TikTok Star Katie Fang On Empowering Young Asian Women

It was your average bad day for your average 17-year-old. Katie Fang, then a high school senior, was supposed to have the day off from work, but instead, was called into her part-time job at Cactus Club Cafe. Upset and in tears, Fang propped up her phone, hit record, and started doing her makeup. Between sniffles and sobs, she applied brow gel, dotted concealer under her eyes, and swirled bronzer, then blush, and then bronzer and blush again along her cheekbones. She sighed, dabbed highlighter onto her nose and the inner corners of her eyes and finally, when her tears dried, brushed two coats of mascara onto her lashes. She showed the camera her final look and added the caption: “POV: I got called into work.”