I can understand Jasmine, Naveen, and Esmeralda, but just because you arent black or white does not mean you are exotic! I dont think Mulan, Pocahontas, Aubrey, or Gabriella (TLM series) are exotic. Caucasians and blacks can be exotic, like Marina. If theres a latina princess and shes a classic latin beauty abd people call her "exotic", Ill lose my mind!
I don't get why this term annoys some people. It doesn't even have a bad meaning! Speaking of the princesses, as a European, it's reasonable that I call Jasmine or Pocahontas exotic. And I find it equally reasonable that African or Asian people can call Aurora or Cinderella exotic. I don't think any Afro-American calls Tiana exotic, it's the white Americans, Europeans etc who do. So what's the problem? Exotic means someone who looks in a way that is not common in a different country. So a classic latina is apparently classic to all latinos and nobody will call her exotic, but I will, because no matter if she's a classic latina or an unusual one, she's still a latina and looks different to me. Mulan is typical chinese, but she's exotic to me, because I am not chinese. Also, nowadays exotic means from other lands and beautiful. In the past it meant just "from other lands". This term is seriously misunderstood.
I don't usually get referred to as exotic. That only occurs once in a very great while. People keep asking me if I'm "mixed." Excuse me? Mixed, is something like when you talk about dog breeds. I'm a PERSON. The correct word is BIRACIAL. Yes, I'm biracial, so that means that I have parents of two different ethnicities.
What people say just makes me astounded sometimes.
I really dislike it when "exotic" is used to describe people, it's in a way dehumanizing because I think that term is used to describe animals, not people - pointing out that they are different - not equals. Just my opinion.
@randarful: Exotic literally means "from outer, far away lands" and it is used for practically everything: places, people, plants, animals, habits. It has a neutral meaning, not a pejorative or discriminating one.
I feel it is quite objectifying really.... Back when things were first being called exotic, it was just objects from foreign places. Then Europeans started calling foreign women exotic, back when they were seen as odd, exotic, and yes - objects. When you think about the history... Of course I get offended.
Exotic only means unusual...which means something different for everyone. I for example consider Ariel to a certain degree "exotic" because of the unusual hair colour....I somehow don't see Mulan or Tiana as exotic at all. And Jasmine less because of her Arabian heritage and more because her features are drawn to exaggerated.
It is in a way a stupid term to use, because it is not particular descriptive...but what I really dislike is interpreting meanings into a word which might be not intended at all by the speaker. Unless a word is specifically created to be demeaning, there is no reason not to use it.
adjective
1.originating in or characteristic of a distant foreign country.
That's the definition, if they aren't from USA or Europe I consider exotic, something that is unfamiliar is exotic, if they call an Italian or french person exotic I'll have a slight problem with that. If they call, the ones you listed, Jasmine, Naveen and Esmeralda exotic then I'm perfectly fine, because by definition they are exotic (to me at least) and to them probably a white American girl is exotic.
Totally agree (though I think Esmeralda and Marina are classic). It is NOT about not being white or being from a non-white country, but rather your FEATURES- a strong nose, thick eyebrows, high cheekbones, unique eye shape, etc. I find that rather offensive, actually, to imply the beauty of whites is "regular" and standard while everyone else's type of beauty gets to be unique and different. I agree with Annabeth too, I understand why some nonwhite women find it offensive because sometimes people do objectify them when they say that (even if they don't mean it in a bad way).
Pocahontas and Nani? Sure, they're very unique-looking (so much that I think that's why some people don't find them very attractive face-wise). But I think for their cultures, Esmeralda, Jasmine, and Mulan are all classic. They just stand out in the DPs because they're the only ones of their races. I mean, Jasmine looks a lot like Belle.
Snow White, Aurora (I know a lot of you might disagree there, but she's got very unique, pointy, elfin features you never see in most people), Gothel, Helga Sinclair, Megara, Nancy Tremaine, Vidia, Collette, all white women and have unusual or striking features. It annoys me that I've been told off for calling white women, worse, BLONDES, exotic-looking, like only a certain group of people have a monopoly on that word.
And men don't usually get considered exotic for some reason (I guess because in addition to incorrectly relating it to race, people also incorrectly now relate it to attractiveness) so that's why nobody is mentioning men. But speaking of that, I think John Smith is the ONE white guy I can think of who is objectified as exotic at all. I mean, it's never actually said, but Pocahontas sure seems to think he is. but that's about it.
What people say just makes me astounded sometimes.
It is in a way a stupid term to use, because it is not particular descriptive...but what I really dislike is interpreting meanings into a word which might be not intended at all by the speaker. Unless a word is specifically created to be demeaning, there is no reason not to use it.
1.originating in or characteristic of a distant foreign country.
That's the definition, if they aren't from USA or Europe I consider exotic, something that is unfamiliar is exotic, if they call an Italian or french person exotic I'll have a slight problem with that. If they call, the ones you listed, Jasmine, Naveen and Esmeralda exotic then I'm perfectly fine, because by definition they are exotic (to me at least) and to them probably a white American girl is exotic.
Pocahontas and Nani? Sure, they're very unique-looking (so much that I think that's why some people don't find them very attractive face-wise). But I think for their cultures, Esmeralda, Jasmine, and Mulan are all classic. They just stand out in the DPs because they're the only ones of their races. I mean, Jasmine looks a lot like Belle.
Snow White, Aurora (I know a lot of you might disagree there, but she's got very unique, pointy, elfin features you never see in most people), Gothel, Helga Sinclair, Megara, Nancy Tremaine, Vidia, Collette, all white women and have unusual or striking features. It annoys me that I've been told off for calling white women, worse, BLONDES, exotic-looking, like only a certain group of people have a monopoly on that word.
And men don't usually get considered exotic for some reason (I guess because in addition to incorrectly relating it to race, people also incorrectly now relate it to attractiveness) so that's why nobody is mentioning men. But speaking of that, I think John Smith is the ONE white guy I can think of who is objectified as exotic at all. I mean, it's never actually said, but Pocahontas sure seems to think he is. but that's about it.
multicultural background, so definitely not!
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