Black women white men dating are on the rise in the U.S. for a few reasons. Attainment of higher education, migration patterns, availability and changes in attitude are part of why more and more Americans are choosing to be with people outside of their own race.
If you are one of those people who has so far stuck to what you know, there are a few things you may experience the first time you date someone of a difference race.
When you fall for someone whose doesn’t look like you, you will learn new things about another culture and yourself.
Here are a few things you’ll probably need to be ready for when you’re part of an interracial couple.
You May Not Have the Support of Your Friends and Family
Everyone wants to believe that our friends and family will love our partner because we love them, but that’s just not reality. Parents, in particular, hold certain ideas about who their children will date and marry years before you even started dating, and those thoughts can be pretty real roadblocks.
Trying to hold on to friends or overextend yourself to keep family members happy will strain your relationship. If people are against your relationship and show no willingness to change, you’ll need to set some heavy limits.
On the other side, new interracial couples always have a least a few people in their lives who surprise them with their genuine openness and acceptance. Keep that in mind and give everyone a chance to react instead of predicting how they will respond.
To Stand Up for Your Relationship, You May Need to Educate People Around You
People say things that are ignorant, stupid or upsetting. When those people are people you know and love who have hurt your partner’s feelings, you’ll find yourself in a rather uncomfortable position.
You as a couple may decide to straightforwardly stand up to racism or respond with a cool, calm and collected answer that shuts them down. Some couples may dismiss it completely and vent to each other alone to cope. You can even give those people space and time to come around.
There is no right way to handle any situation, but you should both be on the same page about how you’d like to if the situation arises.
People May Accuse You of Hating Your Race
Yes, it may be silly to you, but this happens from time to time. Some people feel defensive about interracial dating and can perceive your choice as a rejection of your own kin, in a way.
You can address this or not, but if you do decide to discuss it, keep these two points in mind. First, separate how they feel toward their own race, or any race, from how they feel toward your partner – one has nothing to do with the other.
Second, make it very clear that an interracial relationship is about two people with different shades of skin liking each other, not about hating anyone else.
At the end of the day, who you choose to date is about your happiness and yours alone. If you’ve found someone who makes your insides light up, you’ll find it gets harder and harder to care about what anyone else thinks.
