Interracial relationships are quite common lately, however, the idea behind it is associated with fetishization. Being in a relationship with a person of color or vice versa is treated as a trend. This started out as the Kardashians are known for dating black men and wanting mixed-race children. It’s quite clear as people often get into these relationships to try and have an excuse for appropriating POC culture.
The Kardashians as well as many other white celebrities have a history of justifying their actions and claiming they aren’t appropriating anyone as they have ‘friends’ from those cultures and just want to embrace it. Biracial people are often objectified by the media, as people see them as trophies of some sort. I chose the Kardashians as an example as the sisters are known for being in relationships with black men i.e. rappers such as Travis Scott as well as NBA basketball players with the likes of D’Angelo Russell.
But did this make them think it was ok to do black-face on numerous occasions? My point exactly.
An example would be traditional Asian wear- it is now quite sexualized in fashion as the style of wear is meant to be modest attire, and therefore it can be seen as disrespectful to that specific culture.
Living in Europe, interracial relationships are normal but still looked upon in certain areas that are predominantly white people that don’t often interact with people of color. However, there have been some situations where I have witnessed people act racist in certain circumstances and justifying themselves by saying “I have black friends, nothings wrong if I say the N-word”, and already I would be super uncomfortable at that moment.
At this moment in time- why should I have to explain to a caucasian male why it is wrong for him to say the N-word?
The internet is easily accessible to everyone and I often tell people from time to time that we as people of color shouldn’t be obligated to teach non-POC what’s right and what isn’t.
Now, back to the point I was making. This ‘normalized’ fetishization happens mainly to black men as white women are head over heels for them as their main goal is simply to have mixed-race children as they are some sort of collectible you win in a raffle.
When the black lives matter protests were happening, most white women held signs reading “BLM if you like BBC”, and you’re mature enough to understand the context and see how black people are sexualized and belittled even in the most serious matters at hand. This doesn't imply that all white women only date black men for sex, however, most of them see them as sex objects rather than human beings.
I came across a number of Instagram accounts ran by white women as well as white men stating why they are better to be in a relationship with compared to black men and vice versa.
The question is why do these accounts choose to glamourize and also humiliate other races? It’s great we are changing our mindsets and appreciating each other for more than color but others still see color whilst in these relationships.
Being in an interracial relationship is now seen as a certain lifestyle and without realizing it he/she is only in that relationship to feel as though they accomplished something whilst still being racist towards their partner. More or less, some of these relationships are used as an accessory to fit into certain brackets of society or maybe to even seem as though they aren’t racially prejudiced towards other races.
In the end, if you think about it, racism just finds new ways to still be present in our lives in different ways.
