random tangent

So I was writing the post above and got into a tangent, it went on way too long but I figured I would put it as a separate post.

There is an interesting experience with a friend of mine. She is fully Brazilian, born there, speaks Portugese and everything, goes back on vacations, is still close to family there. But she looks more white, like, you can tell from her hair, but otherwise she doesn't look stereotypical Brazilian like what is expected around here. She also has always been a perfect white suburbia child (just to clarify, love her, and have nothing against the white suburbia product, I'm maybe 75% of that make as well) but when I asked her what she id's as on census reports, she says "sometimes just white, sometimes Hispanic, I don't really know" I feel like a lot of mixed people are like that, but what is striking is that she is so Brazilian in so many other ways I long to be Asian, but she still says that. And you know, I think its a great deal cause she looks far more white than others so she has always felt mostly included in the white community.

That was the random thought, wanted to put it up.

Mixed Race, Pretty Face?

So in this article in Psychology Today it was all about how mixed race people are more beautiful. Now I have heard this before and I have discussed it before in the "bi-racial doll project" blog post but I think I can revisit it a little. I was analyzing the concept of the "beautiful mixed race" stereotype as it is seen in parts of China (probably not everyone has the same views). I mean, this stereotype is brought up a lot, and I mean it really should be a compliment but it also puts pressure on the mixed person, as I have said before. I just thought it was also interesting to see it as I have experienced it in America, not as if I have pictured it to be in China. So in the good old US of A I'd have to say that I have heard this a lot from people who know anything about mixed race or bring it up, but otherwise I haven't really until I just got into "How I Met Your Mother", man... good series I am kind of obsessed, but then, in one of the first episodes Barney says "you know how I was into half-asian girls? Now its lebanese girls!" Or something to that effect. That was the first time I heard it in a TV show though I could just have not seen the right TV shows or movies. Now don't get me wrong, I still LOVE HIMYM but I was unsure how to take that. Like I said I think that this kind of thing can definitely (after hearing it over and over) get into the psyche and mess around with body image (for better or worse). Now I was very sheltered about it, there were few half-asian kids I knew growing up, and if there were maybe I didn't recognize them (now its automatic if I even get a faint feeling that they are halfies that I find out) although I suppose there were a few. Even then I remember being really excited about meeting them. But of the maybe one I knew it was the half-but-looks-far-more-asian type. The ones like me that blend in (my younger brother once called it "camouflage" which I thought was really clever) clearly did not flaunt that they had an asian parent. They were full-on white suburbia children lol.Who knows that maybe very important :) but anyway I also thought it was interesting because its in "psychology today" and they are now talking about how mixed race is so much healthier then other pure races. I feel like just a day ago we "had greater tendency to depression" and other health issues then pures. I don't know, its how fast things change I guess. Just a generation ago we were considered "weird-looking". There was a testimony of a half-japanese lady I got an email from (kinda, was a friend of a friend, my friend emailed her testimony to me) that she had major body issues because guys wouldn't go out with her cause she was exactly that "weird-looking" and now we are the next fashion trend? Body image is so messed up in general in the world that this probably doesn't help, these conflicting messages. Like I said, I was very sheltered from all this for most of my life and now its a continuous journey learning more and more about mixed race history. All very interesting.