“I’m Sure There Are Parts of My Life That I Wanted to Be White”: Remi Parsons on Korean Identity

On Pretty Basic, Remi Cruz Parsons opened up about identity, family history, and how visibility can reshape what kids feel is possible. She said a “Netflix and Chill” night with her mom—watching the animated series, KPop Demon Hunters—opened the door to a larger reflection about her upbringing and her relationship to being Korean. “It made me think about how growing up, there was so much of my life where I didn’t acknowledge being Asian or being Korean,” she said.

Parsons linked those feelings to where and how she grew up. “I grew up in Orange County,” she noted, adding that “so much of my life, I grew up with so many white people.” She said there were periods when she “didn’t want to acknowledge anything” about her background and admitted, “I’m sure there are parts of my life that I wanted to be white.”

Remi Cruz Parsons Opens Up About Korean Identity

How Korean visibility changed the conversation for her

Parsons contrasted those early years with the pride she feels today. Referencing the momentum of Korean culture—from pop groups to beauty trends—she said, “All these big groups and just, like, cultural phenomena of Korea make me so proud. I’m just so proud to be Korean,” adding that the popularity of Korean food also resonates with her. She tied the shift back to her younger self, saying, “It makes me sad for little Remi that I felt like I had to not acknowledge it or not shine light on how cool it is to be anything.”

She also emphasized the broader significance of Korean representation. “People are finally seeing how amazing the food of Korea is,” Parsons said. “I’m speaking for Korea because obviously I’m Korean, but from any culture anywhere, I think it’s really cool.”

The lunchbox memory

To explain what acceptance looks like in real life, Parsons revisited a school memory that many Asian Americans will recognize. “I used to be the kid that would bring my lunch to school and be excited,” she recalled, “and then all the kids would make me feel terrible about it and be like, ‘Ew, that’s weird.’”

She compared that experience to a recent TikTok video of a young girl presenting a Korean lunch—kimchi, rice, and other cultural staples—with simple calm. For Parsons, the most powerful part wasn’t enthusiasm; it was normalcy. “She doesn’t even have to show off being excited. It’s more just like, ‘Oh, this is what I brought for lunch,’ like, very neutral about it, which I think is really special,” Remi explained.

Why Remi extends special grace to mixed-race kids

Parsons also spoke directly about mixed-race identity. “My heart does go out to mixed kids a lot,” she said. “I feel like a lot of times mixed kids often aren’t given the same understanding or grace because they’re like, ‘Oh, well, you’re half white or you’re half whatever.’ But it must be just as hard, if not harder, to feel like you are not being fully accepted.”

That empathy stems from her own family’s story. Parsons described her father as “Chamorro/Filipino and half Korean,” explaining that he grew up in Korea and attended Korean schools but “always felt like such a black sheep, because he doesn’t really look Korean”—appearing “much more like Polynesian” instead.

Parsons said that hearing those experiences shaped her sense of what acceptance should look like across communities, including Korean and non-Korean spaces. “I just think we should be nicer to each other overall,” she said. “And I think all cultures are beautiful and everyone should feel accepted.”

From Orange County to Korean pride

Parsons closed this part of the conversation by returning to what she hopes younger kids feel now that she didn’t always feel growing up in a white-majority environment. “I love that we’ve gotten to that place,” she said after describing the Korean lunch video, adding that she hopes kids today “are not feeling like they need to hide things.”

As a woman who once “didn’t acknowledge being Asian or being Korean,” Parsons is now “so proud to be Korean.” She wants kids—Korean, mixed-race, and otherwise—to feel that everyday safety and acceptance, too.

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