Commentary by Casey Barrett.
Why are men and women of mixed race always so attractive? Must be all that cross pollination that produces the most beautiful specimens. Whatever it is, Nathan Adrian is now the official poster boy of halfsie nation. His agents at Octagon announced that he’s signed a deal with Tommy Hilfiger as their newest “menswear ambassador.”
Out west the common term is ‘hapa’, a Hawaiian term meaning mixed ethnic heritage. It generally refers to those half Asian / half Caucasian kids that always seem to look like they’ve won the genetic lottery. I prefer the more literal ‘halfsie’ over ‘hapa’, and it doesn’t necessarily have to be that particular Asian-white combo. Any combination will do. Because the more you mix the races, the better the results seem to be. And not just in the looks department.
Adrian is a case in point: His mom is Chinese; his dad, Irish-German. Together they produced a 6 ft 6 beast who’s the defending Olympic champion in the 100 free; the longtime anchor of American relays; and the crush of countless ladies, young and old.
He’s in good company. Take a look at this quick roll call from the Halfsie Hall of Fame: Tiger Woods. Derek Jeter. The Rock. Bob Marley. And, um, the President of the United States.
Among swimmers, one could argue that the two fastest men in the history of American swimming are both halfsies: Adrian and fellow Cal Bear Anthony Ervin.
Heady company to be sure.
Though as Ervin experienced back at the 2000 Sydney Olympics, sometimes being of mixed heritage can pose some difficult questions when folks want to label your identity in singular terms. Back in Sydney, the 19-year-old Ervin was uncomfortably asked about being the first swimmer of African-American descent to win an Olympic medal in swimming. It was uncomfortable because, as Ervin would later say, “I didn’t know a thing about what it was like to be part of the black experience. But I do now. It’s like winning gold and having a bunch of old white people ask you what it’s like to be black. That is my black experience.”
That hard-won wisdom touches on an unfortunate quality inherent in all of us: the need to label and categorize. In a New York Times op-ed piece last week, entitled The Psychology of Genre, author Tom Vanderbilt dissects “why we don’t like what we struggle to categorize.” This is true of music and books and beer, and it’s also true of people. There is a built-in instinct to place everyone and everything in a certain genre or category. When that isn’t easy, when old white sportscasters like Jim Gray can’t get their heads around the sometimes complicated richness of multiple ethnic identities, it forces us to widen our perceptions. Which can also be extremely attractive, as it appeals across boundaries we might have only recognized subconsciously.
Which brings us back to Adrian. He’s long been the thinking woman’s pinup. According to my wife and her friends, it’s Nathan who gets the heart racing, not the himbo charms of Ryan Lochte. Leave Lochte for the girls in the club, where the music’s so loud no one cares about the lack of conversational talents. Adrian’s the guy the ladies really pine for. Lochte’s the one-night date she’s proud of; Adrian’s the long game dream of a ring.
The folks at Tommy Hilfiger see it. And it doesn’t take any dive deeps into the psychology of mixed race to recognize the obvious.
All commentaries are the opinion of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of Swimming World Magazine nor its staff.
I don’t even know what to make of this article or why it was even written . Cross pollination!? Halfsie? Are you serious!?
Mr. Barrett,
Do you have any friends of mixed race? Not people you know but like an actual friend. Someone who really knows you. How about any friends who are not your race? I ask these questions because you are touching a lot of sensitive issues which I dont think you quite understand fully. Not to say that you are not qualified BUT this article comes off really tone def on the subject matter of race. I suggest doing some actual research about mixed races before delving into a subject to make a point about a “hot” swimmer.
I make it a policy never to post comments following anything I post, however, in this case I feel it’s appropriate. To answer your question: Yes. My daughter is a “halfsie”, hence my family is of mixed race. I’m sorry you find my views ‘tone deaf’, and I’m equally sorry that you missed the fun and praise inherent in this short piece. I realize this subject is sensitive. Not only is it a subject that I have researched, it is something that I care deeply about, in the most intimate way possible.
I love how you feel the need to let me know about your policy. Care to explain why? Maybe you should put that at the end of all of you articles. Which is ridiculous and pompous notion in itself. Why not write to bring about a greater discussion? Or do you just want to stuff your opinion down peoples throat without having to answer any questions?
Ok so your daughter is “halfsie” Of what race? Because that context is important. Fun and praise for who? You and your audience obviously. But wait, you realize that this subject is sensitive so you write it without offering any of that perspective in your piece.
You researched huh? Maybe you did, but you didn’t reflect any of that in your article because if its something that you deeply cared about you might have mentioned some of your ya know “research” But ok. Sure, whatever you have to tell yourself.
I completely agree. This article completely exoticizes mixed race individuals, attributing “attractiveness” to “cross pollination,” which, as a half-Chinese, half-white person, I find extremely offensive. You are generalizing an entire group of individuals as “beautiful” based on their races. Your perception that “the more you mix the races, the better the results seem to be,” is highly flawed. You cannot attribute Nathan Adrian’s success as a swimmer to his mixed racial background. These kinds of stereotypes have weighty racial and sexual consequences that are harmful to lives of mixed race people. These kinds of comments are not factually accurate, and they’re certainly not flattering.
Just a word to the unwise ( author ). I would delete the first two paragraphs of this piece really fast. I would also be sure to add that Nathan Adrian had no input as to the content. And that Hilfiger did not sign Adrian based on his ethnicity. I would think somebody at SW holds the title of editor and would have looked this over and advised the author. Bad bad bad.
OMG. Someone who gets it. There is hope. The fact that he mentions Hilfiger who has a checkered past on matter of race just show how much “research” was done. But yea, would love to know how Adrian feels about this. That would be very telling.
I always thought Nathan Adrian was 100% part of the human race.
What was this author thinking!! Categorizing people as beautiful… tragic. Highlighting that Nathan Adrian is a model and breaking barriers because of his multiethnic barrier… Bigot!!
People, this is not a scientific study. The author is giving basic observation that most non-hyper, oversensitive people all ready know. It is OK to use humor on sensitive topics, it’s a way of engaging people and is used all the time to make a point. Read the whole article, he actually goes beyond wit, you just have to go beyond emotionalism.
Good job Casey, I enjoyed the read.