#NotYourAsianSidekick Becomes Top Twitter Trend

Dec. 16, 2013 — -- You may have noticed the hashtag #NotYourAsianSidekick popping up on your Twitter account a lot over the past few days and wondered where it came from. The worldwide Twitter conversation began with writer and graduate student Suey Park.

On Dec. 14, she tweeted:

Since then, the hashtag has been used nearly 50,000 times and become a nationwide trend. The tweets range in tone from humorous to accusatory.

Many of the tweets point out specific behaviors, questions or comments that people notice or receive in regards to their ethnicity.

When the hashtag began, the tweets were largely related to feminist issues, but soon broadened to racism, stereotypes and the portrayal of Asians in media and pop culture. Many of the tweets include photos or cartoons that take a lighter look at the issues.

There has been backlash against some of tweets and even some people who have called them "anti-white," but the hashtag is still trending and sparking conversations around the world.

Park did not immediately respond to request for comment.