- I like, wouldn't mess with me if I saw me on the street
'cause it looks like I can kick some ass.
- I'm what people call an ABC, an American Born Chinese.
My mom is from Taiwan and my dad is from Hong Kong.
- My family's China and Vietnam.
- My parents were from Hong Kong.
This is the first time I will be wearing
Chinese traditional clothing.
- I grew up seeing like Jet Li and Jackie Chan
wearing these clothes in movies.
- I don't like to admit it but I think there is
this pressure on Asian-Americans to blend in.
- I feel like I'm still trying to learn
to accept myself in America.
I feel like it's going to emphasize
my Chinese-ness and Asian-ness even more.
I look like I'm from the past.
- Getting looks and getting questions
is something that I'm not looking forward to.
This is something my grandpa would go to sleep in.
- I'm expecting to have a lot of fun, to be honest.
If I do see people wearing this, it's definitely
on some kind of holiday, like Chinese New Year.
I can't stop looking at people, this is crazy.
- My mom would be very happy
to see me in these clothes right now.
I'm about to go out into the outside world
and we're about to get some Dim Sum.
- You look so pretty!
- [Voiceover] Oh, cutie!
- So many people actually are complimenting me on this.
I don't know if they're just trying to be nice.
- It actually feels really nice though
with the wind and the air and just walking down the street.
- And there's also someone staring from a car
like they're like, but smiling.
- There was one guy, I noticed,
who's taking a lot of pictures,
right there, I don't know if you can see him.
It was crazy.
I'm about to pick up my girlfriend for lunch.
She was pretty surprised.
She thought it was a prank, I think.
- What's up?
- [Voiceover] Hello?
- I have to hold this up
and then I also have get this sleeve
when I wipe.
I don't get shit on my outfit.
- These are my coworkers.
Give me your first impressions.
- All of a sudden, you were behind me,
so I was like, "Oh my gosh, what are you, a ninja?"
And I don't think it was because you were wearing the red
but maybe that was part of why I made this absurd comment.
- And then we just called her out on it.
(laughs)
- [Voiceover] Do I look more Asian?
- You do, you look a lot more Asian but I think it's great.
(laughs)
- I'm super into it actually.
Like you're going to an event vibe, like fancy event.
- You might look like a man from the '60s going to bed.
- A nice Hugh Hefner.
- So, I just did yoga.
- I thought it was interesting because it started a dialogue
about where you come from and your parents and,
- That's true.
- and your lineage and stuff.
So I thought it was interesting.
- I'm proud to be Asian but it's just exhausting
having to wear my identity on my sleeve like this.
- When I first put on the outfit and I was driving,
I felt like a lot of people were staring at me.
I just felt self conscious.
- In a way it made me face
and address my Asian-ness head on,
like in a very physical way.
- I think people's positive reactions
really validated me wearing the outfit
and it helped my confidence.
- Someone asked me, "Oh, does everyone in China
"wear stuff like this?"
It made me realize that not everybody understands
like, how Asia works.
- The other Asian people that saw me
really lit up and was like
"Hey, there's an Asian person representing."
- It's really important to think about
your place as an Asian-American.
- By the end of it, I felt kind of cool
and I felt proud to be wearing it.
- It was a really fun experience.
I think I would definitely do it again.
- Just wear whatever you want
as long as you're like holding yourself
and being confident in it, it's all good.
- Remember when your mom dressed you
and just said you looked like a China boss.
- [Voiceover] Yeah, I just sent her a photo,
she's going to love it.