1. You always had to deal with annoying questions from people like “where are you REALLY from?"
2. You had to take a week off school to attend any family friend’s wedding.
3. You had to say no to sleepovers, even though ALL your friends would be there.
4. Your parents made you wear those god-awful rashies over your one-piece swimsuit.
5. While your friends had posters of Justin Timberlake on their walls, you were staring into the dreamy eyes of Shah Rukh Khan.
6. And your friends' parents listened to The Beatles while yours listened to Mohammed Rafi.
7. Your friends served meat pies, sausage rolls, and fairy bread at birthday parties but you were all about the samosas.
And those sweet, sweet jalebis.
8. When you wanted to go to the beach with your friends, you had to pack a cardigan or wide-brimmed hat to avoid being yelled at.
9. Which meant you always subconsciously wished you were white.
10. For your family, the time of year for present-giving was Diwali or Vaisakhi.
but on diwali i get so much raw cash its better than presents
Christmas Day? You sat at home and did nothing while your friends were having a family lunch at the beach.
11. Tiny Teddies for recess? NOPE.
You were chowing down on some dhokla instead.
12. You could only dream when your friends were talking about the cute boys they had crushes on.
13. You also had to forget about socialising with boys full stop.
14. When you were in high school, the local library was more of a social place.
15. So basically, you had to lead a double life.
16. You always erupted in a fit of laughter during the scene in Bend It Like Beckham when Jess hugs Jules and the aunty rides by thinking she’s kissing a boy.
17. In fact, that entire movie just made you say “this is me AF”.
Thank you, Jesminder, for being an icon of our time.
18. When your friends started dating, you had to contemplate the possibility of an arranged marriage.
19. Wanted to study design, fashion, or anything creative? Ha.
20. You wanted to get your nose pierced to look edgy and cool, but really it just made you look more Indian.
Gonna pierce my nose for my 18th birthday idc how indian I'll look IDC IDC IDC
At least you can authentically rock the nose chain on your wedding day!
21. Henna was something you got teased for at school.
22. Same with bindis.
23. You also got teased for having thick brows, even though now they're a makeup trend.
Thank god for eyebrow threading
Thank goodness you didn't thin them down in the '00s like everyone else.
24. Brown kids gravitating towards the other brown kids was normal in every school.
25. Cha time was lit.
26. Once you hit the age of 18, you constantly had to hide from taxi drivers on the way home from the club.
27. Calling every brown adult “uncle” or “aunty” was totally normal.
28. But no matter what, you were always in awe of the culture that felt true to you.
