My Mom Was Latina, My Dad Isn't — 10 Annoying Comments I'm Tired of Hearing
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As a multiracial woman with a Peruvian-born mom and a white American dad, I can say life can be a little bit complicated. Growing up, it definitely wasn't the "cool" thing to be multiracial, especially in small-town Oregon where I spent my high school years, so I didn't really start to embrace the Peruvian part of my identity until I got to college. And while I have always taken pride in being Latina — it certainly has come with some built-in perks, like being fluent in Spanish by preschool — the whole thing comes with its fair share of eye-roll-worthy moments. Cue that time customers at my high-school waitressing job assumed I didn't speak English because of the way I looked.
If this story sounds familiar, chances are this roundup of other annoying comments and struggles will be too. Keep scrolling for the most frustrating moments I've faced.
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When People Ask Me "Where Are You From?"
Are you referring to my ethnicity? Because if you are, you're better off saying what you mean (in a more PC way than "what are you?," of course). Otherwise, I'm going to respond with my standard "Houston."
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When Someone Gets Super Condescending When I Say I'm Part Latina
Have you ever been confronted by a stranger who acts like you're an alien or weird creature they've never seen before when you say you're Latina and also whatever (Irish, Italian, Scottish, whatever)? I have. Please reference high-school anecdote in the intro.
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When People Say, "But Your Last Name Isn't Latino"
What is a Latino last name? And, uh, that's because my mom was Hispanic, not my dad.
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When Filling Out a Form Makes Me Actually Angry
When a job or college application requests that I check only one box under race and ethnicity, and one of the choices reads "White (non-Hispanic or Latino)," what am I supposed to do? Is it the year 2016? #facepalm
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When Someone Immediately Assigns Me All the Latino Stereotypes They Can Think Of
Why am I expected to down anything spicy like it's a glass of water? You do know that's a stereotype, right? Please don't demand I rescind "my Latina card" when you see I can't eat hot stuff. Sigh.
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When People Try to Guess My Heritage
Then they express vivid disappointment upon being corrected. In high school, it was black; in college, it was Jewish. Just don't try.
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When People Say "You're Pretty Smart For Being Hispanic"
"Isn't it amazing?!" Eye roll. I can't. I can't.