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Some of our most useful posts on describing People of Color, all in one place.
Words to Describe Hair
Words to Describe Skin Tone
Describing Asian Eyes
Describing Wide Noses
Describing Undead & Sick Dark Skin
Describing POC and Avoiding Caricatures
Describing Unnatural Skin Tones: Green
Describing Unnatural Skin Tones: Jaundice
Indicating Race of Characters (FAQ Questions #3-4)
Not Indicating Race at All – Note: You Probably Should
Praising Beauty Without Fetishizing
Olive Skin, Race and Ethnicity
Describing Skin as Swarthy (Spoiler alert: it’s sketchy)
Describing East Asian Skin as Porcelain (Spoiler alert: it’s also sketchy)
Describing Skin as Russet (Spoiler alert: it’s alright)
Describing PoC as Exotic (SA: it’s othering)
Describing Skin as Ebony (SA: it’s cliche)
Describing Natural Hair as Cloud-Like (SA: it’s cool)
Describing Black Hair as Unkempt (SA: it’s offensive)
Describing Black Hair as Kinky (SA: it depends)
Describing Skin as “Dark as Night” (SA: it also depends)
Describing Skin as Like Dirt or Soil (SA: See above)
Describing Skin as just “Dark.” (SA: it’s vague)
Describing Black Hair as “Nappy” (SA: it ain’t recommended)
Describing Skin With Food (SA: it’s a no-no)
–WWC