Now, today we are going to get deep. We are going to discuss something personal to me and many others. Something that we may not think about everyday or even every week but has affected us at some point in our lives.
The pressures of coming from a mixed heritage background.
There. I said it. There are pressures.
Pressure to have thick curly hair.
Pressure to have perfectly smooth light skin.
Pressure to have blue or green coloured eyes.
Pressure to have curves.
Pressure to look like the glorified mixed people people on social media.
Just like anything repetitive event in your life, you get used it.
You know you're mixed when people feel entitled to know "what" you are.
When people think its okay to claim or reject you for their race whenever it is convenient to them.
When you can't relate to either side of your family because you weren't raised in their culture.
When people express that "they wish they had your skin tone".
When you have to tick a generalised term on application forms such as "other" or "black and white african".
When people accuse you of siding with one side of your culture, agreeing to the fact that yes you are mixed but you act white or behave black.
When really, that's all you've known and you're just being you.
And what do people expect you to say when...
They ask you why your african heritage hasn't given you curly hair
or the curvaceous body your ancestors possess?
Why you you don't have the blue eyes of your mother?
Or why you listen to 'white' music.
We do not realise the ignorance behind these questions until we take a step back.
As a child of mixed-heritage, I do feel privileged. But not because of my skin tone. I feel privileged because I have a true understanding of two cultures and that is something most people will not have the chance to experience.
✌️🏽
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