Hessenberg/Barcroft Media via Getty Images White influencer Oli London has announced that he now identifies as Korean, after undergoing multiple surgeries to alter his look. Pictured right in 2018.
British-born white influencer Oli London has doubled down on their assertion that they're "transracial," after declaring they now identify as Korean.
London—who identifies as non-binary—has faced backlash on social media over the past several days, after saying on YouTube that they had "transitioned" races and cultures after surgery to resemble their K-Pop idol, Jimin of BTS.
And in a video uploaded to Twitter on Monday, London showed off their surgically-enhanced "Korean eyes" while speaking more about their identity.
"Now finally, I feel Korean," said London. "I identify with the Korean community. Maybe they will accept me more now because I have the look. Maybe people will think I'm actually Korean, which would make me really happy. They can see how much I love their culture because this is the extreme length I've gone to, because I love Korea so much.
"I just want to make Jimin proud as well, because Jimin is my ultimate idol. I want him to be proud, I'm sure he'll be proud that I look exactly like him now. I have his eyes. I finally have Jimin's Korean eyes and they're so, so beautiful... So I'm so, so happy with my new look. I can't wait to see the final results when my swelling goes down."
Amid growing criticism in the hours that followed, London tweeted: "TRANSRACIAL is a thing! I invented it! If you can be transgender you can be TRANSRACIAL. Live your life to the fullest, be who you want to be and spread love."
London also declared a "war on the woke" as they called on help from Fox News personalities Sean Hannity and Tucker Carlson, writing: "Help me speak out against the injustice I am facing, the racism & transphobia from the WOKE MOB."
Conservative commentator Ben Shapiro was one of a number of prominent social media voices to throw support behind London, tweeting on Monday that "only bigots disagree" with their assertion that being transsexual "is the same as being TRANSRACIAL because you are born in the wrong body."
Commenting on London's version of the South Korean flag, which they edited to include the Pride rainbow flag, Shapiro wrote: "Live your truth, Oli."
"Thank you so much for the support Ben! Glad to have you call out the hypocrisy of the WOKE with me," said London, prompting Shapiro to write: "This bigotry during Pride Month of all times is a disturbing reminder of just what Trans Koreans face."
"Well said 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻," wrote London in response to Shapiro's statement. "The hypocrisy of the WOKE is out of control!"
"Trans Koreans are Koreans," added Shapiro as he commented on a video in which London revealed their new identity to their followers.
a man and a woman taking a selfie: Oli London has spoken about their new "Korean eyes" after undergoing surgery to achieve a new look before announcing they now identify as non-binary and Korean. Pictured right in 2018. Marcus Hessenberg/Barcroft Media via Getty Images © Marcus Hessenberg/Barcroft Media via Getty Images Oli London has spoken about their new "Korean eyes" after undergoing surgery to achieve a new look before announcing they now identify as non-binary and Korean. Pictured right in 2018. Marcus Hessenberg/Barcroft Media via Getty Images
While a number of Twitter users debated whether his comments were somewhat tongue-in-cheek, Shapiro was one of a number of conservative commentators who waded into the conversation on Monday.
Actor Laurence Fox, who unsuccessfully stood for mayor of London earlier this year in a bid to "fight against extreme political correctness," wrote to London in Korean: "Live your best life."
British YouTuber Paul Joseph Watson tweeted: "The backlash against Oli London is ignorant and bigoted. If biological men can identify as women, why can't Oli identify as Korean? Trans-racial must be added to the LGBT flag immediately. It's time to #StopTransRacialHate."
U.K.-based rapper Nzube Udezue said: "Can somebody who accepts that this individual is 'non-binary' please explain to me why that makes sense to you and is acceptable, but it is NOT OK for this person to be Korean?"
In a video posted to YouTube over the weekend, London said: "I am gonna come out today and say that I've been transitioning. I've been very unhappy with who I am deep down for the last eight years and I've had, like, 18 plastic surgeries now...
"I've just had a facelift, a brow lift, a temple lift, an eye surgery—a canthoplasty—and my teeth done as well. These are just part of my transition. I'm feeling really good—for the first time in my life I feel beautiful. I'm looking in the mirror and I love the way I look and feel happy, and I hope people can respect my decision.
"It's a very tough decision to come out this way, but I am coming out as non-binary," YouTuber and Instagram star London continued. "I don't feel I identify as male or female. I just feel like I'm just in the middle and my pronouns are they/them, Korean/Jimin...
"I know a lot of people don't understand me, but I do identify as Korean, and I do look Korean now. I do feel Korean. I don't identify as British, so please don't... Refer to me as British, because I identify as Korean.
"That's just my culture, that's my home country. That's exactly how I look now, and I also identify as Jimin—that's my Korean name... I know it's a little bit confusing for some people. Nobody's ever come out as Jimin or Korean, but this is something that you guys know if you've followed my journey for the last eight years.
"I've really struggled with identity issues, with who I am... It's a very tough one, So I've finally had the courage. I've undergone my racial—I can't think of the word—transitional surgery. I've transitioned to a non-binary person—they/them, Korean/Jimin and I finally have the Korean look, so I'm actually really happy."
London first hit headlines in 2018, after revealing they had spent more than $100,000 on cosmetic surgery to resemble musician Jimin. That amount is now estimated to have exceeded $200,000 in the years since.
Social media star London, who has been undergoing cosmetic procedures to alter their looks since 2013, spoke with the Daily Mail this month about the backlash.
a close up of a man and a woman looking at the camera: Oli London first embarked on their surgeries in 2013, in a bid to resemble BTS star Jimin (R). Marcus Cooper/Barcroft Media via Getty Images/The Chosunilbo JNS/Imazins via Getty Images © Marcus Cooper/Barcroft Media via Getty Images/The Chosunilbo JNS/Imazins via Getty Images Oli London first embarked on their surgeries in 2013, in a bid to resemble BTS star Jimin (R). Marcus Cooper/Barcroft Media via Getty Images/The Chosunilbo JNS/Imazins via Getty Images
They said: "It is sad during Pride Month, a month that celebrates diversity, equality and love that WOKE people would use my coming out and sharing my non-binary Korean identity—something that took me many years to understand and accept and took me enormous courage to share with the world—and use it as a platform to bully, degrade and dehumanise me and the LGBT community."
They continued: "While I recognise that a lot of people don't understand how I identify, and may find it unusual—being Korean and feeling Korean is part of who I am and how I feel. And I will never allow a single woke person, bully or troll to take that away from me.
"I have gone through extreme lifestyle changes to become who I am today and have lived in Korea, I eat Korean food everyday, use Korean skincare, have plastic surgery to look Korean and I speak the Korean language—all of this shapes me as a person and my identify as a non-binary Korean person."
Newsweek has contacted representatives for Oli London and Jimin for comment.
Maya Vik standing in front of a mirror posing for the camera: London is pictured in 2018, holding up a pictures of themselves before undergoing multiple surgeries to alter their appearance. Marcus Hessenberg/Barcroft Media via Getty Images © Marcus Hessenberg/Barcroft Media via Getty Images London is pictured in 2018, holding up a pictures of themselves before undergoing multiple surgeries to alter their appearance. Marcus Hessenberg/Barcroft Media via Getty Images
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Dear Abby is written by Abigail Van Buren, also known as Jeanne Phillips, and was founded by her mother, Pauline Phillips. Contact Dear Abby at www.DearAbby.Com or P.O. Box 69440, Los Angeles, CA 90069.