Kelly Marie Tran is our hero!
The Last Jedi actress spoke out for the first time since deleting her Instagram after so-called Star Wars “fans” bullied her online with sexist and racist comments about her looks.
In an op-ed for the New York Times, the 29-year-old revealed she left the social platform because she started to believe the vile comments herself, as the disgusting words seemed to reinforce a narrative heard her whole life — that she was less than.
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She wrote:
“Their words seemed to confirm what growing up as a woman and a person of colour already taught me: that I belonged in margins and spaces, valid only as a minor character in their lives and stories. Their words reinforced a narrative I had heard my whole life: that I was ‘other,’ that I didn’t belong, that I wasn’t good enough, simply because I wasn’t like them.”
Kelly went on to reveal the comments made her feel “shame for the culture” which she came from.
The actress grew up in California and was born to Vietnamese parents, who had adopted Americanized names so they’d be eaiser for others to address.
But after being attacked online for her heritage, Kelly said she’s done fighting the ideals of a “white dominated world.” She finished her article by revealing her real name: Loan.
She continued:
“You might know me as Kelly. I am the first woman of color to have a leading role in a Star Wars movie.‘I am the first Asian woman to appear on the cover of Vanity Fair. My real name is Loan. And I am just getting started.”
Mic drop.
[Image via Apega/WENN.]
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