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March 19, 2017

Marion Kelly is four years old. She’s hapa — half Asian and half-white. She has a Korean mommy, a white American daddy and a baby brother named James. On March 10, Daddy was Skyping an interview with the BBC. When she crashed it, they went viral. And now, I just love how this badass BBC girl inspires my inner child.

The world is blessed with this hilarious, 43-second news clip because Prof. Robert Kelly forgot to lock his home office door. So Marion struts up to his desk with James trailing behind her. Then, frantic mom Kim Jung-A appears. She grabs the kids and drags them from the room.

When I look at Marion’s Asian-y features, I feel hopeful. She is fearless, unselfconscious, unbroken. If she can live without second-guessing her every move, so can my inner child. Note to Mom and Dad Kelly: If you ever give a parenting talk, sign me up. I want your secrets for raising such a free spirit. Until then, I’ll be in this space, enjoying 6 reasons why the badass hapa BBC girl inspires my inner child.

BBC girl & BBC dad

If you missed the full video here it is:

And now, here are the 6 reasons why the badass, hapa BBC girl inspires my inner child…

1) Spotlight on Asian women identity  

At first many viewers assumed the mom was the Asian nanny. How insulting. But Asian Americans stepped up to set the record straight. In the outpouring of online rebuttals that followed, I’ve read some great articles. Suddenly, we’re talking around the world about implicit bias, and stereotypes that hyper-sexualize and victimize Asian women. And love this parody, “That’s Not the Nanny.”

2) Spotlight on working women 

What if the interview had been with BBC mom instead of BBC dad? I won’t spoil the jokes by saying more. But this parody had me laughing. So true. Women, we give too much.

3) Storytelling that goes on and on

The internet creates profound opportunities for instant engagement. I ate up this behind-the-scenes interview with Mom and Dad Kelly, absorbing every detail. I also enjoyed The Wall Street Journal written interview, which offered more tidbits. A thorough New York Times delivers this quote: “This is now the first line in my obituary, right? BBC dad, at least for a while.” Haha.

4) Marion <3

BBC girl’s parents seem sane enough to manage their new-found fame. Elle magazine has a lovely piece about the rise of Marion. It’ll be hard to let go of this kid and give her privacy. But I can do that. She’s already done such a terrific job of being the badass, hapa BBC girl that inspires my inner child.

5) Trending: biracial & multiracial 

In one of the interviews, Robert Kelly says he worries about how his children will be treated as mixed race kids growing up in Asia. Well, maybe this American dad should bring his family back home someday.

Studies show biracial and multiracial kids, couples and families are our future. As of 2013, 28% of all Asians in the U.S. married outside of their race, compared to 19% of all black folks, 7% of whites and 58% of Native Americans, according to an interracial marriage study by the Pew Research Center.

And look at this chart to your left. Multiracial babies and young people are changing the American population, according to another PEW study. 

The Changing Face of Multiracial America, According to Census Data

6) Collaging & curating our lives

Do you have an account on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram account? Are you on Snapchat, Pinterest or Reddit? Whether you’re aware of it or not, you’re posts are an art form. You’re collaging, which means pasting together random items into a personal statement. Check out my blog post about collaging as a social media art trend.

So now you have my collage in the form of this post. You know exactly why the badass, hapa BBC girl inspires my inner child. Can you relate to any of the videos or links I’ve shared? I’d love to hear about your favorites and favorite moments.