Oli London, a white British influencer, has been criticized over comments about Korean culture that have been labeled racist and problematic.
In January 2022, London, who has more than 800,000 TikTok followers and uses "they" and "them" pronouns, told Newsweek they had undergone more than 20 plastic surgeries to look like Korean singer Park Ji-Min from the band BTS, and that they wanted a penis reduction surgery to become "100% Korean."
London has been a controversial online figure due to their repeated claims that they identify as Korean and "transracial," a highly disputed concept which was labeled "a prime example of racism, cultural appropriation, and transphobia" by academics Braden Hill and Stevie Lane from Edith Cowan University in Australia. They wrote in July 2021 that a person cannot identify as "transracial" in the same way people identify as transgender, because a person does not inherit their gender in the way they inherit their race.
Since announcing their plans for penis-reduction surgery on Twitter on January 29, social media users accused London of cultural appropriation and of promoting stereotypes about Asian men. London previously responded to public criticism, telling Insider they want to "support the Korean community."
Insider has since spoken to Korean journalists and academics who explained why they'd describe London's actions as racist.
Members of the Asian community say London is promoting stereotypes for attention
Responding to criticism about their surgical plans, London told Insider they do not wish to "upset anyone in Korea," but they are "simply wanting to have a surgery based on the average size in Korea."
Korean-American journalist Sandra Song, contributing editor-at-large for Paper Magazine, previously wrote that London's actions are offensive to her community. She told Insider she thinks London's statements about penis size reinforced a racist stereotype that "emasculates" Korean men and is meant to portray them as weak and effeminate.
Song referenced a 2021 University of Chicago essay on the effect of Japanese imperialism in Korea, saying that a crisis of masculinity developed among Korean men throughout history, and said, "It's quite unfortunate that Oli is trying to garner even more attention by playing into these racist ideas."
Vietnamese-Chinese influencer Phat Ly, who has 1.2 million TikTok followers and has posted several comedic videos about London, told Insider that while East Asian men are ridiculed based on stereotypes about penis size, he believes that London should be able to do what they like with their own body. However, he said he felt London's comments were a "publicity stunt."
Experts say London's cultural appropriation harms Korean people
London's penis surgery announcement has also been linked to broader claims that the idea of their "transracial" identity appropriates Korean culture, drawing attention from HBO presenter Bill Maher.
On February 4, less than a week after London's Newsweek interview was published, the influencer became a discussion point on Maher's HBO panel show "Real Talk," when the presenter said London was close to having an "identity crisis" for wanting the procedure.
"Am I supposed to celebrate him for living his truth or hate him for cultural appropriation?" Maher asked.
In a statement provided to Insider, London said they were "disappointed" by Maher's words on HBO, and felt he did not "respect the hardships transracial people like me have to go through on a daily basis."
London responded to claims that they cannot identify as "transracial" by saying they are being "ridiculed and gaslighted" by academics and "woke critics." They added that they hoped that "over time people can show respect for people like me for how we identify."
Se-Woong Koo, a former Yale lecturer and current editor of KOREA EXPOSÉ Magazine, did not accept London's response. He described London as a "Koreaboo," someone who renounces their own culture to identify as Korean. He said that by "claiming ownership of the notion of Korea," London's actions are "the very definition of appropriation."
A white person using stereotypes to appear Korean is harmful, Koo said, because it "spreads an understanding of Korea that actually distorts what Korea is, and that's the biggest problem."
