Interracial Dating Is In
Earlier this week we celebrated Martin Luther King Jr. Day and honored his great efforts in fighting for racial equality. Without his efforts, races would still be separated and treated differently. Today, our president is black and we all have equal social and political rights. But another thing MLK helped advance was interracial dating. Despite still being unaccepted by some years later, interracial dating seems to be more accepted today than ever before. Interracial couples have invaded the media from television to the big screen.
From Olivia Pope and Fitz’s steamy love affair on the hit television show Scandal to new parents Ryan Gosling and Eva Mendes, interracial couples are popular in Hollywood and practically everywhere else. Is this dating trend just a phase? I’d say it’s certainly not, and it’s here to stay.
Interracial dating is not restricted to only the mix of blacks and whites, but all races. This mixing bowl in the dating market contains several benefits, as well as a few challenges.
Benefits:
By diversifying your dating pool, you open the opportunity to immerse yourself in a new culture. You get to break the stereotype and step out the box of what is your usual comfort zone. This can be very exciting, and you may even admire your partner’s culture so much that you actually incorporate some of the culture’s traditions or actions into your everyday life. This may include learning a new language or traveling across the states or even to another country.
Challenges:
Some people worry about dating someone outside their race or religion because they are afraid of how their families or society will respond. It is understandable to be nervous about your family’s reaction, but they love you and want you to be happy in life. So as long as your partner makes you happy, they should try to accept them and learn to love your lover too. As for society, who really cares about pleasing strangers? They aren’t going to be the one buying your diamond ring or paying your mortgage.
Another struggle can be arguing over differences in beliefs and values. Honestly, arguing is always going to happen between couples despite racial differences, and the key is compromise. In any relationship, you are going to have to learn how to tackle obstacles by respecting your partner’s feelings and beliefs. As the saying goes, “to each his own,” so don’t complicate things.
Don’t stereotype
Your partner may be fascinated by his or her own culture, but don’t stereotype and assume so. Not everyone identifies with their culture or lives by their stereotypes. So don’t call all Hispanic women “Mami” because as a Hispanic woman I can tell you it honestly freaks me out. Just be yourself in an interracial relationship. My boyfriend doesn’t date me because I’m a sexy Latina, and I don’t date him because he’s an average white man — we date because our personalities and bodies are attracted to each other. Race has nothing to do with it. So the moral of this story is to date whoever you want, despite skin color, religion or ethnic background. You should just date them for who they are at heart. After all, shouldn’t we all follow our hearts, not dumb stereotypes?
Born and raised in Northern Virginia, Christina aspires to be a public relations professional in a big city after graduation from James Madison University. In her free time when she’s not blogging away about dating and relationships, Christina loves to go shopping, watch Netflix and play with every puppy that crosses her path.