R.O. Kwon
The Oprah Magazine|July 2019

The novelist, whose critically acclaimed debut, The Incendiaries, comes out in paperback July 30, gets real about skincare, stereotypes, and the secret behind her striking eye makeup.

Brian Underwood
R.O. Kwon

Q: You’re Korean American, and you recently wrote a New York Times op-ed about how we should stop calling Asian women “cute.” Where did that come from?

A: It was a reaction to comments aimed at Marie Kondo. The media were calling her a pixie and saying she’s cute, adorable, and fairylike. It was so dismissive. A lot of people don’t think that using this kind of language is racist, but it is.

Q: Have you experienced this?

This story is from the July 2019 edition of The Oprah Magazine.

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This story is from the July 2019 edition of The Oprah Magazine.

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