A South East Asian girl living, eating, and breathing in America should be a piece of cake, right? After all, it is the country of freedom and the world's melting pot, so why be worried about the fret of judgement from others?

Unfortunately, it's a thought that is easier said than done. Not everyone in America is educated in the South East Asian culture/tradition. Therefore, we end up getting asked ridiculous questions and stuck bearing misinformed statements by those who either have no understanding of the culture or reiterate stereotypes from the Internet.

1. "Do you speak Indian/Hindu/Muslim?

I cannot explain how many times and how frustrated I become when people ask me this question. Why on earth would I be speaking a nationality, religion, and/or a follower of Islam?

2. "Are you all Hindu?"

Yes, since I am Brown, my religion is automatically Hindu, as are my parents and grandparents. I will take your logic and apply it to White people by saying that everyone is Christian.

3. "Do you burn incense all day?"

Yes, and I am assuming that you burn Air Wick all day long in your home.

4. "Is it true that you do not eat meat?"

Well, Hindus are the ones who do not eat meat- even if the animal is sacrificed within their guidelines, they do not eat it. On the other hand, Muslims are the ones who have to have the animal sacrificed within certain guidelines in order to consume the meat. Hence why you do not see a lot of Muslims freely eating meat at McDonald's, KFC, Arby's, Wendy's, and other fast food restaurants.

5. "Why do you wear a red dot on your forehead?"

To record you changing clothes and to view later for our own pleasure.

Just kidding! On a serious note, it has been said that the red dot on the forehead is a 'third eye' and that it helps to protect the person from evil spirits. Sometimes, the dot, or bindi, is used as a simple face accessory.

6. "Is your hair real?"

If you have thick, long, black hair, then you most likely get this question from lots of other people. Maybe you like it when people ask you this, or maybe you do not like this question.

7. "Are you allowed to date?"

Yes and no. Yes, but as long as Mom and Dad do not find out about the relationship. However, no because dating is not allowed until marriage. (I know, it doesn't make sense, but this is the common logic of South East Asian parents.)

8. "Will you be choosing your own husband? I heard your culture does forced marriages."

Forced marriage is never acceptable in our culture. Only the less intelligent and heartless types of people in our culture practice such a thing with their sons and daughters. I will be choosing my own husband, but no one will be forcing me to marry him if I decline. The marriage is mine, not my parents'.

9. "Why are you not allowed to wear certain types of clothing?"

Most Desi girls are known for being a bit picky with the types of clothing they are allowed to wear. This is mostly due to modesty and to prevent guys from staring at girls' chests and legs. I know, this kind of gives more power to the guys because we are not teaching them that girls have the right to wear whatever they please and that their dress is not consent. Listen, this is not our fault. In fact, the modern generation of Indian girls are doing their best attempt at breaking this practice. They are trying to raise awareness that girls are human beings, not sex objects or baby-makers.

10. "When are you getting married?"

Now, this question comes from older generation aunties, those who most likely got married in their teenage years. Naturally, they would want to ask young Indian girls in the 21st century about their own marriage, despite the fact that we do not even know if we will be alive in the next five minutes. This scenario happened to me when I was 13 years old, and just about a year ago. Why are they so wild on us getting married? Probably because they want to dress us, put on our makeup, give us the most beautiful veils at the cheapest price, and/or just have an excuse to party. Ironically, this is what our own mothers should be doing, not other women.

To answer the question, it depends upon our choice. As said before, forced marriage is not approved (yet, it happens).