America is the melting pot of the world. Perhaps that pot has widened to include most of the free world when you consider how many people could claim mixed- or multiple-race on a census pole. In the United States, at the beginning of the new millennium, 6.8 million Americans marked the boxed labeled mixed-race. Forty-two percent of those were under the age of 18.

This presents a very different face of the future and the present. Consider what a woman who is part Barbadian, part German, part Irish, part Creole, part Scottish, part African-American, and part Blackfoot looks like. Well, she’s often mistaken for Hispanic – one thing she’s not. How about the face that represents part Irish, part Jamaican, part Welch, part Indian and part Korean? You could play mix and match all day and probably never come up with a combination that is not actually represented by a beautifully exotic woman somewhere in the world.

It would obviously be impossible to accurately create a check box for every combination, so mixed-race is what so many are proudly claiming instead of choosing only a predominate part of their culture that is labeled Caucasian, Asian, African-American, Indian or Other. This simple check box change has sparked a movement among photographers and models to be bold in embracing the beauty that comes from mixed races.

So many of the women who portray a blend of many ethnic traits are seen as extraordinary because of their fascinating features – pure white-blonde hair and the sultry bone structure of a Greek goddess, the freckles of a red-head and the olive skin and dark eyes of a Brazilian beauty. So many combinations that don’t fit the “typical” mold, especially in the modeling industry, but they are so beautiful that they beg to be photographed.

However, many in the fashion and beauty industry are stumped when it comes to using these women in photo shoots. They are seen as unique. But are they really, if they represent 6.8 million Americans (and the number is growing)? These women are often used in exotic shoots, with wildly crazy makeup and outfits because their look is edgy. More and more you will see these “exotic” women in “everyday” ads for the simple things like the latest foundation and lip gloss, jeans and the season’s newest purse.

One question that is frequently asked is how can one person be all those races? There is a percentage rule for claiming each race. It can represent everything from an untraceable percentage of a certain heritage to a predominate percentage that easily determines your look. There are those that will try to take “mixed-race” too far and those who will finally be able to embrace their many roots. Regardless, there is a new face in the world and it is beautiful, exquisite and unique. Perhaps you’ll be inspired to find where your looks come from and what makes you You.

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