This viral Twitter thread perfectly shows why ‘Crazy Rich Asians’ is so important.

Over the weekend, Warner Bros. new rom-com, “Crazy Rich Asians,” made its debut at number one at the American Box Office, bringing in $25.1million. The film is the first by a major Hollywood studio to feature a predominantly-Asian cast since 1993’s “The Joy Luck Club.”

That’s right, it’s been 25 years.

The film has also received amazing reviews. It has a 93% fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes and has been praised for its “terrific cast” and visual “razzle dazzle.”

The film stars Constance Wu as a native New Yorker who travels to Singapore for a wedding to meet her boyfriend’s (Henry Golding) family. The family ends up being extremely wealthy and full of quirky characters.

via Getty Images by Alberto E. Rodriguez

While the film’s critical and financial success are important in an industry that’s decisions are firmly anchored to the bottom line, the film's biggest impact has undoubtedly been on the Asian community.

Asians are one of the most underrepresented groups in American cinema. Of the 174 theatrical films released in 2016, Asian actors and actresses made up 3.1 percent of top film roles.

Now, for the first time in a generation, Asian-Americans are able to see a Hollywood film with a predominantly Asian cast.

When people see themselves represented in popular culture, it gives them permission to dream bigger. It shows them their experiences are relevant and that their voices should be heard.

Kimberly Yam, editor of Asian Voices for HuffPost, perfectly summed up why the film is so important to her community. Yam shared her thoughts in a Twitter thread that traces her journey of self-acceptance.

You’re 8 years old.
Your 3rd grade class orders chinese food & your father delivers it. You are so excited to see your pops in school. He’s your hero. But apparently other kids don’t think he’s so cool. They laugh at him and mimic his accent. You don’t want to be Chinese anymore. pic.twitter.com/6vW9DXZK6x

— Kimberly Yam (@kimmythepooh) August 18, 2018

You’re 16 years old.
It’s Halloween & 2 students come to class dressed as “Asian tourists.” They’ve taped their eyes back, strapped cameras around their necks and chucked up peace signs. You feel uncomfortable. When a teacher asks if you find the costumes offensive, you say no.

— Kimberly Yam (@kimmythepooh) August 18, 2018

You don’t want people thinking you’re uptight. You laugh along with everyone else. You don’t want to be Chinese anymore.

— Kimberly Yam (@kimmythepooh) August 18, 2018

You’re 17 years old.
You’re off to college & you meet other Asians. They have pride that you never had. You meet a boy & he wonders why you don’t speak your family’s tongue. Why your favorite food is grilled cheese, not xiao long bao. You say your family doesn’t live that way.

— Kimberly Yam (@kimmythepooh) August 18, 2018

But you know you rejected your culture a long time ago. You know you refused to speak Chinese & you remember calling your mother’s food “disgusting.” It’s fucked. It clicks. It’s a race to reclaim everything you’ve hated about yourself. For the 1st time, you want to be Chinese.

— Kimberly Yam (@kimmythepooh) August 18, 2018

You’re 20 years old.
You’ve spent the past several years repatriating yourself. You get your family’s name inked into your skin. That character is there forever. You won’t let anyone make you feel the way you did all those years ago. You love being Chinese.

— Kimberly Yam (@kimmythepooh) August 18, 2018

You’re 25 years old.
You see a movie with an all-asian cast at a screening and for some reason you’re crying and you can’t stop. You’ve never seen a cast like this in Hollywood. Everyone is beautiful.
You’re so happy you’re Chinese. #CrazyRichAsians #RepresentationMatters

— Kimberly Yam (@kimmythepooh) August 18, 2018

Yam’s viral thread has also gave others a platform to share their stories.

Back in middle school, I was just chatting with my Asian American friend in Chinese during lunch break. A bunch of girls came up to our table and started harassing us for speaking Chinese. I never felt so embarrassed to be Chinese until that day.

— ｡ ☾ ˖ ° Λ N L Y ° ˖ ✧ ｡ (@Anlynia) August 19, 2018

My friend and I stopped speaking to each other in Chinese after that day. She eventually stopped having Asian friends altogether. I went to another high school with a lot more Asians and felt a little more comfortable in my skin, but the taboo of speaking Chinese still existed.

— ｡ ☾ ˖ ° Λ N L Y ° ˖ ✧ ｡ (@Anlynia) August 19, 2018

I tried my best to act less “Asian” and more “American” around people (including other Asians) in hopes that they don’t look down on me.

— ｡ ☾ ˖ ° Λ N L Y ° ˖ ✧ ｡ (@Anlynia) August 19, 2018

I remember when I first moved from the Philippines to North Carolina, I had no way pf knowing how to socialize with my classmates in middle school. Even though I knew how to speak English from childhood, I just never wanted to speak because my accent was made fun of.

— charistopher robin 🎈🐻 (@dattebahoe) August 19, 2018

I remember not being able to sleep because I would constantly fantasize about having friends and talking and laughing with them. I would make up scripts in my head and eventually fall asleep and dream of how happy I am to be surrounded by people I can talk to and laugh with.

— charistopher robin 🎈🐻 (@dattebahoe) August 19, 2018

Only to wake up the next morning and sit in self-doubt and discouragement throughout the school day.

— charistopher robin 🎈🐻 (@dattebahoe) August 19, 2018

I’m 9 years old. I’m tired of the bullying. I’m tired of people getting my name wrong. I’m tired of the casual racism passive aggressively directed at me. I’m tired of people thinking because my name is foreign I don’t belong. I ask my parents to change my name.

— Lei Gong (@gonglei89) August 19, 2018

When we get the paper work confirmation, a deep sense of shame washes over me. I ask them to change it back.

— Lei Gong (@gonglei89) August 19, 2018

When we get the paper work confirmation, a deep sense of shame washes over me. I ask them to change it back.

— Lei Gong (@gonglei89) August 19, 2018

I tried *very* hard not to tear up in front of my friends constantly through the movie in scenes that weren’t even supposed to be teary scenes, even though most of my friends watching with me were also Asian American. Failed, and that’s okay.

— Lei Gong (@gonglei89) August 19, 2018

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