At times, I'll state that I am "Ebony" and at other times I'll state that I am "exotic." Something I see missing from this thread is the fact that both those terms don't negate each other. Exotic could relate to race as much as it does to ethnicity or nationality. (The fact that some refuse to acknowledge that race, ethnicity, and nationality aren't conflated stews my peas!) I am foreign born and that reality shapes how I move through the world. When I claim exoticness, it has nothing to do with me rejecting my Blackness. (I've actually been accused of being too "pro-Black" pertaining to
the hobby.
) My profile always states "African / Black." But in ad titles, I'll switch between using Ebony, exotic, Black, and Caribbean for variety's sake.
Also, how come it's always Black women who are shaded and (falsely) accused of being embarrassed/ lying about their race?