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OK, Ariane Andrew: Let's Talk About Why You Won't Date Black Men

When "preferences" are actually harmful.

If you've been anywhere on the internet in the past 24 hours, then you must know that former WWE fighter Ariane Andrew found herself in some trouble after her comments to TMZ were released and she was caught on camera saying she doesn't date Black men and prefers white guys because mixed-race couples make "cute babies."

She later sent a clapback video to TMZ where she stated, "Just to clarify, I've dated Black guys in the past, but just like anybody, we all have preferences." She adds, "It wasn't meant to be derogatory, I'm a Black woman."

She then continued to defend her preferences and stated she may date a Black man or a man of color in the future because “at the end of the day, looks are skin deep and what I think is beautiful may be different than what you think is beautiful, but we all bring something unique to the table.”

OK, now you’re that you're all caught up, let's get to it.

Here’s the thing: what she's saying may not be "racist" because yes, she has the right to have her own preferences to the kind of men SHE dates. But she's missing the point of what has many in an outrage. The main problem is her statement: "A little vanilla and a little chocolate, they make cute babies."

That statement is what has many heated. Need receipts?

What she is implying, although she may not recognize it, is that mixed-race couples have "cute babies," while Black men and women together do not have cute babies which, as we know, is completely false! Here’s some gratuitous proof:

Ariane’s comment is once again bringing up a stereotype and totally erroneous idea that having light skin makes you beautiful. The last thing that our youth needs is for outdated and shortsighted opinions to be pushed into their minds creating a lack of self-esteem and envious thoughts towards those with lighter skin. This is a cycle that needs to stop!

Ariane is seemingly unfazed as she posted to Instagram:

At a political time like this, (where being a Black child literally puts your life in danger) this hardly seems like a situation that can be joked about especially, when she seems so tone deaf about receiving criticism. 

We surely hope that Ariane understands that this is not about her wanting to date another race, but has everything to do with her idea of needing milk in her coffee-colored, melanated skin in order to get the perfect blend of “cute babies.”

Since this is her beautiul mom and this is her handsome dad, we can only assume that Andrews thought she was a cute baby herself, so why she would make that statement is pretty strange to us. 

We all know it’s OK to have preferences, but this opinion is damaging to a lot of people, triggering a lot of feelings of not being "good enough" simply because you are Black and, to us, that is hugely problematic. 

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