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Fuck you skin color.
Jul. 19th, 2008 03:37 pmI'll post later about the awesome con. Right now I just want to ask something.
...is it okay for a white person to wear ethnic clothing?
I bought this beautiful red yukata in Little Tokyo. I wore it during the con, and a lot of people took pictures of me...But then when I got home....I got nervous.
Would Japanese people get offended if I wear something from the cultural heritage? Is it dumb that I even think that?
I have no true ethnicity. Sure people can say white is an ethnicity, but unless you know exactly what country your ancestors are from (ie, France, England, etc.) then you're kind of floating in this sea of white people. And I'm a frickin' weeaboo, and I'm trying not to be. I really am. But I feel like I shouldn't be ranting about how it sucks to be a nondescript white American since I have 'white privilege'. And I know I do. I really do.
I worry that if I try to imitate ethnicity I might horribly offend someone, like I'm making fun of them by liking their culture. I respect different cultures and wish my culture sometimes wasn't a melting pot of people. The USA, culture wise, sucks. And I don't just mean the white America. I mean America has a whole. We stereotype and assume. Anyone who is Asian-American, African-American, etc. has to be X-American and not just American. Do we ever hear French-American? Nope, you blend in, you don't need your own social reference.
I want to be something other than American. But I don't even know what I am. My last name is German, my mom's maiden name is Austrian, and my grandma's Irish. White people are obsessed about their cultural heritage. So we can say I'm Irish-German-Finnish-Czech-Martian-American.
...I just want to wear a comfortable, colorful robe with big sleeves and not be accused of being a stupid white person weeaboo.
The only thing that made me feel better was when a Japanese photographer stopped me and my friend at the con to take our picture, saying how he loved the yukatas we were wearing.
Now I just can't help but wonder what he really thought.
...is it okay for a white person to wear ethnic clothing?
I bought this beautiful red yukata in Little Tokyo. I wore it during the con, and a lot of people took pictures of me...But then when I got home....I got nervous.
Would Japanese people get offended if I wear something from the cultural heritage? Is it dumb that I even think that?
I have no true ethnicity. Sure people can say white is an ethnicity, but unless you know exactly what country your ancestors are from (ie, France, England, etc.) then you're kind of floating in this sea of white people. And I'm a frickin' weeaboo, and I'm trying not to be. I really am. But I feel like I shouldn't be ranting about how it sucks to be a nondescript white American since I have 'white privilege'. And I know I do. I really do.
I worry that if I try to imitate ethnicity I might horribly offend someone, like I'm making fun of them by liking their culture. I respect different cultures and wish my culture sometimes wasn't a melting pot of people. The USA, culture wise, sucks. And I don't just mean the white America. I mean America has a whole. We stereotype and assume. Anyone who is Asian-American, African-American, etc. has to be X-American and not just American. Do we ever hear French-American? Nope, you blend in, you don't need your own social reference.
I want to be something other than American. But I don't even know what I am. My last name is German, my mom's maiden name is Austrian, and my grandma's Irish. White people are obsessed about their cultural heritage. So we can say I'm Irish-German-Finnish-Czech-Martian-American.
...I just want to wear a comfortable, colorful robe with big sleeves and not be accused of being a stupid white person weeaboo.
The only thing that made me feel better was when a Japanese photographer stopped me and my friend at the con to take our picture, saying how he loved the yukatas we were wearing.
Now I just can't help but wonder what he really thought.
