#representation: biracial

[writingwithcolor]

Representing Biracial Black South American Experiences…Through a White/Asian Mixed Race Character in Europe

@colombinna asked:

I have a YA story that's in very early development - pre-alpha, if you will. For now what I have developed is the characters: one of the MCs is a biracial asian queer girl (her dad is thai-american and japanese, her mom's white), she has a medium/dark brown skin, and lives in a very white context in a fictional European country. The contact she has with her extended family is limited to phone calls and regular visits because her dad moved from the US to said fictional European country.

I'm a biracial black queer girl myself, living in a very white community in South America, my extended black family also lives in a different place, and I'm taking a lot of my experiences of being not white and queer whilst living in white communities into her story (the feeling of not belonging, the impostor syndrome, standing out as one of the only POC kids in class, etc) and thinking back to what I've heard asian friends and classmates say about their experiences in the same school/community context as mine. But I want to know how different her experiences as a dark-skinned asian girl would differ from mine and my friends' in a similar context (white community, small number of other asian people - and POC in general - in the social circles, and limited contact to her extended family), and what experiences could make sense if the character was biracial black like myself, but won't if she's biracial asian.

Why not write a biracial Black girl if those are the experiences you want to represent? 

This MC is straddling, like, 3 different cultures. Having multiple immigrant identities in not-Europe is not the same experience as being Black in South America; while both are complex minority experiences, there are too many differences in intersections and histories to compare. Not to mention, it really depends on what European culture(s) you’re basing your not-Europe on. 

I think you’ll find that the written result will ring much more genuine and rich in depth if you either translate your experiences more directly or pick a more narrow focus, instead of assuming that there is a universal for racism and colorism against biracial people that is transferable across contexts. Because there isn’t. There can be overlaps, but if you’re looking to cover the entire range of What It’s Like in general, it won’t work.

This isn’t to say that people can’t use other identities to write about specific experiences of their own, but in this case you need to think about what story you want to tell and what your reasons are. Marika’s commentary will go more into when and how this can be done effectively. 

Also, if the point is to make her a dark-skinned Asian, as a white/asian mix myself, I implore you: why must you make her 1/4 Japanese and 1/2 white? Even with the Thai ethnicity thrown in, Thai people very much range in skin tone and have their own domestic issues with colorism. It’s not impossible for dark-skinned examples of your MC’s ethnic makeup to exist, but still I don’t recommend it for two reasons: 

It's going to make researching people whose experiences fit that much more difficult. Most experiences of colorism, othering, and other forms of discrimination that mixed white asians tend to face are completely different from mixed race asians who tend to have darker skin & features.

There's enough Japanese & white mixed Japanese rep in the Asian rep sphere as is. Consider that this individual could be mixed Asian (not Japanese) with something else (not white)! 

But again, think over your motivations. I’ll spare you the copy/paste of our Motivations PSA, but re-read it and consider. Why do you wish to write a mixed Asian character to tell the story of your experiences as a mixed Black individual instead of a mixed Black character? What does it add to the story? Is it an effective vessel for the experiences you want to convey? 

~ Rina

I think Rina brings up some good points here: I’m not hearing a lot of specificity in your query. As you doubtless know firsthand, the more intersectional and complex an identity, the more of a chance the identity may come with unexpected baggage and nuances that fly in the face of what is common sense for less intersectional identities. This can make writing such characters challenging just because there is so much choice on which identity themes to emphasize. 

I once spent about 15 minutes explaining to a person the thought process I used to determine when I could wear jeans depending on which country I was living in as a mixed race person who is perceived as different things in different places. It might seem trivial, but it’s actually very important to me for the purposes of identity, safety and gender presentation, so I personally think it’s interesting. But will my readers think a character’s multi-page internal monologue on whether or not to wear jeans is especially compelling? Does the writer-version of me want to research the version of myself musing on my specific jeans conundrum to that extent? Or do I want to talk about other things related to attire a lot of other people would relate to? I think those are all YMMV questions, but hopefully, they provide some perspective that will help you be intentional about how you might want to tackle something potentially very time-consuming.

When I say intentional, I mean that when covering a complex identity with which you are peripherally familiar, it will always be more effective and easier to use it to tell a specific story extremely clearly than to be extremely broad in scope and try to include almost everything about your own experiences, especially because some of those experiences might not be as relevant for your character’s background as they are to yours.      

One of my favorite childhood picture books is written and illustrated by a Nikkei writer-illustrator team. The book is titled Ashok by Any Other Name (link). The story features a desi child growing up in the US who wishes he had an American name his friends and teachers wouldn’t think was strange. It covers how being othered for his name makes him feel, and how he copes with that feeling. Speaking as someone both Japanese and desi, I think through the plot device of names perceived by the majority of Americans as foreign, this book aptly shows how many immigrant/diaspora creators are capable of relating to the pressures of assimilation experienced by other immigrant, even if the creator, the audience and the story’s subject’s backgrounds all don’t completely overlap 100%. 

There will be aspects of your Blackness, mixed identity, skin color, sexuality and living in a local community lacking diversity as a member of many minority groups that you will find resemble/ resonate with the experiences of mixed-race, Japanese individual in a Europe-themed setting, and I think any story that leans into those themes will be considerably easier for you to research. In other words, instead of asking us “How does my experience differ?” I would approach this issue by deciding what narrative you want to show about your own experience and then research the specific contexts within which your desired story overlaps with elements of mixed-race Japanese experiences. 

- Marika.

[ghostieboii]

Helloo Sherlock & Co fandom, this is the only time I'm contributing anything I think lol. I love Joe he's my favorite character and I'll definitely never hear from him again but it's okay I'll keep his spirit alive through the power of not shutting the hell up about him

and uhh I'll put my art I've done under a cut so this post isn't too annoying to scroll past lol

[ohdirtyriver]

something that's really meaningful to me about dead boy detectives is seeing charles as representation of being a multiracial teen in the 80s. it's not a major plot point, but it feels like a relevant undercurrent all throughout his characterization. at least in the US, being mixed race at that time felt like something that no one talked about and that you had to navigate basically on your own. to the degree that it was ever acknowledged, it tended to be about the black/white mixed experience - but i mean, this was a time when i had to suffer through long duk dong as the most visible example of an asian kid in a teen movie, so maybe not getting asian/white rep was a blessing in disguise.

i imagine charles feeling similarly to how i did - that being mixed was something to downplay, a personal family struggle that went on behind the scenes, just one more thing that made you not quite fit in anywhere. i'm super glad that teens today have it different.

[stickybasementobject]

Misconceptions:

You know it occurs to me that in today's world Boris Karloff would as a quarter Indian biracial actor probably be called woke casting? Not that this is a widely known fact. But in regards to him playing such roles as Jekyll and Hyde, Mycroft Holmes and nearly Cagliostro and Bluebeard. Don't believe me? Look at the reaction to actor Rupert Laight as Isaac Newton in Dr Who. Even in some more left-wing circles. It's coming to something when an ethnic actor gets less grief for such casting in the early twentieth century than one in the modern age?

I've also seen him wrongly described as a white actor doing yellow face as Fu Manchu. Not that such portrayals were ever forgivable of course. But another example of the fact that people are quite ignorant of racially mixed actors having had a presence in the history of media. Just look up the name Acquanetta as another example. See image below.

Just a few short words I wanted to get off my chest on the matter. (-;

[milevenstancyendgame]

The great thing about being an artist is that it makes you look closer. So while I was drawing Callum and looking at screenshots for reference, I realised that I had whitewashed him in my head, because he's actually biracial.

I wanted to share this, because in all fandoms I sometimes see art of characters of colour or of biracial characters with (only) European facial features. I'm not calling anyone out - it's due to the "white default"-perception we develop in Western society, and it's subconscious.

It always made me super uncomfortable, because I know artists pour their heart and soul into their work, but I also know how important correct representation of oppressed people is.

So I thought sharing my own process of gaining more awareness might be helpful.

(Below are screenshots of the creators confirming Sara's and Amaya's ethnicity when Tdp first came out)

[aesterblaster]

The author casually including so many poc side characters + an interracial relationship (even if the relationship itself sucks lmao, sometimes relationships suck so Im not gonna be picky or claim it's racism or something) in 206...can be something so personal....

[teresiel]

Seeking some help from fans of Garth Nix's Abhorsen/Old Kingdom series.

I posted this fanart of Lirael inspired by Nico Parker (ignore the misnaming in the post) to the Abhorsen subreddit.

There's a user there who is claiming that I've done wrong in how I've drawn her. They claim I've done POC a disservice by raceswapping.

I attempted to defend myself and my rightful pride in offering a fanart of mixed-race Lirael on a subreddit where that's severely wanting; Lirael is mixed-race: Nico Parker is mixed-race.

They seem little able to back up their critique and claims and go on a bit of a more than inadvertently self-deafeating and hypocritical tangent (seriously, even if you don't contribute, it's worth looking at for entertaining bafflement).

I don't feel in the wrong or seriously upset with my art (ike at all) but this was an irksome and downer start to my morning (insert a begrieved "but it's Christmas!!!!").

I'd appreciate any comments you might be able to add, any rebuttals, support, or conversation that might otherwise help this post be about something besides silent supprt for this dude's argument (they keep getting up votes, even if they're balanced with downvotes).

Anyway, tldr tear this fool apart.

Also here's the fanart in question:

[ah0yh0y]

friendly reminder that Audrey Rose  Wadsworth is poc and south asian specifically indian

[sanyu-thewitch05]

The Black community: Oh! We’re not being represented on television and movies! They’re casting light skins and biracials to play us! They’re choosing people with looser hair textures to play us!

Someone: Ok then, let’s acknowledge and say biracials aren’t black just because they have a parent that’s black. Let’s set a standard for what a Black American is.

The Black Community : “How dare you erase their blackness!”

“Blackness comes in all shades and textures!”

“If they have a black parent they’re black!”

“They experience the same discrimination black people face!”

“They won’t have anywhere to go since the white community don’t want them!”

“You’re just jealous cus they’re pretty! You’re insecure!”

Me:

[ashanimus]

white people shut the everloving fuck up about what appropriating peoples culture means challenge and just enjoy your goddamn sparkle dragons

[not-your-asian-fantasy]

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[peculiar-reblogs]

More here [link]!

[redd956]

Representation Matters

I am not Hispanic or of Colombian decent, or at least not that I know of. I do know that I am biracial with a white mother, and an African-American father. So I have crazy curly sometimes frizzy hair that patterns my head in large ringlets, and I have a mixed brown skin tone that gets surprisingly dark in the summer and stupid white in the winter.

My sister and brother are the same. My sister fell in love with another biracial person, a white and Hispanic descended man, and they two adorable children, my nephews.

Their children admittedly look white as day if there even is a way to look white. Hell one is even ginger since it just so happened to run in both sides of the family. But they do obviously have our curly frizzy crazy hair, and tan a good bit during the summer.

My two nephews are quite young right now. When I go to babysit I watch movies and shows that recently came out that intrigue me. I went by one day, and decided to watch Encanto. My two nephews playing on the carpet nearby, one who saw it before me, aggressively trying to spoil the plot.

The characters shimmied onto screen, dancing, and singing. I was bopping to the music. My youngest nephew peered over his shoulder, tablet in hand, and said:

“Look! They have hair like you.”

The second giggled and added, “You look just like that one”, pointing at Mirabel

A smile drew across my face. It wasn’t the first time I saw an animated character with my exact hair type, but it was the first time it hit me. I didn’t know how much I needed it. How much it mattered to me that I needed someone who looked like me. Whether it was my hair, my skin tone, the glasses on my face, my gender doing something I do, my orientation being properly shown, or just someone who was from my socioeconomic background.

But I needed it. I needed it a lot.

And there are many many many many more out there who need it.

So representation matters in that way. It does in many other ways. But to me that day it mattered to me especially.

[wahlpaper]

Radio Silence Review

Radio Silence by Alice Oseman

CW: Suicidal Thoughts, Abusive Parent, Animal Death, Underage Drinking, School Stress, Depression, Arson, Death Theeats, Toxic Internet Culture, Stalking, Unhealthy Weight Loss, Positive References to Harry Potter and Scott Pilgrim, Anxiety, Racism, Queerphobia, Classism, Fire Injury

5/5

I've wanted to read Alice Oseman's Radio Silence for quite a while, but it was the most recent season of Heartstopper that motivated me to read it now. If you're familiar with Oseman, you might know that all of their stories are set in the same universe. You may also know that they don't always connect to each other. I had assumed that Aled (a character in the Heartstopper comic and Radio Silence) was renamed Issac for the show. When I realized his story was very different, I looked into why. Aled was left out in hopes that Radio Silence will get an adaptation. So, if you were wondering, you do not need to be familiar with Heartstopper to understand and enjoy Radio Silence. The story takes place after and is very much its own thing!

In Radio Silence, Frances Janvier is head girl of her school and achieving top grades. She's on track to go to Cambridge, but she's been missing out on a fulfilling social life because of it. The only two things she does in her free time are art and listen to a podcast called "Universe City". When she accidentally finds out that she knows the anonymous creator of the podcast, she starts to help with the show and get close to him. This is Aled Last, a depressed boy with an abusive mother and a missing twin sister. Time spent with Frances allowed both of them to embrace their true selves. Unfortunately, the problems in Aled's life may be too much for their friendship.

Being used to Heartstopper and Loveless, both by Oseman, I was unprepared for how dark Radio Silence was. While no main characters die, there are feelings of hopelessness and fear that can affect a reader. It's the first book I've needed a reading break from since Jennette McCurdy's memoir. In addition to the topics I've already mentioned, this book covers racism, single parent-hood, mental illness, flaws in the education system, suicidal thoughts, toxic internet culture, and stalking. The topics are all handled quite well, I just wish I had read a content warning going into it. For me, it helps to prepare for what I'm about to read instead of going in blind. All reading needs are valid!

The thing that drew me to Oseman in the first place was their inclusion of asexuality. While you do not need to be ace yourself to write ace characters, I do see it as a nice bonus. Being ace, Oseman tends to include that rep in most of their books. Over the course of Radio Silence, Aled discovers that he is on the asexual spectrum. It's something he's afraid to share as he doesn't know how others will react. I've had this same fear every time I've started being interested in someone new. Seeing realistic representation of my identity will always feel rewarding.

Oseman is great at writing varied and authentic queer identities. Aled is also into guys and potentially gender fluid. The podcast he creates often pulls from his own life and the main character of it is gender fluid. Frances knows she's bisexual before the book starts. She doesn't get a romance arc in this book, so it's not a big part of the plot, it's just a part of who she is. There's also a gay character and a lesbian character. Queer people flock together and it's clear that Oseman knows this.

I think that Radio Silence is mostly written very well! The pacing allowed the book to take up many months and feel like it. Every mysterious part of the story was revealed at the right time. The characters were all complex and interesting. The messages all got across. What I struggled with was how Frances was telling the story. Though it's all from her point of view at some time in the future, this feels uncertain and inconsistent. It's as if sometimes she was just describing it in the moment. She was also annoyingly repetitive at times. I think it would have worked better if she was either an unreliable narrator or if it was all in the present. It wouldn't need to be present tense, but lines like "I would always" or "I never saw [person] again" could be left out. There's always going to be something a book struggles with and that's okay.

Radio Silence is not just a must-read for Alice Oseman fans, but a great book for anyone upset with the school system, wanting a friendship love story, or looking for a serious read that turns out okay. If you decide to read it you'll be treated to bits of the fictional podcast, fashion ideas from the characters, and lots of queer rep! If this sounds like a book for you, trust your gut and pick it up!

[ratherbeyourcocoon-blog]

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