When I went to study abroad I was told that I would be hit on a lot, not for my skin color (I’m white) but just because I’m America. I guess American girls give it up more when traveling abroad, or there’s the perception that they do, and that is why any american woman would be pursued more aggressively. I lived in…

Nicely put. I think this is so true. As a non-American who has lived in the US, UK and Asia, the premise that the US-American woman (of all shades really) is “cooler and easier” that everyone else is so pervasive its annoying. On top of that, American friendliness is frequently misunderstood.

I’m from a small town near Dublin, and most of my sister’s friends are in the recently-immigrated-African community there. I have seen exactly what you describe - but I think your explanation is only half the story.

This article made me a bit uncomfortable because it ignores or at least neglects to mention that anti-Black racism and colorism happen all over the world. It is absolutely not just an American thing.

I’ve had a similar (obviously not identical, but it’s how I can identify) experience as a fat woman. In day-to-day life, I might as well be invisible to men sometimes. When I travel, it’s almost like I’m exotic and low-risk because I only exist temporarily to them, and the aggression that results can be…

This is a well-written, thought-provoking article.