
Because I’ve seen white beauty standards discriminate against Black people. I had to explain to my white parents that Black people’s natural hair is not messy or unprofessional because it came up in a random conversation. I know I’m not qualified to speak on this because no lived experience (I’m white), but hopefully I can unlearn all the racism and relay the information to my family.
I think they discriminate in different ways for each. Pick your poison. Ppl fetishize Asians and Latinas, but with Black ppl it seems there is more straight up hate. Like maybe it’s the outright bullying version as opposed to the passive aggressive version, if that makes sense. But again, I haven’t lived it. Respect to everyone who has.
Yeah from my perspective, and also backed by research, there’s def more hate than fetishization as a black woman. I still experience fetishization. Sometimes it feels like people just want to experience me whether it’s romantically, sexually, or platonically. It’s like wanting to catch a new Pokémon out of curiosity. And then there are people who genuinely find me attractive but are conflicted within themselves because it contradicts everything they were taught.
What do you think people like me should do about it? I’ve been in sort of a deconstructing phase, trying to un-learn bad ideas, read books written by various writers from diverse backgrounds, and build good habits. Because I’m often surrounded by white people, and I’m sure Black people are tired of explaining their own humanity, I should be in a position to explain these things to other white people. But I want to do it in a way that actually helps. If you have any input, I’d appreciate it.