“When you’re young, mixed, and confused — it’s easy to cling to stereotypes in order to feel like you fit in.”
Asian hair doesn’t always have to be silky smooth and straight.
Check out beauty influencer @mermaidjxde’s video she shared with Hapa Mag on how to embrace and enhance those natural, gorgeous waves!
Currently based in London (UK) — but forever pining for Hong Kong, China, or anywhere in East Asia — Jade is a K-Beauty & Asian skincare evangelist, whose path exists at the intersection of wavy hair & heritage.
She is easily won over by anything kě'ài (cute), considers subscribing to Vogue Hong Kong a defining lockdown moment, and is convinced she’s going to become a K-pop Idol.
A passionate ambassador for the British-Asian/Mixed experience, Jade eventually embraced her naturally wavy hair (after a lifetime of battling what she thought was frizz) and stumbled across the curly hair community — sparking a journey of self-discovery.
This encouraged her to fulfill a lifelong goal of conquering Mandarin (學中文得真的難但太好玩了) and its ability to unlock culture, community and complex, often contradictory, mixed-race identities.
By sharing her journey of hair and heritage, Jade hopes to empower others to embrace and be empowered by their “difference,” all while learning more about Chinese culture through her unique perspective.
The embodiment of East meets North West London, she can be found in close proximity to good dim-sum with a bubble tea in hand. Follow her on Instagram @MermaidJxde for living room K-Pop performances, wavy hair tips, and her latest vocab-related Mandarin meltdown.