Mady says she was ‘grossly uncomfortable’ about her heritage as a child, but she is now ‘proud’ to be Korean-American.
Mady Gosselin has reached adulthood, and she has the maturity to prove it! The 20-year-old daughter of ex-couple Jon and Kate Gosselin has spoken out about embracing her Korean heritage as an adult after feeling “shame” about it as a child. Maddy took to Instagram on January 13 to share a throwback photo, revealing how the first time she got an American Girl doll caused her “discomfort” about her own ethnicity.
She wrote “today is korean-american day. i’m sharing this photo with you because this was taken on the morning before i got my first american girl doll. she was from the “look-alike” line and i named her jordan. she did not look like me; she had blonde hair and blue eyes, by my choice. at the time, there wasn’t a doll from the line that looked like me, but more importantly, at 5, i chose a doll that reflected the way i thought i was suppose to look instead of the way i do. looking back, this story fills me with a gross sort of discomfort and shame. having grown up 50/50 (white and korean), i was hyper aware of my ethnicity from a young age, but the transition from awareness to shame was a slow progression that i didn’t notice happening until i was much older. so i want to make it known that i’m so proud to celebrate being korean-american today. i’m proud to be a part of a community that has suffered through decades of ridicule and hate in this country (only made worse in the last 2 years) but have persevered through it powerfully and gracefully. i’m also proud that i make a kick ass kimchi !!”
Mady’s comment section was flooded with love and support, with one fan writing, “So glad you’ve learned to embrace it.” It is, indeed, a battle. “I did the same thing growing up,” one person said, and another added, “Love this! My children are 50/50 like you! My eldest is subjected to racism at school. I always tell him, “Be proud of your heritage!”
Fans first became acquainted with Maddy through the TLC shows about her large family, such as Jon & Kate Plus 8 and its spinoff Kate Plus 8. Jon and Kate’s eight children were the focus of the reality shows: Maddy and her twin Cara, as well as the sextuplet siblings Alexis, Hannah, Aaden, Collin, Leah, and Joel, who are now 17 years old.