How to Date a Browngirl, Blackgirl, Whitegirl, and Halfie

The short story “How to Date a Browngirl, Blackgirl, Whitegirl, and Halfie” by Junot Diaz is the main character, Yunior’s, guide to dating girls of different races and the ways to act in order to get what you want from them. The only thing Yunior seems to want for these girls is sexual acts. This short story argues that a person’s heritage, economic class, and race affect how a person identifies themselves, and how their identity affects how they act towards other people. The pressures a person may feel from society also has an effect on how a person treats themselves and others. The pressure and expectations from society are also what makes Yunior think he needs to have sex with these girls. There are many different occasions of the main character talking and acting differently to other people within the story, such as: to himself, his friends, and the different girls he tries to date.

Throughout the story there is evidence that the main character is ashamed of himself and his background. He hides the government cheese, which tells us that he is in a low economic class. He also takes down embarrassing photographs of his family and himself, which is more indication that he isn’t proud of his family, background, or heritage. Yunior also tells us many things to do in order to be like other people, especially white people. He tells us that you need to run your fingers through your hair and to write directions for parents in your absolute best handwriting (Diaz 236). It is also evident that he is ashamed of his background when he states “You’ll wonder how she feels about Dominicans. Don’t ask.”(Diaz 237). Also, when he is telling the girl stories about the neighborhood, he says not to tell her that his mother knew immediately what t...

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... has most likely has never actually done any of this. This guide is probably just compiled from the different things he has heard from other people, He has probably heard the things from the people he is trying to impress and be accepted by, possibly his dad, uncle, or other boys in his neighborhood. He may have felt like he had to do these things because he believes everyone else is, that in order to be ‘cool’ you must have sex. Yunior is ashamed of everything that he is. His parents and heritage, his looks and his race. This short story is also suggesting that not only are girls pressured into having sex, but boys are pressed as well. This is why he makes up stories in order to sound experienced, so that he can have something in common with the people he wants to accept him.

Works Cited

“How to Date a Browngirl, Blackgirl, Whitegirl, and Halfie” by Junot Diaz