At a Glance
Being racially ambiguous can come with challenges as well as privileges.
Some people, though, appear to have features that fit more than one racial group.
When someone cannot be easily placed in a racial category, they might be considered racially ambiguous.
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Racial ambiguity is the term for when a person’s racial background isn’t easily identifiable.
They don’t appear to be what’s commonly called “monoracial,” or being of one race.
A racially ambiguous person may be perceived differently by different people.
The author as a child.Ariane Resnick
Racially ambiguous people occupy an in-between space in our culture.
Racially ambiguous people may love not being clearly identifiable, or it might cause them great emotional pain.
It may be their favorite physical attribute, or they may take actions to appear more monoracial.
The author’s parents on their wedding day.Ariane Resnick
There is no universal experience of racial ambiguity.
As we will address, this has both privileges and challenges.
This could lead to them taking more actions to combat racism when and where they encounter it.
The author and her grandmother.Ariane Resnick
This is because people of different ethnic groups in various countries might recognize them as one of their own.
A person may be spoken to in Spanish, Arabic, Hebrew, Hindu, and more.
Because racially ambiguous people are often asked the question, “What are you?”
Keep in Mind
Chances are, you’ve encountered racially ambiguous people before.
Racial ambiguity is becoming progressively more common and is an important experience to understand.
Working with mixed race individuals who may appear racially ambiguous is an important topic for further exploration.
Verywell would like to thank Dr. Jennifer Noble for her significant contributions in reviewing this article.
2023;18(4):e0284275.
2019;94(8):1099-1102. doi:10.1097/ACM.0000000000002740
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2023;49(6):910-924. doi:10.1177/01461672221084537
