Anglo-Indian | Anglo-Burmese
Everything I am about to tell you about my ethnicity is only what I know through word of mouth. My Dad is Anglo-Indian born in Jhansi, India. Anglo-Indian means mixed Indian, usually with British/ European descent). From what I have been told, my Grandfather was English, Irish and Dutch and my Grandmother was Spanish, Portuguese & Goan. My Mum on the other hand is Anglo-Burmese, born in Burma (now known as Myanmar). Her Mother, my Grandmother are English, Irish and Indian, and my Grandfather was English and Burmese (think there is a bit of Scottish in there too!).
They met in church, a bible study group. My Mum was the good church girl who set this group up with the priest. She would read passages from the Bible to the others. My Dad moved to the country around the age of 21 and turned it into a youth club. He'd take everyone on an outing to the beach.
Anglo-Indian culture and Anglo Burmese are very similar. My Mum also has some Indian on her side too so it was very similar. They both came from large families. My Mum said their family was one of the first Asian families to move into Peckham in 1965.
My Mum and Dad both moved to England when they were young and had me and my two sisters here. I was born here, in London, Lewisham Hospital to be exact. I have been fortunate enough to grow up in such a diverse family model, within multiple cultures from British to Burmese to Anglo-Indian. And I am grateful to have experienced some of the best parts of each culture, and by that I’m talking about the food! I would say I have identified most with my Anglo-Indian roots.
My family and I are part of a tight knit south London community which usually consists of annual functions and events revolving around faith, food, alcohol, rock n roll music and line dancing. Anglo-Indian culture was heavily influenced by western country music and so this is what I grew up listening to. My Dad has a function band too, so we go to support him at his gigs from time to time.
But I was not always this involved. In fact, growing up there was a brief period where I tried to disassociate myself from this culture. There were also the odd comments from my Aunties and Uncles that would annoy me, like being ‘English babies’ for not choosing to eat spicy food and having McDonald’s instead. And saying things like you must ‘marry a nice Anglo boy’ which just made me want to rebel more. As I am also queer I don't openly talk about it unless asked. I've mentioned it to my parents but they don't really believe me as I've always dated men.
But as I grew up, I started to realise that being Anglo-Indian is actually the strongest part of my identity and I love that and I am truly proud to be who I am today. Being part of these different communities and cultures helps me feel connected to not only myself, but other people around me and most importantly my family, my Grandparents and my ancestors. I will continue carrying on their traditions and legacy and pass them down to future generations as best as I can. That includes teaching them to line dance!
I need to find a partner who understands and empathises with what it is like to be a women of colour and a queer person. I have often struggled to find ‘woke’ men who support me and these social causes which has often led to us going our separate ways. I have dated within my culture which I must say was pretty easy. But to me it is about the person and not their race / ethnicity. I am very open minded to who I date and it is more about a soul connection than anything else. I have generally attracted mixed people due to the commonalities of understanding and growing up in dual cultures.
But I think if someone truly loves you and you them, then they will be willing to work through the differences. As long as they are a good person and are socially aware of what is going on in the world and their position in it and supports me, then that is all that matters. Also with my personal image, being brought up in an Asian culture It was discouraged to wear revealing clothing or dress masculine. As of recent I am challenging these stereotypes by wearing whatever I feel good in and trying to tackle the gender stereotypes associated with clothing.
I am from a long line of mixed-race couples, so it’s not really out of the ordinary. Most of my family have married outside the race of different Anglo-Indians. I am fortunate to have been brought up in such a diverse family model. I have been to India but not Burma yet. I would've gone this year but Covid hit and there is a lot going on over there with the government so best I wait it out.
Challenges would be with work I think, I feel I am not quite respected as I should be. I have often been mistaken for other Asian women in the workplace and had ignorant comments made towards me. Friends, often been ‘too White’ for some friends and ‘too Asian’ for others. Anglo-Indians are not represented as it is a small subculture. Most people just assume I am Indian until I explain things thoroughly to them.
I think growing up I just kind of existed and didn't really embrace much of my identity. Now I have a good idea of who I am and what I want to be. I want to work on myself and my personal brand and aim to be successful as a woman, as a person of colour and a member of the LGBTQ community. I want to speak up and work towards changing the system and making it a better society for everyone.
If I had the opportunity to be reborn I would like to be the same, but it would be better if I was born into a higher role or higher social status so I can use my platform to help those without a voice. Although I probably wouldn't be who I am today and have learnt the lessons I needed to so I think I wouldn't want to be anything more or less than my current self. It has taught me a lot about growing up not as rich as others and I have learnt a lot of valuable life lessons from my parents.
I feel there should be more understanding and embracing of indifference. More platforms promoting race. Not just mixed-race people but people from all backgrounds. Not eliminating race but embracing it. There should also be more representation of people of colour in media and not just the use of models by White organisations but actually people of colour in higher roles. Finally of course we should have more education on race in school systems. I can't be asked to educate another man on why it’s not appropriate to call me exotic. It is really not my job. We need more allies and people understanding their position and how they are contributing to the system.
I am a body positive and wellbeing advocate. I believe in self-care and love. Meditation and fitness as well as comfort eating, as you just need some good food to help you get by. Also helping others and supporting other people, building new friendships and finding new like-minded people with the same core values as you. I had a sort of spiritual awakening which helped me find my drive and purpose in life and learn to love and accept myself. My goal is to help others do this, to empower other women to be the best version of themselves. I am still in the process of building and defining my brand. I use fashion as my tool to promote self-love, self-confidence and employment.
Blog: https://sophialucydunn.wixsite.com/phia
Website: https://www.sophiadunndesign.com/