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Post by paul101 on Dec 8, 2009 9:34:54 GMT -5
Okay, so today I was having a normal conversation with my mum, and I brought up the subject of holidays. We usually go to France for New Years, but today my mother told me we're going to Italy.
Me: Italy? Why? We always go to France.
Mum: Because my Grandmother wants to see you and your sisters. Your Grandmother is Italian, Paul. Didn't you know that?
Me: D:
Mum: She came from the North of Italy and married my Grandfather.
Me: Okay.. And why am I only hearing about her now?
Mum: Because she could never come over to Ireland and was always too busy for us to come see her, but now she's invited us.
So, after finding out that I'm 1/8 Italian, I just wanted to ask something.. Aren't Italians supposed to be olive-skinned and dark-haired? I saw a picture of my Italian Grandmother and she's blonde-haired and blue-eyed. :/ As is my Mum and the rest of my maternal family.
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Post by milkman's baby on Dec 8, 2009 9:46:34 GMT -5
Kid, have you ever looked at a map? Italy borders Austria, Switzerland, and France on the north- all countries which have a high amount of blondes. Use your common sense and inference to find that NORTH Italy would probably be very similar to those countries, so NORTH Italians would probably look similar to Germans and French. I'm sure there are some dark North Italians as well, but there can be so much variation. Italians don't have to look a certain way. I've known people of Sicilian stock who were blonde haired and blue eyed.
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Post by paul101 on Dec 8, 2009 10:07:32 GMT -5
Kid, have you ever looked at a map? Italy borders Austria, Switzerland, and France on the north- all countries which have a high amount of blondes. Use your common sense and inference to find that NORTH Italy would probably be very similar to those countries, so NORTH Italians would probably look similar to Germans and French. I'm sure there are some dark North Italians as well, but there can be so much variation. Italians don't have to look a certain way. I've known people of Sicilian stock who were blonde haired and blue eyed. Yes, I have looked at a map. No need to be rude about it. :s That makes sense, I've never really looked into Italian culture or had an interest in Italy, tbh. There's also this Italian guy in my class, who saw my Facebook comment on being part Italian and he asked which part and I said North and he said, "Oh. I guess you're too good to hang out with a Southerner like me." Again, displaying my naivity of all things Italian, but do the South dislike the North or something? :s |
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Post by Ganbare! on Dec 8, 2009 13:09:12 GMT -5
The North of Italy is one of the richest and industrialized region of all Europe while the Southern part of the country (Mezzogiorno) is comparatively poor and was once the peninsula's epicenter of emigration, that's why Southerners have an inferiority complex...
My girlfriend's family hails from Florence, she is blonde but has hazelnut eyes, she often tells me that some people doubt she's a real Italian because of her somewhat light features and I'm like: "welcome to the club!"
fgh
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Post by milkman's baby on Dec 8, 2009 13:39:55 GMT -5
Yes, I have looked at a map. No need to be rude about it. :s That makes sense, I've never really looked into Italian culture or had an interest in Italy, tbh. There's also this Italian guy in my class, who saw my Facebook comment on being part Italian and he asked which part and I said North and he said, "Oh. I guess you're too good to hang out with a Southerner like me." Again, displaying my naivity of all things Italian, but do the South dislike the North or something? :s Naw, I wasn't being rude I was just giving you a hard time. It's all good spirited teasing here.  From what I understand and like Ganbarel said, there is a strong difference between northern and southern Italians. You can even see it amongst Italian-Americans. The Italians that immigrated to the USA that stand out as being Italian-American were mostly dark, swarthy southern Italians that came to work in New York and New Jersey meat-packing and cargo industries in the early 1900s. Fair-skinned northern Italians, on the other hand, went to work in New England forestry businesses (I guess North Italy has a lot of logging businesses thus making them more keen on it). But they assimilated a lot easier with the WASPs already living there because they didn't stand out as totally different with their physical features. Basically just English folks with Latin surnames is how it played out. Even here in the States, you can hear some Italian-Americans griping about which Italian is better and what not. |
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Post by rosadreams on Jan 17, 2010 12:11:29 GMT -5
She's northern Italian, which explains it.
BTW All Europeans basically look the same, no matter what people say. Also, there is no difference between European and White. White IS European.
Just to clarify, some US people don't seem to realise this.
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Post by xandra on Jan 18, 2010 9:10:27 GMT -5
My mom comes from Sardinia and she and her sisters are all quite pale with blonde hair, while one of her brothers fits the dark Italian bill to a tee. Sardinia is quite isolated, though, so may not correlate super well with the rest of Italy.
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Post by milkman's baby on Jan 18, 2010 16:58:32 GMT -5
She's northern Italian, which explains it. BTW All Europeans basically look the same, no matter what people say. Also, there is no difference between European and White. White IS European. Just to clarify, some US people don't seem to realise this.  Explain? I've never heard anyone deny that ethnic Europeans are white. |
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Post by catgirl on Jan 22, 2010 3:21:11 GMT -5
Okay, so today I was having a normal conversation with my mum, and I brought up the subject of holidays. We usually go to France for New Years, but today my mother told me we're going to Italy. Me: Italy? Why? We always go to France. Mum: Because my Grandmother wants to see you and your sisters. Your Grandmother is Italian, Paul. Didn't you know that? Me: D: Mum: She came from the North of Italy and married my Grandfather. Me: Okay.. And why am I only hearing about her now? Mum: Because she could never come over to Ireland and was always too busy for us to come see her, but now she's invited us. So, after finding out that I'm 1/8 Italian, I just wanted to ask something.. Aren't Italians supposed to be olive-skinned and dark-haired? I saw a picture of my Italian Grandmother and she's blonde-haired and blue-eyed. :/ As is my Mum and the rest of my maternal family. Usually, but not always. I think many from Italy have dark hair and blue eyes for example. Like in Norway, most people are dark blonde, but a few have dark brown, almost black hair. |
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Post by catgirl on Jan 22, 2010 3:22:40 GMT -5
She's northern Italian, which explains it. BTW All Europeans basically look the same, no matter what people say. Also, there is no difference between European and White. White IS European. Just to clarify, some US people don't seem to realise this. Ironic?  |
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Explain? I've never heard anyone deny that ethnic Europeans are white. 
