Can you determine where a person is from simply by their appearance? (1 Viewer)

[Hatuey]

Is it possible to determine the ethnicity of a person simply by looking at them? I wanted to know since somebody said this at work today and I just found it rather funny because I've been asked if I'm from Bangladesh, Ethiopia, India, Pakistan, Indonesia, Costa Rica, Louisiana Baiyou(sp?) and California all in the same month.

 

[faithful_servant]

I don't know. Try this...
I'm average height and build, straight brown hair, brown eyes (with flecks of green), dark complexion, high cheekbones, strong jaw and chin, thin-lipped, and have a very average nose. What's my ethnicity?

 

[Kandahar]

Depends on the person. I would assume that a person with extremely dark skin and a snub nose probably isn't from Iceland. And there probably aren't many short, almond-eyed people in the Congo.

But with some people, it's hard to tell.

 

[Topsez]

Is it possible to determine the ethnicity of a person simply by looking at them? I wanted to know since somebody said this at work today and I just found it rather funny because I've been asked if I'm from Bangladesh, Ethiopia, India, Pakistan, Indonesia, Costa Rica, Louisiana Baiyou(sp?) and California all in the same month.

I think I could only determine the ethnicity of a Somalian, and that is a very important thing to know. Other than that distinct ethnicity I'm lost.

What does a Puerto Rican look like? The guy who killed the star on the movie Ghosts, Ricky Martin, a 6'4" 240 pound white guy that looks Irish, a black guy who looks very much like Jessy Jackson? Go figure...

 

[1069]

Is it possible to determine the ethnicity of a person simply by looking at them?

Heck no.

I wanted to know since somebody said this at work today and I just found it rather funny because I've been asked if I'm from Bangladesh, Ethiopia, India, Pakistan, Indonesia, Costa Rica, Louisiana Baiyou(sp?) and California all in the same month.

I can relate; I'm also a 'racially ambiguous-looking' white person.
I've been mistaken for hispanic more times than I can count; also mistaken for part-Asian or part-Middle Eastern. I once worked at a restaurant owned by an Iraqi; a regular customer was under the mistaken impression that I was the daughter of said Iraqi, rather than merely his employee. I didn't realize this until he asked me one day, "Is your dad around?" (Me: "Huh?". Him: "Your dad. Sayid." :doh )
I like it, personally. I'd rather be exotic than look like a barbie doll.
I like to see the look on people's faces when they inquire about my ethnicity and I tell them "Scottish".

 

[Justagurl]

No... People are always guessing my ethnicity wrong although some get it right.

 

[saggyjones]

I don't know. Try this...
I'm average height and build, straight brown hair, brown eyes (with flecks of green), dark complexion, high cheekbones, strong jaw and chin, thin-lipped, and have a very average nose. What's my ethnicity?

Native American? Just a guess.

You can't know someone's country from their appearance alone, but after talking to them usually. Accent combined with appearance is a giveaway most of the time. Well, if you see a fat white person they're probably American lol

 

[Hatuey]

Native American? Just a guess.

You can't know someone's country from their appearance alone, but after talking to them usually. Accent combined with appearance is a giveaway most of the time. Well, if you see a fat white person they're probably American lol

Some people have perfect accents in english and looking nothing like your everyday briton

 

[Topsez]

I think I could only determine the ethnicity of a Somalian, and that is a very important thing to know. Other than that distinct ethnicity I'm lost.

What does a Puerto Rican look like? The guy who killed the star on the movie Ghosts, Ricky Martin, a 6'4" 240 pound white guy that looks Irish, a black guy who looks very much like Jessy Jackson? Go figure...

Oh, I meant Samoan and not Somalian. However, when I was growing up in WV our town was all white and we played a team from an all black town and all the people there seemed to be from the same tribe... All were very tall, very black, beautiful teeth, very pink palms of hands and damned good basketball players. Not sure what origin they were but they seemed recognizably unique among other blacks in other cities in Ohio.

 

[GarzaUK]

I'm from Northern Ireland, and with all the troubles with terrorism we had for 3 decades we never got the influx of immigrants that the rest of the UK had. Now that there is peace we are getting alot more immigrants which I'm proud to say has helped boost Northern Ireland's economic growth to number 1 in the UK, yeah even above England :mrgreen: .

Anyway I'm in supermarket and there is a Muslim women covering her head, not her face. Muslims in Northern Ireland are immigrants. I bumped into her and said sorry and she replied in a broad Northern Irish accent, she grew up in Northern Ireland. I was quite shocked to honest, but in a good way.
She must have converted.

 

[Hatuey]

Oh, I meant Samoan and not Somalian. However, when I was growing up in WV our town was all white and we played a team from an all black town and all the people there seemed to be from the same tribe... All were very tall, very black, beautiful teeth, very pink palms of hands and damned good basketball players. Not sure what origin they were but they seemed recognizably unique among other blacks in other cities in Ohio.

I get confused with puerto ricans all the time - I think it's cause I speak spanish like they do. But I can twist my accent to sound dominican or puerto rican.

With Puerto ricans I gotta say Papi every so often and with dominicans - just forget that Ls exist in spanish and I'm good.