A woman who wears many hats, Alexa Chung is a model, TV presenter, fashion designer, writer, and more. A lover of reading, Alexa Chung was scouted by a modeling agency after being discovered in the comedy tent at a reading festival when she was 16 years old. Ever wondered what her ethnicity is?
Alexa Chung is of Asian descent. Alexa was born in Hampshire, England, her mother is of English descent while her father is of mostly Chinese descent. Alexa is considered British due to her birthplace but many refer to her as White-Asian, or ‘wasian’ for short.
Continue reading to find out more about Alexa Chung’s family background, her ties to China and England, and which of your other favorite celebs are descended from Asia.
What Is Alexa Chung’s Ethnicity?
In the past, Hollywood had been seen as a sea of “whiteness” when it comes to the topic of celebrity ethnicity. In the last few decades, many strides have been made to include diverse faces and representation for all from the big screen to the runway.
Alexa Chung may be seen as fully British, but her surname is a dead giveaway to her Asian routes. Alexa’s father brings the ‘Chung’ name and the Chinese ancestry to her unique look. Her mother is of English descent and her family lived in England throughout her childhood.
In 2009 her fans’ incessant need to know got to Alexa when she tweeted “I’m 3/8 Chinese and 5/8 English. A very silly fraction. Less than half, more than a quarter. Pass it on so I don’t have to explain again. Thanks.” Well, now you know!
Alexa Chung’s Ties To China and England
Alexa was born in England to her father, Philip, who was a graphic designer, and her mother, Gill, Alexa describes her background as “the most middle class you can imagine.”
Phil Chung is where her ties to China are from. He himself is 3/4 Chinese and 1/4 English and grew up in England. Gill, Alexa’s mom, is fully English and was born and bred in the United Kingdom. This is why Alexa identifies as being English and has a British passport.
Which Other Celebrities Are Of Chinese Descent?
There are a lot of celebs that have Asian descent, whether it be Chinese, Thai, Filipino, or Indian, sometimes your favorite star is easy to identify with and other times it may come as a shock to find out that they have an ethnicity different than what you thought.
Zayn Malik is known as one-fifth of the world-famous boy band One Direction, but his striking looks are all thanks to his Pakistani father and his British mother. Born in Bradford, England, Zayn was raised as a Muslim which he is proud of and supports.
Another songbird, Bruno Mars, is of Filipino descent on his mother’s side and is very proud of his Asian heritage. Since his mother immigrated to the USA before Bruno was born, he was not exposed to his Filipino heritage and is unable to speak Tagalog or any of the 120 languages spoken in the Philippines.
Chrissy Teigen was born in Utah to a Thai mother and a Norwegian father. This mix of ethnicities is what gives Chrissy the unique looks that helped her become a famous model and led her to become the mother of two beautiful children with her husband John Legend,
Naomi Campbell is one of, if not the most recognizable models to date, but few know of her Asian descent. Naomi is of Chinese descent on her paternal grandfather’s side. Unfortunately, Naomi did not have her father around when growing up so was not privy to that side of her heritage.
This last celeb may come as a shock. Keanu Reeves has Asian running through his blood from his grandmother being part Hawaiian and part Chinese. Although Keanu may “pass” as white, he has said that he connects with his Asian background, but is unsure about being referred to as a person of color, saying, “I don’t know if I agree with that statement. But I don’t not agree.”
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