Black women compliment my hair, especially when I grow it long (usually I donate it every 2-3 years.) It’s naturally red and thick and curls in spirals/ringlets, and apparently, I have “good hair.” Caucasian women ask me if I ever straighten it. (My answer is always no. I barely have time to wash it, I don’t heat style it at all because I’m prone to split ends, it would never stay straight in this humid climate, and I like my curls, tyvm.)
Black and Hispanic men notice my butt, apparently. I understand enough Spanish to turn around and glare at the Mexican dudes who were discussing my assets while standing behind me at the grocery store… And Tony gets very amused when we’re in public and he notices that I’m being noticed. Unless someone is discussing it, or catcalling, though, I don’t even notice anymore. I’ve had this ass since I was 13, and to me, it’s just something that makes jeans hard to fit…
Growing up, I got a lot of compliments from my Korean friends on my eyes (light green) and hair (previously long, light brown, and curly). My Korean roommate in college once said I was “pretty like a princess.”
Nowadays I find it flattering when Spanish-speakers ask me if I am Latina because of how well I speak Spanish.
This is pretty much the only thing I can think of, honestly. I take it as a special compliment because I look about as far from Latina stereotype as you can get. My accent is dead on, I’ll admit, but my grammar can be flawed, and understanding others’ accents can be difficult for me. They probably hear the accent before I make any mistakes and just assume I’m native… but it doesn’t take me long to disabuse them of that notion!
This, from MrTao’s family and from co-workers; the mister gets irritated when his mom says “She’s more mexican than you!!” It isn’t true, in any sense, but it’s funny.
Although I colour my hair reddish, I’ve never, ever made any bones about the fact that it’s coloured, but I’ve had both hispanics here in California and black friends in Virginia Beach swear that I was lying, and that it must be natural. :dubious:
Yes, thanks, I know. You can also replace *pale *with “fish belly white,” “dead/corpse white,” “ghostlike,” or (my personal favorite) “grub-white.”
I am practically translucent, and every single non-white person (and a good many of the white people too) I encounter seems to find it impossible to resist informing me of that, as if I might have somehow missed it.
“You use chopsticks so well” (Usually just an ice-breaker but sometimes they will pointedly insist that they actually, truly mean it.)
“You speak Japanese so well” (Bullshit 99% time of the time, and often means I just garbled something badly)
“Your skin is so beautiful” (I would like to thank my gamer tendencies for making me very pale).
“You have beautiful eyes” (They’re just big, not particularly beautiful. By Japanese standards, I have amazing upper eye-folds.)
“Cool hair!” (Actually, I think your Japanese black hair is much prettier, but hey I’ll take it.)
“You’re really fast” (This one is actually not a compliment, because my beer belly means this is actually read as 'Wow you’re much faster than I would have expected considering you’re kinda a fat-ass. Still, it comes in very handy playing tag with my young students . “Oooh, I’ll never catch you…I’m so big and slow… yes laugh… laugh more… aaaand speeeeeeeeed got you POWER BOMB mwahaha.”)
And lastly, from various drunks at parties: “It’s so big, right?” (To which I can only reply, why yes, thank you for noticing!)
I get this all the time from all other ethnic groups (and my own) and it makes me a little stabby. So far, if I’ve answered at all, I’ve just been able to grit my teeth and say something like, “Oh. Okay.” With older people I may even squeak out a ‘thank you’ or some other quiet thing.
It’s completely different from people telling me I have a good voice for radio or that I should read for commercials. I can accept that as a compliment and it’s something I wouldn’t mind doing.
Leaving the drugstore I frequent one day the cashier called me over and asked me how old I was. (A black girl…one of the “familiar strangers” you expect to be there but don’t really know.) I told her (I’m old) and she said “But you don’t have any wrinkles! Your skin is so smooth.” She wanted to know what I know I use. Since I only barely use soap, I said Soap.
More than one of my wife’s acquaintances in Brazil has told her (after seeing a photo) that I look exactly like Harry Potter.
I don’t look anything like Harry Potter. I suggested that it was only the round glasses I used to wear, but they insisted no, it’s my face too. Spitting image of Harry Potter.
I have had Koreans and Vietnamese tell me that my prominent brow means something positive. That I will be prosperous or a great leader or something like that…I forget exactly, as I put zero stock in it.
“This curry is really good, and I’m Thai!” I brought a curry to a potluck at work. The platter was untouched during the first pass and was clean five minutes after a coworker said that. Too bad that I forgot how I made it.
I don’t know if you’re black or white but Oprah used to comment that she heard that all the time.