The newly released “Madwoman” music video by Laufey is gaining attention, not only for its cinematic visuals but also for its powerful representation of “Wasians” (mixed-race white and Asian individuals) in mainstream media.
Released on April 13, 2026, the retro-inspired video features a stellar cast, including Olympic figure skating champion Alysa Liu; actress Lola Tung, who stars in the Amazon Prime series “The Summer I Turned Pretty”; and Megan Skiendiel, a member of the popular all-female pop group KATSEYE. Fans seem to express great appreciation for Laufey’s casting arrangements as an attempt to pay homage to the impressive breadth of Wasian influence and contributions across global media in the last decade.
Set within a stylized 1960s-70s dreamscape, the video explores themes of toxic romance and illusion with “Heated Rivalry” star, Hudson Williams. The music video’s casting of biracial women as central love interests, instead of side characters, brings visibility to issues of racialized misrepresentation in Western pop culture. In the Entertainment industry, Asian women are typically portrayed in limiting stereotypes, such as the “tiger mom,” the submissive “lotus blossom” and the model minority. When Asian women are involved in central love stories, their love interest is typically a White male lead. These patterns have led to the continuation of Asian stereotypes and the fetishization of Asian women in Western media.
In Laufey’s “Madwoman” music video, she contrasts these narratives by centering mixed-race Asian women as complex, desirable and multi-dimensional figures within the story, while also featuring a mixed-race Asian male as the love interest.
Laufey’s inclusion of Olympic champions and renowned actors emphasizes the growing presence of Asian American excellence in sports, entertainment and Western culture as a whole. In “Madwoman,” Laufey builds a world where Asian and diaspora identities are not just included but celebrated, creating a vision that feels both intentional and long overdue.
Visual Credit: Two Lifebuoys in Outside Pool
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