Lily Wu grew up in Boston to Chinese parents and moved to Hong Kong after graduating from college.
Lily Wu
Lily Wu, now 31, was born in the US to Chinese parents and grew up in Boston.
Her response to the question "Where are you from?" has evolved over time.
She moved to Hong Kong in her early 20s and now says, "I grew up in the US, but I'm ethnically Chinese."
This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Lily Wu, a 31-year-old Chinese American compliance professional who moved to Hong Kong in her early 20s. Her words have been edited for length and clarity.
If you'd asked me where I was from 10 years ago — before I moved to Asia — my answer would've been very different.
"Where are you from?" has become the poster question for how Asian Americans are often treated as foreigners in their own country. I used to reply, "Boston," very matter-of-factly. I grew up there. I'm American. I speak English. It was a defensive answer, like: "Don't challenge me."
Now, I just say, "I grew up in the US, but I'm ethnically Chinese." It's honest, efficient, and I'm less defensive about it than I used to be.
American, born and raised
I was born in Ohio but spent my early years in China while my parents studied in the US as part of the first wave of Chinese students to leave under Deng Xiaoping's 1980s reforms.
We eventually settled in Boston, my hometown. I grew up surrounded by other Chinese or Chinese-American kids, and it felt like a little cultural cocoon.
As kids, Wu and her brother became stubborn and didn't want to speak Cantonese.
Lily Wu
Later, when I started middle school at Boston Latin School, I met kids from around the world — including China, Vietnam, Cambodia, and Mexico. A lot of kids at my school were local to Boston, but most non-white students, like me, were children of immigrants.
That shift gave me my first understanding of how wide the world was.
I grew up in a Chinese enclave and went to a diverse, progressive school where overt racism wasn't socially acceptable, at least not in my circles.
Cantonese was my first language — my mom's family is from southern China — but over time, I stopped using it. One day, I started answering my parents in English, and they let it stick.
Eventually, we became an English-speaking household.
Looking back, I wish I spoke better Cantonese and Mandarin. Like many Asian Americans, I wanted to fit in — and while maybe my parents could've pushed harder, my brother and I were probably just stubborn.
As a kid, I didn't think much of it, but now I feel a growing pull to reconnect with my roots. I was still surrounded by Chinese culture: I went to Chinese school, played the yangqin (a Chinese instrument), and watched "My Fair Princess," a TV drama, with my mom.
Now, there's so much I still want to learn — not just the language, but everything that comes with it.
Wu, in high school, playing the yangqin, a Chinese stringed instrument, onstage.
Lily Wu
Next stop: Hong Kong
I studied international relations and economics at Tufts University, then joined a rotational finance program working across departments. My first role was in asset management in Boston.
For my final rotation, I asked to be placed in Hong Kong, and the company made it happen. I'd spent most of my life in Boston, with a study abroad year and an internship in London, so moving to Hong Kong — a city I'd only visited once as a kid — felt like the right kind of adventure. I was 23 and ready to see more of the world.
The transition was surprisingly smooth. Hong Kong is easy for foreigners to navigate — English is widely spoken, and the infrastructure is world-class.
But being Asian American here is complicated. You blend in until you open your mouth — then people switch to English. It's efficient, but also a reminder that you're not quite "one of them."
Culturally, I'm a "gwei mui" — Cantonese slang for a Westernized girl. I used to feel embarrassed by that, but now I've learned to accept it.
Still, I see the value in understanding Hong Kong more deeply through its language and customs. It's ironic: I spent my childhood trying to be fully American, and now I find myself wanting to be more Chinese.
Wu on a hiking trail in Hong Kong.
Lily Wu
Asia shifted my perspective
When I visit the US now, I feel a kind of reverse culture shock — the streets are wide and quiet, and hardly anyone walks.
Growing up in the States, I was constantly told how amazing it was, but I was rarely told how great other cities around the world were, too.
That's starting to change, thanks to social media showing things like food delivery robots in China, high-tech toilets in Japan, and Hong Kong trains that run every few minutes. You'd never see that in Boston — I don't miss waiting 30 minutes for the subway in the freezing cold.
Things just run more efficiently here. Still, I love going back to the US to see my parents and friends. I appreciate the space and calm.
But these days, landing in Hong Kong feels more like coming home.
Got a personal essay about moving to Asia that you want to share? Get in touch with the editor: [email protected].
At 26, Kevin Choi got a diagnosis that changed his life: glaucoma.
It's a progressive eye disease that damages the optic nerve, often without symptoms until it's too late. By the time doctors caught it, Choi had lost half his vision.
An engineer by training — and a former rifleman in South Korea's Marine Corps — Choi thought he had a solid handle on his health.
"I was really frustrated I didn't notice that," he said.
The 2016 diagnosis still gives him "panic." But it also sparked something big.
That year, Choi teamed up with his doctor, a vitreoretinal surgeon, to cofound Mediwhale, a South Korea-based healthtech startup.
Their mission is to use AI tocatch diseases before symptoms show up and cause irreversible harm.
"I'm the person who feels the value of that the most," Choi said.
The tech can screen for cardiovascular, kidney, and eye diseases through non-invasive retinal scans.
Mediwhale's technology is primarily used in South Korea, and hospitals in Dubai, Italy, and Malaysia have also adopted it.
Mediwhale said in September that it had raised $12 million in its Series A2 funding round, led by Korea Development Bank.
Antoine Mutin for BI
AI can help with fast, early screening
Choi believes AI is most powerful in the earliest stage of care: screening.
AI, he said, can help healthcare providers make faster, smarter decisions — the kind that can mean the difference between early intervention and irreversible harm.
In some conditions, "speed is the most important," Choi said. That's true for "silent killers" like heart and kidney disease, and progressive conditions like glaucoma — all of which often show no early symptoms but, unchecked, can lead to permanent damage.
For patients with chronic conditions like diabetes or obesity, the stakes are even higher. Early complications can lead to dementia, liver disease, heart problems, or kidney failure.
The earlier these risks are spotted, the more options doctors — and patients — have.
Choi said Mediwhale's AI makes it easier to triage by flagging who's low-risk, who needs monitoring, and who should see a doctor immediately.
Screening patients at the first point of contact doesn't require "very deep knowledge," Choi said. That kind of quick, low-friction risk assessment is where AI shines.
Mediwhale's tool lets patients bypass traditional procedures — including blood tests, CT scans, and ultrasounds — when screening for cardiovascular and kidney risks.
Choi also said that when patients see their risks visualized through retinal scans, they tend to take it more seriously.
Choi said AI can help healthcare providers make faster, smarter decisions — the kind that can mean the difference between early intervention and irreversible harm.
Patients want to hear a human doctor's opinion and reassurance.
Choi also said that medicine is often messier than a clean dataset. While AI is "brilliant at solving defined problems," it lacks the ability to navigate nuance.
"Medicine often requires a different dimension of decision-making," he said.
For example: How will a specific treatment affect someone's life? Will they follow through? How is their emotional state affecting their condition? These are all variables that algorithms still struggle to read, but doctors can pick up. These insights "go beyond simple data points," Choi said.
And when patients push back — say, hesitating to start a new medication — doctors are trained to both understand why and guide them.
They are able to "navigate patients' irrational behaviours while still grounding decisions in quantitative data," he said.
"These are complex decision-making processes that extend far beyond simply processing information."
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Kim Kardashian is remembering her late friend, Lindsay May.
On Sunday, July 6, Kardashian shared a series of photos in honor of May, who died from cancer in November 2024.
“It was just your birthday and I know you never liked to make a big deal of it, but Happy Heavenly Birthday, Lindz,” Kardashian wrote via Instagram, alongside a series o photos that showed herself and her friend group at a lake. “I waited months to post this, mostly because I couldn’t find the right words. Nothing really captures how quiet and empty our lifers chat feels without you in it. I know you’d probably roll your eyes at me posting anything — especially since you didn’t really even have social media — but I couldn’t go through this lake trip without feeling you everywhere, and I needed to share it.”
“The lake was your happy place. It made you feel lighter, healthier… you were you,” she continued. “It’ll always be our favorite lifers tradition because it’s where we spend time with all of our kids being together and get real time with each other without any outside noise. We felt your absence this year in every sunset, every laugh, every quiet moment.”
“Looking back at these pictures from a year ago, I feel so grateful for all the memories we made. We miss you so f–king much, Lindz. Our world is not the same without you. I guess that’s why I hold onto this lake tradition so tightly. We’ll always have the lake — and in that, we’ll always have a piece of you,” Kardashian concluded.
Kim KardashianKim Kardashian IG
Kardashian confirmed May’s death on June 17 via her Instagram Story, as reported by E! News at the time. The pair’s mutual friend Simone Harouche offered her own tribute to May in January.
“My world stopped on Nov 2nd. you took a little of me with you, but thank God I took some of you,” Harouche wrote via Instagram. “A beautiful sunset took on a whole new meaning. Reminisced a lot and the 90s were f–king fun. went on some beautiful adventures. had a lot of family time. I said yes to more. I experienced what it means when people talk about the power of community (very cliche, but very true).”
“Felt like I was in a daze a lot of the time, but also felt grateful for every second of this life (another cliché, but also very true). You are always with me. I feel you all the time,” Harouche added.
Kardashian’s close-knit friend group also includes Allison Statter, Sarah Meyer Michaelson, Ashley Kassan and Zoe Winkler.
“I got sober,” the former Fashion Police host exclusively told Us Weekly in May 2021. “I replaced drugs and alcohol with food, my body metabolized differently. Once I got sober and I gained weight uncontrollably, it was insane. [People] kept telling me, ‘You should do the [gastric sleeve] surgery.’ I was so against it. … I thought the surgery was a cop-out and that it was like cheating. That couldn’t be further from the truth. What the surgery did was give me a fighting chance.”
“I lost, like, I want to say 35 pounds, 40 pounds, and then I stopped losing weight,” she told Us. “I just stopped because I didn’t listen to what they said. I just thought it was going to be a quick fix. I’d be done. I’d be skinny. [I thought I] didn’t have to work out or do anything. I could not have been more wrong. You have to do every single thing that they tell you to do when you do the surgery, or it doesn’t work.”
After her 2009 stint on Dancing With the Stars, Osbourne lost nearly 20 pounds thanks to the daily cardio sessions and a change to her diet.
"I was called fat and ugly in the press almost my entire life," she recalled to Shape magazine one year later of her weight loss journey. "I understand that being judged by others comes with the territory, but it broke my heart and ruined my self-esteem. It sets you up to hate yourself in a huge way. I was so angry about the things people said about me.”
When the ABC competition had ended, she later struggled with her weight and workout motivation, telling the magazine, “I didn't like it one bit. I thought, 'Kelly, you've come this far, let's see what you can really do!’ I would look at myself and think, ‘Ugh!' To get to the gym, when you already don't like yourself, is really hard."
The reality TV alum opened up being diagnosed with Lyme disease in her 2018 memoir, There Is No F—king Secret. She wrote at the time, “The doctors kept changing my prescription, trying to get the dosage right, and it turned me into a zombie. You know in movies where a mental patient sits in a rocking chair in a cardigan and nightgown and stares at a wall all day? That was me.”
After her initial diagnosis, she underwent stem cell therapy treatment, writing, “I’ve kept quiet about my Lyme disease, not only for fear of pharmaceutical companies coming after me because of the cure I found in Germany but also because it seems like the trendy disease to have right now, and I’m tired of seeing sad celebrities play the victim on the cover of weekly mags. Since I know firsthand how awfully debilitating it is, I know who really has it and who is just trying to prolong their 15 minutes. I don’t understand how anyone could think that the life you have to live with Lyme disease is glamorous.”
While marking one year of sobriety, Osbourne thanked her family for their support, sharing via Instagram, “I have spend the past year truly working on my mind body and soul! I had to take a step out of the public eye away from work and give myself a chance to heal and figure out who the fuck I really am without a camera in my face. … Thank you to my Mum and Dad for never giving up on me. I love my family with all my heart. Thank you to the friends who have walked the path of sobriety with me I could not have done this with out there love and support. I can’t believe It’s been a year!!! I still don’t know who the f—k I am or what the f—k I want but I can whole heartedly confess that I’m finally at peace with myself and truly starting to understand what true happiness is. I’m sorry if I let anyone down it was just time for me to work on me!”
Sharon and Ozzy Osbourne’s daughter opened up about undergoing gastric sleeve surgery two years prior.
“I had really bad TMJ. One of the things they did to stop it was they gave me injections in my jaw. It kinda made my jaw look skinnier. That’s when people started to notice that I had really lost weight because it changed the shape of everything,” Kelly said during an episode of the “Hollywood Raw with Dax Holt and Adam Glyn” podcast at the time. “I found out It’s called buckle fat. It changed everything on my face! How the f–k did I not know about this sooner?”
She continued, “I don’t give a f–k what anyone has to say. I did it, I’m proud of it, they can suck s–t. I did the gastric sleeve. All it does is change the shape of your stomach. I got that almost two years ago. I will never, ever, ever lie about it ever. It is the best thing I have ever done.”
The England native showed her impressive weight loss while celebrating her birthday. Months earlier, she shared a selfie of her weight loss progress, writing, “Today I’m feeling #Gucci.” At the time, a friend commented that she “lost a lot of weight,” to which Kelly replied, “That’s right mamma Mai I lost 85lbs since I last saw you. Can you believe it?”
After nearly four years sober, the TV host relapsed amid the coronavirus pandemic. “This is a little hard for me to talk about, but I’ve always promised you that I will always be honest with you about where I’m at and what’s going on in my road to recovery,” she explained via her Instagram Story. “I relapsed. Not proud of it. But I am back on track.”
During a Red Table Talk appearance, the designer opened about her addiction struggles, telling the hosts, “I had a really bad case of tonsillitis. They ended up having to give me some crazy surgery and then after that they gave me Vicodin and that was all I needed. I went from having every voice in my head being like, ‘You’re fat, you’re ugly, you’re not good enough, no one likes you, you don’t deserve this, people only like you for who your parents are,’ then all of a sudden every single voice was silent. It felt like life gave me a hug.”
“Today marks my 37th birthday and I’m 5 months sober!!! I am filled with so much gratitude it’s almost overwhelming! 💜,” she captioned a birthday selfie via Instagram.
Osbourne announced that she was expecting her first child via Instagram, sharing sonogram photos. She captioned her post: “I know that I have been very quiet these past few months so I thought I would share with you all as to why… I am over the moon to announce that I am going to be a Mumma. To say that I am happy does not quite cut it. I am ecstatic!”
Weeks after Kelly announced she is expecting her first child, she opened up about her latest sobriety milestone.
“What a difference a year can make! If you would have told me 365 days ago that I would be sober, happy, and about to be a mumma I would have laughed in your face,” Kelly wrote via Instagram, revealing she has been sober for one year. “Life is truly amazing when you do the work. Thank you to everyone that has supported me on this journey. I love you all so much!!!!!!!”
She gave birth to son Sidney the following November.
Osbourne's boyfriend, Wilson, proposed backstage at her dad's last Black Sabbath concert.
"Kelly, you know I love you more than anything in the world,” Wilson said at the time. “Nothing would make me happier than spending the rest of my life with you. In front of your family and all of our friends, Kelly, will you marry me?”
Kelly Osbourneand her longtime partner, Sid Wilson, are engaged!
“Oh, and this happened yesterday!” Kelly, 40, captioned Sunday, July 6, Instagram footage from her dad Ozzy Osbourne’s Black Sabbath concert the day before.
In the clip, Kelly joined Ozzy, 76, and mom Sharon Osbourne backstage at the Birmingham, England, venue when Wilson, 48, got down on one knee.
“Kelly, you know I love you more than anything in the world,” Wilson said. “Nothing would make me happier than spending the rest of my life with you. In front of your family and all of our friends, Kelly, will you marry me?”
“I truly believe my baby saved me and made me a whole human,” Kelly said in her Us Weekly cover story published in October 2024. “I don’t think I knew what love was before having a baby.”
She added, “I don’t remember life before having the baby because everything has changed. I didn’t realize just how powerful the feeling of love was [going to be] when you have the baby. It’s the most … addictive feeling I have ever felt. You realize in that one second, ‘You’ve given me purpose like nothing has ever given me before.’ I don’t think I had purpose.”
At the time, Kelly also gushed to Us that the Slipknot performer was The One.
“I found my guy. We don’t need the certificate, but I know Sid really wants to get married, so we will get married,” she said. “It’s not as important to me. I’ve worn so many beautiful dresses and had so many moments that have been just about me, so that whole idea of a big day isn’t as important to me.”
Kelly further joked that “never in a million f***ing years” did she believe she would “end up with a rock star partner” like her dad.
“But, I did,” she quipped. “We’ve known each other for 25 years.”
Kelly, who proclaimed to Us that she “definitely” wants to have more children down the line, had attended her dad’s musical farewell on Saturday.
“I just wanted to take a moment to say thank you,” Kelly said in an Instagram Story video earlier on Sunday. “Thank you to everyone who came to the show last night, [and] thank you to everybody who was involved in the show last night. You have no idea what it did for my dad.”
Ozzy confirmed his Parkinson’s disease diagnosis in 2020.
Summer plans can shift on a dime — this is why it’s crucial to have figure-flattering dresses that can do it all. Whether your beach day turns into a sunset dinner or you need to run errands after a pool date, breezy styles you can easily toss over your swimsuit are a last-minute lifesaver. Even better? Every pick on our list is wallet-friendly and ready to pack for your next getaway.
From stunning strapless styles to flowy floral finds, these summer sundresses flatter the curves in all the right places. Plus, they feel so airy in the summer heat. Whether you’re sipping a cocktail poolside, strolling on the boardwalk or meeting friends for lunch, these options work overtime to also double as swimsuit cover-ups. Keep scrolling to shop our 17 favorite Amazon picks that start at just $10.
17 Slimming Summer Sundresses That Double as Beach Cover-Ups
Vacation Packing Must-Haves
1. Our Favorite: Out of our whole list, this strapless floral option has got to be our favorite dress-meets-cover up for its comfort, cute print and easy-to-throw-on design.
2. Floral Favorite: Perfect for an evening of patio drinks, this yellow floral mini can be thrown on with some espadrille sandals, a woven crossbody and cute jewelry.
3. Subtly Slimming: Though it has a loose-fit design, this printed mini dress still has an hourglass shape.
4. European-Inspired: Channel European fashion vibes with this Greek-style mini dress that would look so chic with a white swimsuit.
5. Breezy Beauty: Stay cool and comfy in this breezy shirt dress that’s made of 100% cotton.
6. Our Favorite: This bestselling floral sundress is made for coffee dates in the morning and pool days in the afternoon.
7. Must-Have Maxi: We love how versatile this comfy maxi dress is. It can easily go from being worn with flip-flops at the pool to heels on date night.
8. Has Pockets: Not only can this short-sleeve mini dress double as a cover-up, it also acts as a purse — kind of. The dress has pockets to carry the necessities like your phone and keys.
9. Loose and Airy: Feel the summer breeze in this airy tiered midi dress that can be thrown over a swimsuit for an afternoon of sightseeing.
10. Belted Beauty: After a long day spent in the sun, this comfy T-shirt dress is the only thing you’ll want to grab for.
Beach-to-Dinner Dresses
11. Our Favorite: Go from a sunset stroll to a fancy dinner in this stunning halterneck dress that gathers at the waist for a tummy-slimming effect.
12. Body-Skimming: Show off your curves in this floral wrap dress that skims over all of the right places.
13. Deal Alert: Hurry! This pretty polka dot dress is now shockingly on a major sale — now 40% off.
14. Classic LBD: If you’re looking for a style you can pair with your whole closet, opt for this mini black sundress that also has secret pockets.
Poolside Lounging Picks
15. Our Favorite: Go from an afternoon at the pool to a sunset date night with this loose beach maxi dress. It can be styled with a beach hat, strappy sandals and cute crossbody.
16. Sporty Chic: Thanks to its drawstring closure, this sporty-mini dress makes the waistline appear slimmer.
17. Shopper Favorite: You won’t be embarrassed to walk through Target post-pool in this chic button-up dress that channels effortless rich mom energy.
Bindi Irwin is celebrating a milestone moment for her and husband Chandler Powell’s daughter, Grace.
“This is the first photo Grace has ever taken of us. She asked me if she could take a photo on my phone, looked at it, and said, ‘cuuute,’” Irwin, 26, wrote via Instagram on Saturday, July 5. “Everything about these few minutes in time makes my heart happy. It’s the little moments that really mean the most.”
In the image, Irwin was all smiles as she cuddled up next to Powell, 28, while they sat on a swing outside.
Irwin and Powell, who tied the knot in 2020, welcomed daughter Grace the next year. After Grace’s arrival, Bindi noted that the little one’s name honors several family members — including late dadSteve Irwin. (The Australian wildlife expert died unexpectedly in 2006 after being injured by a stingray.)
“Grace is named after my great-grandmother, and relatives in Chandler’s family dating back to the 1700s,” she via Instagram at the time. “Her middle names, Warrior Irwin, are a tribute to my dad, and his legacy as the most incredible Wildlife Warrior. Her last name is Powell, and she already has such a kind soul just like her dad. There are no words to describe the infinite amount of love in our hearts for our sweet baby girl. She chose the perfect day to be born and we feel tremendously blessed.”
As Grace has gotten older, Bindi quipped that her daughter is the one to run the show at the zoo.
“She is so much fun,” Bindi exclusively told Us Weekly in 2024. “Honestly, she’s the one that runs Australia Zoo at this point — 100 percent. She’s like, ‘I run this zoo and I will take care of everyone,’ but she’s 3.”
Bindi shared that she’s finding a way to pay tribute to Steve and make sure Grace knows her grandfather.
“He’s not here, and it’s so hard not having him around to be able to run around with Grace,” Bindi said of her dad. “Because I know if he was still alive today, we would never see Grace. He would just take her and be like, ‘Let’s go climb the mountain and climb the street and go see these animals.’ But being able to show her documentaries is so incredibly special because she’s all in. As soon as we turn on Dad, knows who he is and she starts doing her imitations. So I’ll say, ‘Crikey.’ And she’ll be yelling, ‘Crikey,’ through the living room and It’s really sweet.”
She asked me if she could take a photo on my phone, looked at it, and said, ‘cuuute,’” Irwin, 26, wrote via 
