Photo: via tsakilahobviously.com.
Stop everything. Comedian and writer Akilah Hughes has created a must-watch video cataloguing the ridiculousness she's witnessed in her dating life. Inspired by the "unspoken anxiety" and "cringe-worthy moments" drawn from her personal experience of being in an interracial relationship, Hughes' webisode, Meet Your First Black Girlfriend is the next, and perhaps, more empowering Sh*t Girls Say. In this short, hilarious, and on-point video, Hughes dishes out crucial pointers to her would-be suitors on how not to be racially insensitive (or too sensitive.) But, don't listen to us, listen to her. Hughes, who blogs at It's Akilah Obviously, gave Refinery29 some insights into the origins of her video, which after only a few days, has garnered over 25,000 views on YouTube.
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On coming up with the idea for her video: "I was having dinner with Jazmine Hughes (no relation) from NY Mag, and we were both in interracial relationships at the time. The conversation turned to meeting the parents over the holidays, and we both realized that there is an unspoken anxiety of meeting your boyfriend's white family. That sort of turned into just the ins and outs of interracial relationships and the most cringeworthy moments we could think of. After that discussion, I realized that there is a huge niche audience that knows exactly what we're talking about, but nobody really says it."
On how she made the video: "When I imagined the video, I immediately thought of Chescaleigh's Sh*t White Girls Say to Black Girls video and how short quick scenes translated much better than just a single shot. She's a friend and definitely an inspiration."
On where she got her material: "I had no idea my hair was such an enigma until I started dating other races. Every first black girlfriend has dreads explaining the satin cap and hair grease and hair washing. It's only annoying because the questions are never-ending!"
For more of Hughes' brilliant responses to dumb questions, see below.