Basic Trope: A relationship involving two people of different races receives a negative reaction from those around them.
- Straight: Society doesn't like that Alice, who is white, has gotten together with Bob, who is black.
- Exaggerated: Society doesn't like that Alice and Bob are together because she has blue eyes and he has brown eyes.
- Downplayed:
- Society doesn't like that Alice, who is white, has gotten together with Bob, who is black. They eventually relent once Bob is revealed to be mixed.
- Alice and Bob receive an occasional stink eye while in public.
- Justified:
- Alice and Bob come from cultures that were at war just a few years ago.
- Bob's race has a poor reputation. Whether this reputation has any justification may be addressed in the story, but, as far as Alice's friends and family are concerned, they view themselves as trying to save Alice from marrying a monster.
- Inverted: Society doesn't like that Alice and Bob are of the same race.
- Subverted:
- At first, it looks like Alice's parents don't like her being with Bob due to his race, but then they tell her it's because they wanted her to be with Charlie.
- People don't appreciate that Alice and Bob are together. When an outsider, who believes this trope is in effect demands to know why it's a problem, the rest of the people point out that Alice and Bob are jerks who are even bigger jerks when they're together.
- At first, the reason why Alice's family and friends frown on her and Bob's relationship appears to be because of their different races. In truth, Alice's family and friends couldn't care less about race. They do care that Bob is in a lower social class than Alice, though.
- Double Subverted:
- ...Because he's the same race as Alice.
- They only think Bob is a jerk because he's black. And sometimes they think Alice is a jerk because she's white.
- Bob is seen as lower class because he's black.
- Parodied: Society doesn't like Bob and Alice together, though it's because they're from different cities than that they're of different races.
- Implied: Bob (Black) and Alice (White) live together and say that their families didn't approve of their relationship, but they never say exactly why.
- Zig Zagged:
- People don't like Alice (white) and Bob (black) getting together, but when Charlie (black) and Danielle (white) get together, no one has a problem with it. However, Charlie's skin is pale enough that he can pass for white, while Bob's isn't. Once Charlie's ancestry is revealed, no one seems to mind that Danielle is dating a black man, though.
- People don't mind when the men of their race date/marry interracially but judge the women who do the same.
- People accept some kinds of interracial relationships but not all of them. People accept Bob (white) dating Mei (Asian) but judge him for dating Alissa (black).
- People accept interracial dating but disapprove of interracial marriages and are only willing to tolerate interracial relationships if they do not result in the birth of mixed-race children.
- Averted: Race is not an obstacle when Alice and Bob get together.
- Enforced:
- The story takes place in the USA in the 1890s and is being historically accurate.
- The story takes place during any period of time when racism was common, and is being historically accurate.
- Lampshaded: "And here I thought we were beyond such silly things like disliking mixed race couples."
- Invoked: Alice deliberately seeks out a partner of a different race to enrage her parents.
- Exploited: Frank knows that Alice and Bob are in an interracial relationship among very unaccepting people and uses this to bring both of them down.
- Defied: "Guys, really, who cares about their races? If they love each other, that's all that matters."
- Discussed: "Why in the world would you even want to go out with a [insert profane term for a race here]?"
- Conversed: ???
- Deconstructed:
- Reconstructed:
- Eventually, people learn that they just have to accept Alice and Bob's relationship.
- Alice and Bob move to a different location, where interracial relationships are more accepted.
- Despite society's disapproval, Alice and Bob truly love each other and stay together.
- Alice regrets breaking up with Bob and gets back with him, regardless of the pleas from her friends and family, before he does anything particularly harmful to himself, his reputation, or others.
- Played For Drama: Alice and/or Bob eventually crack from society's efforts to separate them and begin a killing spree, targeting anyone perceived as not being supportive enough of their relationship.
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