So my skin color is a kind of medium brown, one that you'll see on a wiiiide range of people of color from all over, and I have very long, dark hair, that's wavy to straight depending on where we are in the hair washing cycle. I'm mixed race black (dad was black, mom is white) but while *I* see a strong resemblance to my father in my face, apparently it doesn't say "black" to most people.
Now, you're never going to mistake me for white, my skin is too dark by any white standard and my features are all wrong - lips are too full, nose is to wide, eyes are "almond" shaped (where the hell did that description even come from?). Basically I'm ambiguous enough to be identifiable as a person of color, but not necessarily black. (Which leads to white people asking "what are you?" and me responding in whatever way I think will make them the most uncomfortable.)
This has been a bit odd ever since I was a kid, because people tend to assume I'm whatever the dominant local brown folks are, including people in those groups. When I was growing up in California everyone assumed I was Mexican, and people were pretty constantly asking me if I spoke Spanish or just speaking Spanish to me automatically. I never minded, mostly I was just embarrassed that I don't.
When I moved out of CA, then the general conclusion was Latina, usually Puerto Rican or Dominican when I was in FL. Every once in a while I'd get South Asian or rarely Filipina if I were with Filipino friends, though personally I think both of those are a stretch based on my facial features.
Anyway now that I'm in WA I still get Latina quite a bit, but I'm also starting to get Native a lot more because this area is Coast Salish land and the tribes have a much stronger presence here than any of the Native groups in CA. (The Spanish did an horrifically good job of wiping out the CA Native peoples.)
What's interesting to me is how seldom anyone assumes I'm black, even other black people. I'm fair, though I don't pass the paper bag test in person. (Pictures wash me right the hell out though.) And it's funny because I've seen people claim that different groups can always recognize their own, even if they're mixed, but I definitely have NOT known that to be the case, either with fellow black folks or any other PoC who assume my racial background.
Anyway, this post doesn't have much of a point other than I think it's interesting how we visually identify ourselves, how others identify us, and sort of the maliability of group assumptions and acceptance.
