Every time I scroll through TikTok, I see an #Abg, #Abb, #06, #07, #Keshi video or a skit mocking “picking up an Asian baby girl for a date in her Lexus or BMW,” at least 20 times a day. These types of videos have watered down the history and have just become overused in the Asian American culture and community.
The history of the name “Asian Baby Girl” also known as “ABG” started around the 90’s to describe stiletto nail-rocking, gang-affiliated girls who were Asian or Asian-Americans. Back then, “ABG“ stood for “Asian Baby Gangster.” Suki from 2 Fast 2 Furious is one example, a
rebellious and fierce Asian girl who leads an all-female crew. This soon would transform into a girl who is a rave and boba addict.
All I remembered in 2021 was seeing videos of Asian college students or teens going to festivals like “Head In The Clouds,” doing “ABG” makeup tutorials and getting boba with friends. Now in 2024, all these types of TikToks have not just resurfaced but replaced “Head in the Clouds” with the “Zedd Concert,” and “Getting Boba with Friends” with “Going to Seaside.” And don’t get me started with the P.O.V videos. All these videos are just copy-and-paste fonts of each other, with no originality. At first, I thought these videos were funny but after the same video of “P.O.V talking to your 90th ABG,” every response becomes the same.
These descriptions and traits changed in the early 2000s when social media started popping off. The hashtag #aznbbygirl was commonly used on sites like Twitter (now known as X). Social media would now come to describe the term “ABG” to be a rebellious girl still but now to also specifically have a sleeve tattoo that probably included a dragon, Black or bleach-dyed hair, thin gold chains, drinks boba, parties all the time. One other stereotype is that these girls would have common names like “Tiffany,” “Ashley,” and “Allison.”
In 2024, there are different types of “ABGs”. The “SoCal ABG” listens to Illenium, Zedd, and Keshi, goes to Seaside, wears either Stussy or Essentials, plays Valorant, and goes to raves. Then there’s the “other ABG” that listens to Wave to Earth, Laufey, likes to check out museums and probably is addicted to some sort of trinket. Even with different personas, the term “ABG” has been overused to describe Asian women.
ABG has now changed the perspective of how not just other Asians see Asian women, but how people outside of the Asian community see us. People outside of the Asian community want the stereotypical “ABG” thinking every Asian girl is the same as the one next to them. This stereotype has not only been overplayed throughout social media but has hurt the Asian community affecting what others see of us.
“ABG” is the equivalent of saying “Basic White Girl” or “copy-and-paste Latina.” All these stereotypes categorize women making it sound like we are just a genre and not our person. This is the stuff that makes people think “There’s plenty of women just like her” basically making us to be no different than the girl right next to us.
I don’t want to be compared to someone just because of which music artist I listen to, what video games I play, and what brands I like. Why do I have to be compared to someone based on what Boba drink I order? These stereotypes have made me ashamed of what I like and what I do. I am sick and tired of these stereotypes!!!
