54.
ARTWORK: Natasha Tareen
never have i ever… felt uncomfortable with cultural misrepresentation BY ANONYMOUS
‘Too whitewashed for the brown kids and too brown for the white kids.’ My whole life, that one sentence has controlled me. It’s the first thought that comes to mind whenever I try to cement new relationships in new environments. If the social anxiety is really peaking, my inner monologue enlightens me with these: be funny so you fit in. Be kinder so they like you. Smile but don’t try too hard. Make selfdeprecating jokes about your culture if you have to. You can feel guilty later, make friends first.
