Asian American Content Group The North Star Boys Criticized For Posing In Front Of “Stop Asian Hate” Mural
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You’ve probably heard of The Hype House, a collective of young TikTok content creators in Los Angeles, California.
Now, meet NSB (North Star Boys).
The group consists of Asian American content creators: Sebastian and Oliver Moy, Tyler and Kane Bray, Oliver and Ryan Nguyen, Darren Liang, Bae Merola, Regie Macalino, and Justin Phan. The members range in age from 18 to 22 years old.
Formed by Oliver and Sabastian Moy, the North Star Boys self-label as “The first Asian-American Content Group.” Like The Hype House, they classify as a collective of content creators joined together for collaboration, sharing social media accounts.
@northstarboys
Together, they have 4.7 million dedicated followers on TikTok, while their videos can gather up to 66 million views.
@northstarboys Not everyone deserves a lollipop 😢
The Asian American collective also creates content for other social media platforms, such as YouTube, with 248k subscribers. A recent series of videos parodied Netflix‘s hit Korean thriller Squid Game.
Although, it’s their Instagram account that has sparked a backlash from their own community. Despite having 296k followers, many are embarrassed after their recent post.
The collective shared a couple of staged photos in which the members posed in front of a “stop Asian hate” mural.
Immediately, the post drew criticism. Comments labeled the group’s photos “embarrassing” and “performative.”
If you check out their Instagram, you’ll see this technically fits their overall “aesthetic” feed. Most of their group shots are posed in such a way that you’d think they were a boy band preparing to release a new album.
Fellow Asian American content creators responded to the post by creating their own social media posts. Some sarcastically said, “They figured out how to stop Asian hate!”
@itsyoboyivannn ending racism one thirst trap at a time 🙏🏻 #fyp #fypシ #stopasianhate #asian #asians
Others parodied the North Star Boys’ now-infamous photos. Max (@_fishtank on TikTok) went so far as to go to the same “stop Asian hate” mural and record a “thirst trap” style video.
@_fishtank Racism is bad… single btw. @North Star Boys #stopasianhate #asian
Others are directly explaining how the North Star Boys’ post was a wrong approach to spread awareness on Asian hate. Since COVID-19, there has been an increase in hate crimes against the AAPI (Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders) community, including violent acts, such as slashings, beatings, shootings, and verbal abuse. The largest cities in the U.S. have reported a 164% rise, according to a study from the Center for the Study of Hate and Extremism at Cal State University San Bernardino.
@givemeurmomsnumberrr this wasnt their direct response to when that laos man got attacked but this is what theyre basically suggesting #stopasianhate #asian @northstarboys
Similarly, mass media company 88rising received mixed reactions after posting a yellow square and a message of support on their company’s Instagram last year. It was too deemed “performative,” and many said that the choice to use a yellow square for a pro-Asian movement was “inappropriate” and “backward.”
Specifically, last year, there was a mass shooting incident at three different massage parlors near Atlanta, Georgia. This incident especially saw a surge of supporters further pushing the movement and spreading hashtags, such as #StopAsianHate, #AsiansAreHuman, #RacismIsNotComedy, #StopAAPIHate, and more.
Recently, the North Star Boys signed with WME Agency. This agency hosts some of the biggest TikTokers, such as Chase Hudson, Addison Rae, and Taylor Cassidy.
Read what Eric Nam had to say about the Stop Asian Hate movement below:
Eric Nam Shares How You Can Become An Ally To The AAPI Community And How To #StopAsianHate
