Dutch | Iranian
My parents met in the candy store where my Mom worked in Breda. My parents separated when I was young, so my Dad was not always a part of my childhood. I would have liked to learn more about Iran but I mostly have the Dutch culture and values. However I love to see Persian movies and taste the food!
Through my Iranian family I learned to be more warm to other people and always make good food and just be welcoming.
Other people always have questions about my background, but sometimes there are a lot of judgments too. I have always felt like society wants me to choose or put me in a box, so I was conflicted with this as a child. Now I like to talk about this to people and explain how it feels to be mixed and how to treat mixed people.
I always get the questions ‘where are you from’ and ‘are you Muslim?’. As a child I wanted to prove to people that I was just like them and shared the same values. That was frustrating and sometimes still is. Also I'm queer and people sometimes do not expect that because they expect me to be very traditional. In the Netherlands people are quite racist and do not understand how many cultures, values and religions come together. I did try to change things in my appearance. As a child I was bullied for having facial hair so I lasered this, and coloured my hair to look more like the rest. Now and also because of role models I created self love and I am happy about my looks! Anna Noushin was the first Dutch but full Persian influencer and I find her very beautiful and also she is smart and just cool! And because she has the same height and looks more like me, her beauty tips also worked better for me than White influencers, and so I learned to work with my natural looks. You are beautiful the way you are! In and out. You do not have to prove people you belong somewhere and have the same worth. Be proud of who you are and of your ancestors.
The main term I receive is exotic, and this is mostly used by men. It's not something I am a fan of, that’s a term you should use to describe plants. The term I prefer to use is ‘mixed’, half blood feels wrong because it suggests that it is half good and half not good.
I went to Vietnam and the people were very generous so that is something I admire. I find Buddhism inspiring and working more with nature so I admire these cultures. In Spain people were so passionate in their expression and dance which I appreciate.
I connect to my Dutch side through the directness, cycling & my natural look. It’s so normal to not wear make-up or high heels. The 'ANWB vibe'. I try to be straightforward with people but warm at the same time which is a good mix of both cultures. And I like to dance to different cultural dances. Last year I learned to do a Palestinian dance.