It?s official: mixed race people are sexy. Reflecting our racially swirly world, the fashion and pop industries seek people whose beauty reflects a combination of ethnic strands. Sure, there?s more than a bit of ?exoticism? involved in these images (like Christina Aguilera wearing Arab/Indian drag). But for a media culture that scowled on interracial marriage a few decades ago to adore its fruits seems like a step forward. And pundits claim ?Generation Y? takes racial interweaving for granted.

?The current fashionable genes seem to be the super-mongrel genes,? writes blogger Martin Willett. He argues that as people learn to be ?color blind? in their attractions, they?ll automatically gravitate towards an image of desirability that blends attributes of different groups. In fact, anyone who looks racially pure will be deemed less attractive, he claims.

, models and escorts are flaunting their mixed-race status as an extra point of attractiveness. When the mainstream definition of beauty broadens or changes to include people who were shut out before, that seems like a good thing. But if a group that used to be singled out for abuse now gets singled out for its exotic sexiness, people are going to feel fetishized.