When people asked me about my ethnicity, I would often just mumble something about tanning easily and change the subject, and I brushed off racist slurs like any other insult. There weren’t any mixed race families on EastEnders and the most famous black pop star in the world was referred to in mainstream media as the "Scary” one. READ MORE: Things You Only Know If Your Boyfriend Is Black And You're Not All the boys I crushed on were white my first “boyfriend” (aged 10) was white and my first boyfriend (aged 14) was white. There were quite literally no black people at all. There was no racial tension, but then again, no sense of black community.
I grew up in a small town in the 90's, where I was the only non-white girl in my class at school and my skin colour was a curiosity rather than a threat. I have no idea why and it’s definitely not a conscious choice. I’m black or brown, depending on who you ask, and I mainly date white guys.