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I have an example: A Norwegian woman I worked with was in India as a kid because her parents worked for UN. IIRC she told us how a woman, after staring at her

I have an example: A Norwegian woman I worked with was in India as a kid because her parents worked for UN. IIRC she told us how a woman, after staring at her for a while leaned over and pinched her face to check if a kid could really be that pale or if it was some kind of paint or something. She also remembered being pulled in the hair because people wanted to know if it was real. That said, this was something like 30 years ago and today after reading this discussion I wonder if she was just really unlucky or what.

madengr 10y ago
I had the same happen to me when I was 2, living with my mother while doing her dissertation in Chihuahua, Mexico in early 70's. Everyone wanted to pet me.
gambiting 10y ago
My sister is a white, blonde girl, and she did a volunteering program in India 2 years ago, some remote village in the middle of nowhere. She said that basically everyone in the village came over to touch her skin and hair, because they have never seen such a pale person(and blonde hair).
estreeper 10y ago
I can definitely see this happening today, but I wouldn't consider that anything malicious, just very different culturally. I'm from the US, and wouldn't even be considered blond, but at some of the monuments it was like being a celebrity, and tons of people would want to take pictures with me. This happened perhaps 100 times in our one month there, and it was really strange at first. I did also have people touch my arms and look at me with big grins on their faces. If you're not from a place where touching a stranger is acceptable, this can understandably be quite shocking until you get used to it. There are so many people in India that you'll find people with a wide variety of different customs and social norms.
HeyLaughingBoy 10y ago
Unlucky? No, that's just learning. I'm black; I remember (white) people being amazed at how my hair felt before I kept it really short. A black woman I knew who lived in a wealthy Detroit suburb where they were the only black family related to me (while laughing) how the neighborhood kids were so fascinated that the color on her children's hands didn't wipe off. This is all in the last 30 years or so in the US. People meeting different people is a good thing, don't take it negatively.
- Zancarius 10y ago
  Hah, the hands. Oh, it's always the hands! I was fortunate to have lived in a fairly diverse community (military town, lots of different people, although the city is very much almost majority-hispanic), and one of our family friends was a tall black police officer. To a toddler exposed to many different people, I never gave it much thought--except the hands, of course, when he'd pick me up to show me the lights and siren on his motorbike. (It's maddening how stupidly enjoyable children find certain loud noises.) The young me was oddly fascinated with the lighter color of the palms of those of African descent, and how similar--yet different--they were to my own. As the years passed, I never really gave it much thought until a friend of mine from high school looked at my hands once when we reconnected some years later and asked me "Why do white people have such pink palms?" He was teasing, of course, so I had to relate my own experiences. We shared a good chuckle. Sometimes it's heartening to consider that our differences can be advantageous as a vehicle for bringing us together. It's rare (sadly), but it's also a very beautiful thing. Thanks for reminding me of this, even if indirectly! Good memories.

madengr 10y ago

I had the same happen to me when I was 2, living with my mother while doing her dissertation in Chihuahua, Mexico in early 70's. Everyone wanted to pet me.

gambiting 10y ago

My sister is a white, blonde girl, and she did a volunteering program in India 2 years ago, some remote village in the middle of nowhere. She said that basically everyone in the village came over to touch her skin and hair, because they have never seen such a pale person(and blonde hair).

estreeper 10y ago

I can definitely see this happening today, but I wouldn't consider that anything malicious, just very different culturally. I'm from the US, and wouldn't even be considered blond, but at some of the monuments it was like being a celebrity, and tons of people would want to take pictures with me. This happened perhaps 100 times in our one month there, and it was really strange at first. I did also have people touch my arms and look at me with big grins on their faces. If you're not from a place where touching a stranger is acceptable, this can understandably be quite shocking until you get used to it. There are so many people in India that you'll find people with a wide variety of different customs and social norms.

HeyLaughingBoy 10y ago

Unlucky? No, that's just learning. I'm black; I remember (white) people being amazed at how my hair felt before I kept it really short. A black woman I knew who lived in a wealthy Detroit suburb where they were the only black family related to me (while laughing) how the neighborhood kids were so fascinated that the color on her children's hands didn't wipe off. This is all in the last 30 years or so in the US. People meeting different people is a good thing, don't take it negatively.

Zancarius 10y ago
Hah, the hands. Oh, it's always the hands! I was fortunate to have lived in a fairly diverse community (military town, lots of different people, although the city is very much almost majority-hispanic), and one of our family friends was a tall black police officer. To a toddler exposed to many different people, I never gave it much thought--except the hands, of course, when he'd pick me up to show me the lights and siren on his motorbike. (It's maddening how stupidly enjoyable children find certain loud noises.) The young me was oddly fascinated with the lighter color of the palms of those of African descent, and how similar--yet different--they were to my own. As the years passed, I never really gave it much thought until a friend of mine from high school looked at my hands once when we reconnected some years later and asked me "Why do white people have such pink palms?" He was teasing, of course, so I had to relate my own experiences. We shared a good chuckle. Sometimes it's heartening to consider that our differences can be advantageous as a vehicle for bringing us together. It's rare (sadly), but it's also a very beautiful thing. Thanks for reminding me of this, even if indirectly! Good memories.