You don’t look THAT Mexican!
Jessica Gonzalez, Corona, CA I’ve heard this phrase for many years. Even Mexicans show racism towards other Mexicans. People seem to prefer light-skinned Mexicans to...
“But you’re not ‘really’ black, right?”
Danielle Petterson, Tampa, FL. I have light brown skin and I consider myself to be mixed. Most people have a simple-minded belief that “mixed” means...
You’re Jewish? You don’t look Jewish.
Jek, Hudson Valley, NY These days, that comment might be a good thing. But I don’t try to hide who I am. This year, for...
You don’t look Asian to me.
Isaiah Keo, Houston, TX My name is Isaiah, and I attend UT Austin. Growing up mixed in has led to many awkward moments of trying...
Don’t think of you as Asian…
Dan Ellerman, Baltimore, MD. I was adopted from S. Korea at the age of 3 by a German/Irish couple. I grew up in a white...
Wait… how is he your brother?
Brenna, France. When my brother was born, my mom told my sister and I that she hated the word “half.” She didn’t believe that the...
I ate pasta, family ate rice.
Melanie Vanderlipe Ramil, Sacramento, CA. Growing up, I wanted to be as “non-Filipino” as possible and felt great achievement whenever a friend said to me,...
You’re Dominican? But you’re Black, really.
Juleyka, Oxford, CT. This phrase is often said to me by African Americans and other (usually darker) people from the Caribbean who insist that though...
But you don’t look half Mexican
Denise Shirley-Carter, Hudson, WI My father is white, Irish, Scottish, etc. My mother’s parents were from Mexico, Spain, then El Paso, TX. However, both my...
Your children really look like Americans
Renu Gehring Portland, OR I am an ethnically Indian woman married to a white man. Our two kids are a happy blend of brown and...
“You don’t look Iranian!” “I am.”
Rom Barkhordar, Chicago, IL This was a brief exchange with someone I just met who, to his defense, had a few beers and was feeling...
“You don’t look Jamaican or Cuban”
Michael A. Caldas, Miami, FL I’m a Cuban and Jamaican descent mix. Most people when they look at me think that I am either Cape...
Being Asian, my Authenticity is Questioned
Colette, Sacramento, CA. “I love Asian girls” “I love Japanese people” “Konnichiwa” “Ni hao” “Sayonara” “Kamsammida” ‘Your a bad Japanese. You don’t know Japanese.’ “Are...
Cute! Where did you get them?
Lauren Higgs, Bahamas. A woman actually came up to me and asked me this.
