No one thinks I'm Hispanic

slavaheroyam

No reason to be overly hung up on race. It's a meaningless way to categorize people. When you keep going back and back to find out "where you came from" we all come from the same place. Sub-Saharan Africa. All humankind migrated from there. Scientifically there is no such designation as "race". We're all one species, one people. Just with a few differences based on climate. Some of us have less melanin content in our skin, maybe lighter hair or smaller noses. Such a small thing when you think about it. And think of all the fuss that gets made over it.

People are people. The differences are minor. We have much more in common with each other.

/Nerdy Saturday Night

This is pretty much the main reason I decided to major in Anthropology. Race is determined by society. Even within Latin America (or anywhere really), you can categorize by facial and body structure depending on different regions. Add to it immigration and it's a whole mess of things.

my concentration is in women studies and im currently taking a class on Hispanic women studies. im also going to try to take as many classes as i can regarding Hispanic culture because of how much it effects me.

If it helps, then have at it! It's obvious you're not the only person who feels this way and there's countless Hispanic people who don't fit the stereotype so maybe whatever you research can help someone in your position along with helping you feel more connected (I could have needed it as a young teen). If you're ever presented with the opportunity, maybe you could study abroad or at least visit your country of origin for a month or so.

At least I hope realizing that there isn't just one "look" helps you out.

calliope_music

i get mistaken for being Puerto Rican a LOT. my profile picture is a picture of me!

catshark209

I can relate to this. I'm mistaken for Asian alot, in specific Filipina. But I'm as Mexican as La India Maria.
From my father's side, a lot of my cousins look more Spanish than the typical Mestizo Mexican but Mom's side definitely looks more Native. I got the mix, I don't tan AT ALL yet I have the thick black hair and next to no body hair....I'm a total mutt.
My partner is White of French/Creole descent and people believe he's Mexican or Spanish before me.

DarkOctoberNight

The Hispanic women I know are usually dark tan, large hips, dark brown/black hair, brown eyes, wavy hair, wider nose, well endowed chest, but you have to remember Christina Aguilara claims shes hispanic and shes pasty with blond hair.

imchelseap

To be honest..I can perfectly relate to any latino/a that had this problem. I am half Spanish and half Mexican and spanish my first language. My name is a caucasion person's name (sorry for my bad spelling) and it bothers me since my family all have hispanic names. I have been told by 80% people I either am white(according to their beliefs, regardless of the fact I am not) they assume I am. I have what people describe "Olive skin" aka I am simply a beige color, brownish. considered very tan to many caucasions...and I have big almond hazelish colored eyes and long brown curly hair and full lips and thin eyebrows. Simply, I am confused of why people think I am white...perhaps it is because the way I dress? or have my makeup? or my body language...I also assume many people perceive me as being white because most of the time, the people are narrow-minded and their family is dark brown aka stereotypical Latino/a and I just so happen to not be so dark. Both my parents are what you like to call "Morenos" which is a spanish meaning for well...colored people. aka my parents are DARK brown. I feel it as being a huge insult to being confused as white NOT because I have anything against anyone who is white but because as a Latina I have great pride of my culture and everything and it hurts me a little to be simply assumed as being "white girl". I hope I do not offend anyone, I do not intend to do so but anyone who is latina/o and who can relate with me or the pride thing might understand my point (or any other nationalities as well.) To be honest, there are many ignorant people that assume things based off movies or stereotypes of what nationality is suppose to be, so it hurts others when people simply make assumptions instead of politely getting to know the person. I love how I look and I have nothing I really regret about myself, simply I want to know just why I was the one born with the different skin color and I feel it is truly because I have some recessive traits instead of my parent's dominant ones....
Soii Latina<3
and proud....

meshashesha2012

there's no one way a hispanic person looks like. it's like asking what does a black person look like.

i have people in my immediate family who are as light as jennifer beales and others who are as dark as wesley snipes yet they are all black.

hispanic is no different. there are lighter and fair hispanics as well as dark skinned ones.

who cares if people dont think you're hispanic. why do you need to convince others what your culture is?

sorry, i really just dont understand the logic here

imchelseap

,

imchelseap

The Hispanic women I know are usually dark tan, large hips, dark brown/black hair, brown eyes, wavy hair, wider nose, well endowed chest, but you have to remember Christina Aguilara claims shes hispanic and shes pasty with blond hair.

Yea Christina does NOT look hispanic...but I mean if you ever seen any Novelas you would realize that PERHAPS hispanics come in literally, many shapes and sizes and looks and colors.

sweetchildomine

This is a weird question to me because...well..











Get my point?? lol the word "hispanic" covers SOOOO many different looks. I think the stereotypical hispanic is one like Jennifer Lopez or Sofia Vegara but I think people forget that Hispanics come from SOOOO many different places and some look completely white, some look black, some are brown and that is part of the beauty!!! Who cares what other people think. Correct them and just brush your shoulders off! ps. Why is this in Food and Nutrition? lol

Nahnita

Heaven.

I love your answer BrettPGH
it made me smile

PhenomeNae

i am latina... i guess you can say i'm the stereotypical type of latina... darker skin, large brown eyes and dark hair...

but
i have blond cousins, some have green eyes... my nieces are red headed and freckled...

it doesn't matter what a latina looks like. as Brett said, we're all a piece heaven.

and as my favorite niece says... "own it, live it, love it"

lacroyx

im hispanic and no one can tell and its starting to kill me i just want to show my culture because everyone makes assumptions

how would you describe what a hispanic person looks like? I am only interested in your idea of physical appearance. (clothing may be added as a secondary comment)

anything offensive will be deleted and reported.

guys- i know this is very random so i appreciate your responses

:-) thank you guys hope you had a very healthy day!

I can understand it can be fusterating. At my heaviest people who just met me assumed I was of hawaiian or pacific islander until they hear me speak Spanish. As comedian Gabriel Iglesias a.k.a. Fluffy would say "My people! Swollen Mexicans!" :laugh: Besides working nights and rarely seeing the sun, I am also 6'3 so in alot of people's eyes I am "too tall" to be hispanic. (Really? Too tall? :huh: )

We come in all shapes, colours and sizes. As for people sometimes thinking I am something else besides hispanic, it doesn't bother me one bit and it shouldn't bother you. You're beautiful and that's what matters.

Giraffe33991

Being hispanic is about more than skin color. It's about a strong connection to family and hard work and living life to the fullest.

So I can assume my unemployed-dead-beat-dad ex-husband was not hispanic then? Gonna be tough to break this to my kids.....

LilacDreamer

[******NOTE FROM MIKE - I edited the subject of this topic for clarity, as well as made the intro post explain more clearly why the OP is asking this question]

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im hispanic and no one can tell and its starting to kill me i just want to show my culture because everyone makes assumptions

how would you describe what a hispanic person looks like? I am only interested in your idea of physical appearance. (clothing may be added as a secondary comment)

anything offensive will be deleted and reported.

guys- i know this is very random so i appreciate your responses

:-) thank you guys hope you had a very healthy day!

Hm...well if it makes you feel any better, no one thinks my husband is hispanic either. He was born in El Salvador, and spent the first 10 years of his life there.

He gets mistaken for Indian a lot. Someone thought he was "white" the other day. And he claims people think he's russian.
He's got a beige skin tone (a few shades darker than mine) but I think the fact that his hair and facial hair are black make his skin tone look a little darker than it really is, which might be why people think he looks indian (not meant to be offensive to people who descend from India)

My father in law has darker skin and black hair, my mother in law has light skin and dark hair (black i think, but she dyes it) and her kids range in height and skin tone....

her youngest son used to be chubby and really short, he is now the skinniest and the tallest (he's around 6 foot 3 and still growing)

their sister is darker like their dad and a medium height

I described my husband above and he is the shortest of his brothers at about 5'10

and their older bro is the lightest in skin tone i think (maybe a shade or so lighter than my husband) and he is like 5'11.

They all look different, but the ones who look the most similar would be my husband and his older brother. There is no one "look" for a hispanic person, their skin tones can vary from white, to beige, to mocha, to dark brown and black ....their eyes can be dark like my In-laws (they all have dark eyes) and they can have black hair, brown hair, even red hair...

I used to know a girl in HS whose family was from puerto rico and she was fairer skinned than I am (I'm mostly Irish) with freckles, light brown hair and blue-green eyes.

salxtai

<deleted> since this post is like years old, haah.

LexyDB

And this has what to do with food and nutrition?

mandydoll

The human race started long ago, who knows what other ethnicities people have in them. It doesn't matter if you don't look "Hispanic". If you identify with that culture then who cares what anyone thinks. If your life, no one else's.

LilacDreamer

And this has what to do with food and nutrition?

I wondered that too, but I decided to leave it alone.

LaMujerMasBonitaDelMundo

[******NOTE FROM MIKE - I edited the subject of this topic for clarity, as well as made the intro post explain more clearly why the OP is asking this question]

---

im hispanic and no one can tell and its starting to kill me i just want to show my culture because everyone makes assumptions

how would you describe what a hispanic person looks like? I am only interested in your idea of physical appearance. (clothing may be added as a secondary comment)

anything offensive will be deleted and reported.

guys- i know this is very random so i appreciate your responses

:-) thank you guys hope you had a very healthy day!

Oye trankila y no les hagas caso OK...Honestly I hate the word "Hispanic" because first & foremost, not all Latin Americans have Spanish in them. In fact I know many Latin Americans who don't have direct Spanish lineage in their genes. The better way of addressing them is Spanish-Speaking or Hispanophones. Secondly is that in some US definition, they exclude the Spaniards who are supposed to be the true Hispanics. For the sake of this thread, I'm Hispanic (I have Spanish & Mexican blood) & maybe look like your stereotypical one but many times I've been mistaken as an Indian (not American Indian but someone from India), Hawaiian, Polynesian or sometimes Iranian or half-Lebanese. I have family members who are either look Asian or completely White. Its a self-identification & even if technically you are one but if you don't identify yourself with that culture then you're not.

EDIT: not to mention that I have two French given names while my parents & vast majority of my family all have Spanish given names.

DollyMiel

Wow. OP was from last year. Super thread resurrection.

I can understand, though. I am Asian and white mixed and no one can tell I'm Asian or white; they all—funnily enough—think I'm Hispanic. (I get Lebanese a lot, too.) It does twist you a bit inside when you really love your culture and roots and people get it all wrong. It's something I think most people don't really get unless they're in your shoes. So I get it, but at the same time, it's not worth obsessing over and beating yourself up over. The problem lies with other people's assumptions. What salxtai said was on-spot.

LexyDB

Did you get the links between Facebook and here confused? Have you posted your daily calorie intake on your facebook update by mistake? This is pathetic, no wonder people see this as a joke.

LilacDreamer

Wow. OP was from last year. Super thread resurrection.

I can understand, though. I am Asian and white mixed and no one can tell I'm Asian or white; they all—funnily enough—think I'm Hispanic. (I get Lebanese a lot, too.) It does twist you a bit inside when you really love your culture and roots and people get it all wrong. It's something I think most people don't really get unless they're in your shoes. So I get it, but at the same time, it's not worth obsessing over and beating yourself up over. The problem lies with other people's assumptions. What salxtai said was on-spot.

yeah i probably never would have realized that....hahahaha

LaMujerMasBonitaDelMundo

I don't get why Latin America is called that when no one speaks Latin...................................but anyway my thought is brown skin, dark hair with none Asian eyes.

But what about the Japanese or Chinese Peruvians? Aren't they one too? I have one friend in Facebook who is ethnic Chinese but was born in Peru & speaks Spanish. Also Alberto Fujimori is also an ethnic Japanese but raised as Peruvian & his native language is Spanish plus they identify with the culture.

LilacDreamer

I don't get why Latin America is called that when no one speaks Latin...................................but anyway my thought is brown skin, dark hair with none Asian eyes.

Asian eyes? do you mean "almond-shaped" ... I am not asian or hispanic but I find the term asian eyes kind of insulting. I am caucasian and I have what you have deemed "asian eyes" almond shaped, except I call mine cat eyes, because they resemble a cat's eyes in shape and color.

DollyMiel

I don't get why Latin America is called that when no one speaks Latin...................................but anyway my thought is brown skin, dark hair with none Asian eyes.

But what about the Japanese or Chinese Peruvians? Aren't they one too? I have one friend in Facebook who is ethnic Chinese but was born in Peru & speaks Spanish. Also Alberto Fujimori is also an ethnic Japanese but raised as Peruvian & his native language is Spanish plus they identify with the culture.

Not to mention the huge amount of Brazilian Japanese. Are they any less Brazilian for their Japanese heritage? Are they any less Japanese for their Brazilian heritage?

I think a big part of this subject being so tricky is that there is so much racial mixing and nation-hopping these days anyway that it's nearly pointless to dwell on. As someone heavily mixed race, it's something I've been forced to think about all my life, and only now have I begun to realize it's pretty pointless. Haha. Everyone's different. Live it up.

ElizaRoche

LOL.. reading all the answers in here have made me laugh (in a good way )

Im hispanic/latina, and ive heard the same stereotypes all my life, as soon as I say im latina people think im tanned, and a great backside if you know what I meant. Reality is, im whiter than my bf, and he is american/caucasian, I look like a ghost at his side, the last time I went to the caribbean I was ashamed to show my legs cause of the color of them, ´glow in the dark´ white, people even asked me if I was british! LOL. But yeah, I hate the sun, so you wont EVER see me tanned.
And talking about my backside, well sorry to disappoint you, but not Shakira look alike, I have a onion butt... I see it and I cry :laugh:

LaMujerMasBonitaDelMundo

Oye trankila y no les hagas caso OK...Honestly I hate the word "Hispanic" because first & foremost, not all Latin Americans have Spanish in them. In fact I know many Latin Americans who don't have direct Spanish lineage in their genes. The better way of addressing them is Spanish-Speaking or Hispanophones. Secondly is that in some US definition, they exclude the Spaniards who are supposed to be the true Hispanics. For the sake of this thread, I'm Hispanic (I have Spanish & Mexican blood) & maybe look like your stereotypical one but many times I've been mistaken as an Indian (not American Indian but someone from India), Hawaiian, Polynesian or sometimes Iranian or half-Lebanese. I have family members who are either look Asian or completely White. Its a self-identification & even if technically you are one but if you don't identify yourself with that culture then you're not.

EDIT: not to mention that I have two French given names while my parents & vast majority of my family all have Spanish given names.

By the way the word Hispanic means nothing but a term invented by the Americans to group all Latin Americans. When you go outside US, you realize that the term is non-existent. My boyfriend is a Spaniard & in Spain, all Latin Americans are simply refered to as Americanos.

LaMujerMasBonitaDelMundo

The Hispanic women I know are usually dark tan, large hips, dark brown/black hair, brown eyes, wavy hair, wider nose, well endowed chest, but you have to remember Christina Aguilara claims shes hispanic and shes pasty with blond hair.

Yea Christina does NOT look hispanic...but I mean if you ever seen any Novelas you would realize that PERHAPS hispanics come in literally, many shapes and sizes and looks and colors.

Actually in telenovelas, more than 90% of the actors & actresses there are White, blond-haired & blue eyed. Its rare that you can find a brown one there beside those who have maid or janitor roles.

LaMujerMasBonitaDelMundo

curvacious with an apple bottom, may or may not be chesty and definitely child-bearing hips....

OMG how I wish I have a curvacious & an apple bottom but sadly I'm not so does that makes me less Hispanic now? :sad:

MMarvelous

im hispanic and no one can tell and its starting to kill me i just want to show my culture because everyone makes assumptions

i was interested in hearing dark skin, tan skin, light golden skin. or brown hair, black hair, wavy curly.

im not insinuating in anyway that this topic needs to be offensive at all. im asking people to describe to me what they feel looks latina because honestly there are so many different ways to see it.

Don't let it get to you sweetheart. I am too and absolutely no one can tell. I'm Cuban on my father's side. But I'm white skinned (so was he) with no hint of an accent.

That doesn't matter. That's not what makes a person who they are. Being hispanic is about more than skin color. It's about a strong connection to family and hard work and living life to the fullest. That's something much deeper than dark skin.

I may be pale and I may not speak spanish very well, but I know who I am and where I come from. And it only takes some good music and some good company to feel like I'm back home in Tampa with my people...

I completely AGREE! You define it for yourself and LOVE IT!