Have you ever been mistaken for another ethnicity?

Question

It was real interesting. I was downtown and I was getting a lot of attention from a lot of South Asian people( particularly men). They were asking me are you from India, Pakistan, or Bangladesh. I told them no I'm Black. I was told that I look south asian because I have dark skin and silky/wavy hair. But really I have Black, French, Creole, and Native American heritage. I also been mistaken for a Somalian woman or a Guyanese woman. Weird.

Downtown DC

Answer 1

i get mistaken for another ethnicity all the damn time. i'm african-american, dominican, irish, and french. most of the time people assume i am latina - i especially get puerto rican or cubana but it has run the gamut from argentinian to venezuelan to colombian to brazilera. people at the dominican hair store alwas speak to me in spanish (which i do not know.) i've also had people assume i was middle eastern or north african. when i was in france people would ask me almost daily if i was algerian. at the ethiopian restaurant i like to go to the workers assume i am half ethiopian. i think the most unusual guess i've had was southeast asian. i was taking this class in school on southeast asia and a couple of girls asked me if i was southeast asian. it's annoying but also kind of nice - i feel like i can fit in with alot of different groups.

Answer 2

I'm Chinese & Korean.
I've been confused for a Mexican person from 3 people in my life.
2 of them were black & one guy was hispanic.

A common mistake people make about me is that they think I might be Japanese. Once in a while, there is someone who can't figure out if I was Korean or Chinese. I tell them I'm both.

One thing I find funny: I visited several different countries in the east with my other friends, consisting of a black guy, white guy, & hispanic guy. The natives there would bother them with brochures & flyers, but never give me one. I'm walking, talking, and eating with them, and I get ignored. The natives mistaken me for one of them. I was a tourist as much as my friends. I think it's very funny.

Answer 3

I lived in predominately Hispanic neighborhood. I've got dark hair, so I got mistaken for Mexican a lot. Even to the point some people have walked up to me and asked me something in Spanish!

Answer 4

Oh yes, so many times. My last name is Khan, so most ppl think I am Pakistani. Actually I am from Bangladesh.

I had a situation a couple of weeks back when I found out my co-worker next my cube was indian. I thought of him as hispanic for entire two months. We found that out when ordered vegiterian food. We could not stop laughting.. :)

-Guru (By the way, its my name)
http://bengaliguru.com

Answer 5

Im mexican but idiots always say that i cant be mexican because im tall, in college the jews and arabs used to assume i was one of them, the indians that run 7-11's get upset because i dont speak indian to them, in a cuba restaurant they told me they dont allow cubans inside, at the airport they always have me "step aside" so they can check me more thoroughly, the blacks assume im 1/2 white 1/2 black, it goes on and on

Answer 6

Downtown which city? I am an Indian and i have gotten mistaken for an Assyrian. Plz gimme ur feedback on this.

Answer 7

Yes I'm Japanese, Chinese, and Russian but people mistake me for being white and Latino or white and Filipino all the time...I find it irritating. But it only happens when im tanned so I think that has to do a lot with it.

Answer 8

Yes, I'm of Italian descent but I've had people walk up to me & start speaking Spanish (which I know a little of, but not very much). I've also had people tell me that I looked Jewish (I know lots of people who are Jewish & really couldn't tell you what "looking Jewish" is because so many look different from each other).

Answer 9

I look white but I'm black a lot of white guys think I'm a white girl with a big booty

Answer 10

Like yeah! I get mistaken for Jessica Simpson all the time! How can that be? She's white and I'm black! Imagine that!!!!!