Island women and the "multicultural" looking sisters are "considered to be the most beautiful in the world. I would consider it a complement. I usually get the "You can't be all Black, you must be mixed with something" from very well meaning yet often somewhat misinformed folks. I think it can be the familiarity of our beauty from that person's particular homeland. Everybody wants to claim a beautiful relative. I have Africans that say I look African, Cubans say I look Cuban, African-Americans say I look like I'm from the South And even Native Americans jump in with their nations. Most islands are a mix of everything so its common to think, especially with people from the islands that you are one of them. Ain't nobody trying to claim my behind when I look busted with no makeup and a bandana on, though. ;)So when I'm asked I say "Yeah, I am mixed...With Black and Blackerer...Honey, we all come from the same place don't get it twisted.
I would say that our ancestrial characteristics really came eout when we went natural. When we had perms we had kind of an artificial characteristic
I think it's either sincere because the person asking may be spotting something about you that evokes the Caribbean -- or it's code for a racial question. It's amazing how many people think that because you're from the islands you have to be mixed. As one who is from a very mixed Jamaican family going a few generations back, I also admire the ones who are not mixed. I work with a guy from Minnesota, not the islands, who has the full African DNA look - facial features, velvet black skin, etc. Sometimes I want to ask him "How was your family able to do it? How were they able to stay pure -- in Minnesota of all places?" Same thing with a very good friend in Oakland, her family is California from early in the century and then I think came from Oklahoma before. And she is purely African in her features and body. Both of these people BTW have or had white spouses. Over the centuries, our ancestors faced different circumstances and survived in different ways. A little off-topic but....whatever.
This is just my take but she probably saw someone young with nice looking, natural curly hair (which is quite rare in the US, sadly) and didn't know what to make of it. Surely, you couldn't be plain old American with that head of nonrelaxed hair... LOL
"Because your hair looks like people from the Islands." Has anyone ever asked you that?
I think what people refer to as an "island" look is a mixed or blended look of being such a multicultural place with African, Indian, Chinese, Lebanese, Spanish, English, Amerindian etc. all mixed together. All Africans in the Diaspora are mixed, true, but African -Americans tend to have more WASP blood and some American Indian but not necessarily all that other stuff. I hope this makes sense and no one takes it the wrong way. I think each island has its own look. Different islands got slaves from different African tribes and regions and mixed differently. I am often recognized as specifically Trini and not anything else. I can spot other Trinis. I can spot Jamaicans. So I don't think there is so much a look of "the islands" as each island has a look.I kind of see a Jamaican look in you that is hard to describe or define so I can see why someone would ask you that. Take it as a compliment - Caribbean women are considered to be very beautiful!
