The Asian Girl Smoking In The Snow meme is a short video clip used to describe melancholy, upset, and loneliness, both humorously and seriously. It has also been criticized for having undertones of fetishism and cultural appropriation.
What is the ‘Asian Girl Smoking In The Snow’ meme?
The ‘Asian Girl Smoking In The Snow’ meme is a short video clip first created by Jason Isip, a photographer and videographer known for capturing Asian youth in melancholic poses and situations (and often, also in fog or snow).
@jasnisip park that car #brokensocialscene ♬
The meme itself is a 24-second clip taken with a Handycam depicting a young, Asian woman smoking on the edge of the woods in the snow. She is wearing a jacket and scarf, seemingly lonely; eventually, she takes a long puff of her cigarette, throws it on the ground, and runs into the woods. The clip is often set to the Slowdive song “When the Sun Hits” to emphasize the clip’s melancholy tone.
@cropitycrop ♬ Casual – Chappell Roan
What does the ‘Asian Girl Smoking In The Snow’ meme mean?
The ‘Asian Girl Smoking in the Snow’ meme is used to describe isolation, distress, and overall, the melancholic ennui of being a human being on the planet.
It can also be used humorously or ironically, playing on its own seriousness and moodiness.
Where does the ‘Asian Girl Smoking In The Snow’ meme come from?
The meme originates from Jason Isip, a Tokyo-based photographer and videographer who works along many platforms; most notably Tumblr, Instagram, X, and TikTok. His work often centers around Asian youth in moody, melancholic contexts.
@jasnisip Woods in Vermont wirh Cleo.
♬ Dawn in the Adan – Ichiko Aoba
Meme basics
- Meme Creator: Jason Isip
- Meme Type: video clip
- First Appearance: Jan. 13th, 2024
- Origin Source: X
- Peak Popularity: Sept. 1st, 2024
Origin and spread
On Jan. 13, 2024, Isip posted the original ‘Asian Girl Smoking in the Snow’ video to his X account, paired with the track “When the Sun Hits” by the band Slowdive. While the original clip does not exist on Isip’s X account anymore, according to KYM, the post went viral, gaining millions of views. That same day, user @Sinqhole posted about being the subject of Isip’s video, a post that gained over 14K likes.
As the meme gained momentum, variations began appearing, most notably from X user @Sushilvr, who recreated the meme herself. Her post encouraged the general public to reflect on how the meme capitalizes on the distress of young Asian women, and how Isip himself profits off of his subjects (also, young Asian women, and Asian youth).
Cultural context
With an online culture that already fetishizes young Asian women, the meme was under fire for continuing to profit and perpetuate that perception. Additionally, critics believed that continually ascribing depression and isolation to young Asian women was a dangerous connection to make, one that might harm that community or perpetuate itself.
Young Asian women reclaim the meme
Soon, others followed @Sushilvr’s lead, re-creating the Asian Girl Smoking in the Snow meme as a way to make the meme more their own, in addition to poking fun at the meme’s serious tone and moodiness.
These variations prove that one meme does not define a community of people; instead, it is just one (in this case, very chilly) vehicle for online cultural commentary.
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- The Crying Wojak meme perfectly captures online melancholy
- How to use the ‘sad ant with bindle’ meme
- The Sad Penguin meme from ‘Toy Story 2’ is having a renaissance
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