Stitch and internally eye rolled at the the wise cracks written for 6-year-old Lilo.

How is America still doing Nickelodeon humour?

Don’t get me wrong, I love Buffy, but if she’d have just stopped with the one liners, her life would have been a lot easier/safer.

Then there’s the food.

Croydon town centre is a literal abandoned dump (blame our bankrupt council), but we just had an Asian food court open and the queues were crazy.

While we’re all realising the health hazard that is America’s love of Red 40, we’re also discovering a whole new world of ramen, mochi, bubble tea, slaw and gochujang, to name a few.

Not forgetting, my personal favourite (well maybe second behind my new found love of Pop Mart collectibles)… beauty. Specificially the rise and rise of K Beauty.

East Asia just continuously proves how behind the Western world is, on skincare innovation and formulas.

More East Asian brands are launching over here and into mass retailers like Boots. I, for, one, am in such a K Beauty hole at the minute, it’s all I want to use.

Minus the male re-sellers ruining Labubus for everyone, I feel that this obsession with East Asian culture, isn’t just a ‘trend’ for us westerners. It least I sincerely hope not.

From what I’ve observed online, people are genuinely curious to learn and understand more about these cultures, and I just don’t see us going back to that ‘90s American admiration anytime soon.

Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m off to watch my favourite Korean creators share what they feed their dogs.

Pedigree Chum could never.

Would love to hear your thoughts on this one.