WHY Do Some Mixed Folks Describe Themselves as 'White-passing,' 'White-presenting,' and 'White-assumed'?
Mixed Auntie Mane and I dive in...
Mixed Auntie Mane, left, welcomes me to our latest episode of Mixed Auntie Confidential, where we get into all things Mixed. Check us out!
Fact: Ongoing public conversations about Mixed people, identities, culture(s), and dynamics are still brand-new in the USA. Especially conversations that include or center our voices and experiences.
With convos come new terms—not all of which have clearly understood and agreed-upon definitions. I’ve struggled with the descriptors “white-passing,” “white-presenting,” and “white-assumed” that some Mixed folks apply to themselves.
First on the scene was “white-passing.” Many folks older than a Millennial cocked a side-eye and asked, “Do you mean to say you’re passing for white?” Sometimes we had to explain the century-plus of history around the concept and terminology of passing, particularly in relation to folks with Black ancestry. And how loaded the term could be.
This led to some folks upgrading to “white-presenting” or '“white-assumed,” explaining that the world most often views them as white. Sometimes I peek at their profile pics which leaves me baffled, since most of them are, like me, light skinned and racially ambiguous looking. But very, very few look straight-up white.
So, I wonder why so many are giving whiteness top billing in describing themselves.
Why are so many mixed people centering and prioritizing whiteness to describe themselves? What does that choice of language represent, and what is it meant to communicate? If it’s not visually accurate, is it aspirational?
Some folks would use these terms to describe me, though I find it more accurate to and efficient to say that I’m light skinned and racially ambiguous looking. I’m sometimes assumed to be white, but not nearly as often as I’m assumed to be Latine, Asian, Black, MENA, and a zillion other non-white identities. While being seen as white is a possibility, it wouldn’t occur to me to include “white” in my descriptor, much less lead with it.
I need to understand why so many Mixed people are centering and prioritizing whiteness to describe themselves. What does that choice of language represent, and what is it meant to communicate? If it’s not visually accurate, is it aspirational?
To open up the convo and learn more, I jumped into the deep waters of this controversial topic with Mixed Auntie Mane on our latest episode of Militantly Mixed, and we’re inviting other Mixed folks to chime in so we can all share, learn, and grow! Come on in!