In May 2022, Joanna Gaines joined 105 other women for the personal advocacy book, “My Moment.” Her piece focused on the taunting she experienced as a young girl with Korean heritage.
Thinking back on her childhood, Gaines recounted some of what she endured. “I spent my younger years trying to fit in as best I could … acting as though I didn’t get their jokes about my slanted eyes or hear their whispers when I’d opt for rice instead of fries in the cafeteria line,” she wrote. Ultimately, it got to a point where she began dissociating from a major part of her identity, even changing her second name to something, “More American.”
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Later on in 2022, Gaines’ “My Moment” piece ended up being used in her own book, “The Stories We Tell.” In the lead-up to its launch, the “Fixer Upper” star gave People even more insight into what she experienced, and how it would go on to affect her, years after the bullying itself had died down. “It was deeply personal, because that was half of my story,” she acknowledged, of downplaying her heritage from her mom’s side of the family.
