Okay, I’ve got another one that may have an ick factor. The pretty fly for a white guy type. Yanno he’s into hip hop and has a little swagger. Speaks in AAVE. I haven’t seen them in IR romances, but see them all the time at the mall and they always seem to have a black girlfriend. I’m thinking there might be more of them in street lit. Does anybody know?
Then there’s the white guy who just seems to be down or chill with black folk. I had a friend like this in college. He didn’t try to have swagger or anything, but he preferred to hang black. If I recall, he was essentially raised by his black housekeeper and spent all his time her kids. Then he played sports and made friends mostly with black people. Would he be an icky hero? Has anyone seen him in a book?
It’s seems from my observations at least that most interracial readers prefer their “white boys white”. I’m just not sure if this reflects in real life where the pretty fly types seem to prevail, or at least the down guys. But I could be wrong. Those of you who date/mate IR what did you mainly encounter?
the one who writes 
It’s seems from my observations at least that most interracial readers prefer their “white boys white”.
I’ve heard that there seems to be a really strong need to ‘differentiate’ the heroes so that the readers don’t think they are Black. I’ve noticed that when it comes to Asian heroes, a lot of authors tend to rely on stereotypes to reach this goal but with white heroes there seems to be more diversity.
I mate IR and I’m yet to come across any of the above, i.e. pretty fly or down white guy. I have a friend who once dated a Spanish guy who was really into hip-hop, she called him a ‘wigger’ once. As for me, most of the men I’ve been with were pretty much as into their cultures as I am with mine, it’s interesting for me as I get to learn new things.
The down white guy reminds me of the male character in Pat Cromwell’s book When Dreams Come True. I really enjoyed the story. His stepfather was black and a musician, and he grew up around black kids in New Orleans. I went to highschool with two white guys like this they weren’t trying to be black in attire or swagger it was just who they were.
I’ve thought about basing a hero on my friend the down white guy. Just haven’t had the right story come to me yet.
NO NO NO NO, just bloody NO!. Can’t STAND anyone who’s not themselves. This doesn’t negate the fact that people are appreciative of others’ culture, of different music genres etc, but I’m left flabergasted by those who immitate the negative aspects of cultures, which actually shows me how closed minded they are, by placing said people in only one drawer.
I read one story so far, by Sienna Mynx, it’s a trilogy of a white Irish-American who grew up in a black environment. He was actually adopted by a black family. I adore this romance, because he was a product of his environment, therefore the language he used, his outlook was all based on how he was raised. If he had grown up in a typical white suburban environment and spoke like he did because “all black people spoke like this” and other misconceptions, I wouldn’t appreciate such a premise. As a personal preferance, I’m a sucker for geeks, shy or beta types. The swaggerific/alpha male seems so greasy and high maintenance….
…and what does “down” mean?. I’ve yet to figure out this expression as my exhusband would be “down” since he was/is very into me and all that encompasses “me”, my family (even after our divorce) my cultures (Caribbean/American), my fascinating sexy hair (his words), skin tone and the fact that I can burn if I stay too long in the sun, etc etc…….
The down white guy, at least by my definition, is just a white guy who is comfortable around black people. I think we’ve all seen white people who seem awkward and terribly self conscious when around black people. The down white guy is just as comfirtable around other races as he is his own. Just chill.
I don’t think that a white guy with “swagger” is necessarily trying to be black. I know plenty of white guys that have “swagger” and I equate it with a natural confidence in who they are. Some of them are military or former military, some are just your run of the mill white guy and a couple have grown up in rich families but never give of the vibe of “I’m better than you ’cause I have a trust fund.”
There’s no bigger turn off than a white guy trying to act black and more often than not I can spot those a mile away.
I tend to go for the geeks regardless of race. There’s just something beautiful about a guy that’s just off the charts smart . I love the innate confidence they have in their skills which can certainly come across as cocky but hey if you got it you got it.
I always believed that if I’m reading IR romance then I want the guy “white, really white”. Unitl I read Sienna Mynx’s (Mel and Tia) trilogy. Happy Valentine, St. Patty’s Day and Baby Love. The character Melvin Reed, white & Irish, was adopted by a black couple and lived in a black neighborhood. Honestly I passed over the story for months until the reviews convinced me to take a chance. I really enjoyed the series, she did a great job with the character. I can still see the white boy with swagger becoming a fiasco with an author who does not have the chops to pull it off.
Living in Chicago, I’ve seen both type of men walking the streets. I must admit that I’m rather turned off by the “fly” type– they strike me as caricatures. I know that it is a gross generalization and probably unfair but that is my gut reaction. In literature, I would prefer to read a white protagonist who was “truly reflective of his cultural upbringing.” My husband is white, a brilliant nerd, and grew up in Iowa. When he tries to act fly– it is hilarious, so pathetically funny and he knows it. I know he does it to get a laugh out of me and he only does it when he’s home.