Monday 4 October 2010

Being 1/4 black, but looking white(ish)

So what's it like being mixed-race? Well I could just as easily say what's it like belonging to just one race? For me its just normal, I've never known anything different. The one thing that is different about me is that I wasn't born looking that mixed - I look almost white, but being part black and part Italian, I've ended up looking like a light Latina. In fact for people like me who are 1/4 black our looks probably vary more than any other group of people - some of us look like we're pretty black, others almost white, and there's every shade in between. At the same time our features can vary from pure African to pure European and again every combination in between. The same is even true of body shape. Those of us who look white can more or less blend in when we live in mainly white areas / countries so long as nobody knows we're mixed from seeing our parents or other relatives. Personally I'm not that interested in blending in really, but then I have the luxury of living in the 21st century where racism isn't quite as bad as it was in the past, plus the racism we lighter mixed people get isn't usually as much or as blatant as darker people experience. Its also true that some of us can pretty much change our looks by different hair styles or different make-up to make ourselves look darker or lighter. The girl in these photos Jessica Szohr is a quadroon, but is able to change her look completely....



Another girl who can change her look completely is Brazilian model Emanuela de Paula - how many people would realise that these are photographs of the same girl?....



Add in some blonde hair to the light mix and you can see why some people can't tell some mixed people from 100% white ones...


My own skin color changes throughout the year as I can tan very easily - so I could look the same color as anyone from ultra-white Gwen Stefani through to light-brown Rihanna just depending on the month and if I've been on vacation recently.

6 comments:

  1. all of those are different women.. Nicole Richie is actually white.. Lionel Richie is her ADOPTED father.. and that brazilian chick is not the same woman as in the other picture.. don't use lies to support your theory.. it was solid enough without them...

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  2. To the genius 'Mary'. It is well-documented that Nicole Ritchie is of multiracial descent, with usually Black Creole and Mexican ancestry being cited through her biological parents. She has also been on record describing herself as black. Try doing some research in the future, before running your mouth.

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  3. That acually is Emanuela de Paula in both photos. She seems different, but that is the point. Hair texture and lighting can drastically change a person's look. I know from experience
    :-)

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  4. brazillion chick mustve gotten some work done. the one where shes darker has fuller lips, different brows, and different eye shape. they can fake most of thehair texture, but not the hairline. orface shape. but other than tht example, ur perfectly correct

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  5. is tht first girl in terra nova?

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  6. Curious, StefiA...which look do you prefer? Does it change, depending on your mood? Do you ever consciously try for one look over another?

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