As a Cambodian-American, Rosie Chuong grew up seeing discrimination inflicted within Cambodian communities against those with dark skin, broad features and curly hair textures. This experience of hers, mixed with the lack of representation she saw in the media, led her to create API Curls. API Curls is an online community for Asian and Pacific Islanders around the world to share tips and discuss the ups and downs of caring for and embracing their natural curly hair. hair. “We are more than behind other platform demographics,” she says Choung. “I needed to be brave enough to take the lead in building it.”
Choung describes API Curl as a “multicultural hair movement” that aims to dispel negative perceptions of curly hair in Asian and Pacific Island communities. This message is clear when you scroll through her Instagram page on API Curls. The page even has a discussion of topics such as stories of hair journeys, curly hair tutorials, textured his hair related anti-his blackness in Asia his community.
It took me over a decade to come to terms with my curly hair. Meanwhile, she’s received conflicting messages about her sudden change in hair texture.
“Everyone around me who wasn’t Asian told me how much they loved my hair and how exotic it looked,” she says. “But within the Asian community, my conversation about Karl is that it’s an anomaly, a strange occurrence, and something that needs to be rectified by straightening it out.
But through her own journey, she came to understand that there is power in community. There is. Social media is transforming this conversation.”
As API Curls celebrates its two-year anniversary, Choung has expanded her platform to partner with beauty brands, broaden access to curly hair products globally, and have a diverse range of ambassadors selected to promote their products. I hope that I can help you with the conversion.
“I envision API curl [growing to become] It’s a go-to place for our community members, especially those just starting their hair journey, where people can organically connect simply because there’s finally a place that makes this possible. ”
