“

I am a woman with brown skin.

“

The video begins with a wide angle, crane shot showing animals scattering across the savannah. Cut to Swift. She is, at one point, standing next to a lion.

“

“But like, you’re not really black. You’re basically a white girl!”

“

I can name so many good things about myself.

“

In continuing to obsess and wax poetic over just how unique, hokey and quirky being white is, these lists continue to normalize whiteness even further, all the while pushing everyone else to the fringe.

“

It doesn’t matter if the person chose the freedom or not. That’s the thing, a lot of us receive privileges and freedoms we may have not asked for.

“

I smiled at the officer, due to both my excitement to be home and my general rule of thumb to smile at strangers who could potentially ruin your life.

“

I was jealous every time a classmate broke a limb or changed the color of the bands on their braces. I wanted their apartments, their pets, their magazine subscriptions, their divorced parents, the lunches their divorced parents packed for them.