Nicole Weaver is a love and entertainment writer. Follow her on Twitter.
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Don't make the "Guess Who's Coming To Dinner?" reference.
By Nicole Weaver — Written on Apr 05, 2018
Being in a relationship is like riding a rollercoaster: It starts off slow and pleasant, and you can somewhat enjoy it. Then, all of a sudden, it speeds up. The next thing you know, you're going up and down, then sideways and up again and down again, and then you're upside down and then right side up, and so on and so forth.
You either enjoy the ride or you swear to never go back in it again. Yes, relationships are definitely an interesting rollercoaster ride. But what's interracial dating like? Well, let's just say it really throws you for some curves.
It has its upsides, of course. You're opening your eyes and widening your horizons to a whole new world while you're getting to know your partner. You get to show them things from your culture and vice versa.
But as with roller coasters, you don't always go up. You go down, sideways, and upside down.
In addition to the usual relationship struggles and conflicts, being an interracial couple has its own set of struggles and conflicts that really challenges the couple involved. And this will continue following them from the day they go on their first date to the days after they exchange vows and tie the knot.
We live in a time where there's certainly more acceptance of interracial couples in the media and as a whole, but there are still awkward moments we encounter — especially from (ignorant) people who have never experienced interracial dating.
Sometimes, people forget that we are no longer in the 1950s when it was illegal to be with someone of another race. Heck, reactions to interracial couples in the media are still sometimes met with hostility (remember that infamous Cheerios commercial?).
We may have come a long way from the 1950s, but we still have a way to go. Here are 11 interracial dating struggles all interracial couples deal with on a weekly basis:
1. When you first start dating, each other's race is all anyone can talk about.
2. People say weird, sexual things as if your relationship is just a "fetish."
3. People assume you're not dating — and you constantly have to correct them.
4. People always say your mixed-race babies are going to be "soooooo cute!"
5. Or worse, people say, "But you know your kids will be half white/black/Hispanic" like it's a bad thing.
6. You pronounce things differently.
Or you call things by different names. "No honey, it's not dreadlocks. My hair isn't dreadful. It's just locks."
7. People use your relationship as an example that there is no longer racism.
Um, no.
8. Just because you fell in love doesn't mean it's always easy to have a conversation about racism.
9. People think you're "self-hating" and assume you have something against dating someone from your race.
Nope, things just happened this way.
10. Everyone makes a Guess Who's Coming To Dinner? reference when you mention you're going to meet the parents.
Clever... not.
11. You have to get comfortable with standing out like a sore thumb sometimes.
Then getting depressed that you still stand out like a sore thumb in 2018.
