Just recently an Indian told me I look like Prince Harry. The Prince of England. I took the compliment(?) in stride, but I was a bit non-plussed. The only thing I really know about Prince Harry is that he made some racist remarks while in Iraq and had to formally apologize. I think I saw a picture of him once and I believe he has red hair. But I guess I look like him.
This kind of thing has happened before. While in a gym an Indian man told me I looked like Brad Pitt. Other than the bicep size I don't see any resemblance, but somehow this man did. Another man asked me if I was a soldier. Another asked me if I was a Hollywood star.
At first I simply accepted these comments at face value. I was a little bit proud to be asked if I was a movie star etc. But then I began to think about it. There is always the possibility that I really do look like Brad Pitt, a soldier, Prince Harry and a Hollywood star. Maybe my friends and family never commented on the striking similarities because I live with them and they simply got used to it. Maybe India just wasn't ready for my rugged good looks.
And then there is another possibility. Maybe us white folks are kind of like blank chalk slates. Indians see us and are immediately able to superimpose all of their preconceived notions about western culture onto our pale skin. Maybe the facts that my nose is about the same size as Prince Harry's and my skin is white were enough to convince that one man that I did in fact look like Prince Harry.
Images, videos and songs about western culture, particularly American culture, abound in India. Maybe they hate our culture or maybe they love it, either way it is deeply ingrained in their national physique. So, when they see a real live westerner they apply their base of knowledge to that individual. And, generally speaking, their base of knowledge about western culture is derived from television, movies and music. So, maybe that is why I haven't been told I look like Mark Twain, but instead like Brad Pitt.
It's a nice theory and I think it probably applies to most people, however, in my case I really do look like Brad Pitt, a soldier, Prince Henry and a Hollywood star (redundant, I know). So whatever.
Thursday, March 12, 2009
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4 comments:
On regards to your nose. Be thankful you didn't get the Browne nose (Grandma Pat's side of the family)Me and my Dad did, and it causes me grief.
by the way that last comment was from me, melissa. somehow, i got signed in under my daughter's name.
eli we just never told you that you're the spitting image of brad pitt because we were afraid it would go to your head. so now you know. ;)
interesting thought. I think you look like Eli Francovich, heehee!! But, for some reason this reminds me of when my son Henry was three years old and was sitting in the grocery store cart in line, and in front of us was a short bald (shaved head) black man about 25 years old, he was about same height as me, maybe 5'8". My son loved basketball and says to me, "mommy, there is Michael Jordan!!" pointing right at him. Well, this made this short man smile, but still, I remember thinking that here in Idaho where at that time you just didn't see a whole lot of diversity a three year old living in Idaho thought every bald black man was a basketball player for the NBA on TV. We are so conditioned at such a young age even by media, it's amazing.
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