young east african girl | fetishization isn't a compliment

Today I'm discussing something personal - being fetishized as an Eritrean woman. I was inspired by an Eritrean-Australian creator who talks about how women from East African countries are often fetishized in media and culture.

As an Eritrean woman, I've experienced people approaching me with stereotypes rather than seeing me as an individual. They make assumptions about my personality or behavior based on harmful portrayals of East African women. These experiences range from "compliments" about my features to explicitly inappropriate comments. Even seemingly positive attention feels dehumanizing when it's based on fetishization rather than genuine respect.

There's a clear difference between cultural appreciation and fetishization. Appreciation sees people as complex individuals; fetishization reduces us to stereotypes. Let's talk about it.

TIME STAMPS
00:00 Intro
3:15 East African Girls as a Fetish
4:40 Stereotypes of Black Women
6:45 Colorism in the Habesha Community
8:45 Wrap Up & Thank You

TIK TOK LINKS
VIDEO FEATURED / https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZP8jf1Ap2/
VIDEO REFERENCING POKEMON LOL / https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZP8jf1Ap2/
ANOTHER PERSPECTIVE / https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZP8jf1Ap2/

HABESHA Project
WEBSITE / https://www.michalpetros.com/photogra...
YOUTUBE OVERVIEW /    • habesha meaning | am I Habesha? 🇪🇷🇪🇹  
TIK TOK OVERVIEW / https://www.tiktok.com/@mkpetros.avi/...
SUBSTACK POST / https://open.substack.com/pub/mkpetro...

SOCIALS
LINKTREE / https://linktr.ee/mkpetros
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EMAIL FOR BUSINESS INQ. / hello@michalpetros.com