Constant comments on blue eyes

[Janedoe95]

I was wondering if anyone else has experienced the same thing DC has blue eyes and they’re often the first thing people notice. (Which is fine)

but lately people seem to comment every time they look darker (say if I take a photo at night) people constantly comment on whether they’ll stay blue. Even complete strangers will come up and comment several have warned me they’ll change by 2 years rolls eyes

I have brown eyes and I’m not white so I’m not sure if that makes people more inclined to comment

does anyone else have similar experience? Does this happen to all children or all blue eyed children

[Bootsandcat]

I know what you mean. I’m not white either and in my baby group they’re always talking about their ‘blue eyed girl/ boy’ and how it will be a shame if they don’t stay blue…. It’s like… what’s wrong with brown eyes? It’s a strange obsession

[macthekwife]

I didn't know eyes could change colour
My daughter had striking blue eyes as a baby, still does at age 6.

[OnlyOpenMouthToChangeFeet]

Most Caucasian babies are born with blue eyes, and their colour often changes. The colour is usually fixed at approximately 2 years old, although can be older in some cases. The reason for this is eye colour is related to the level of melanin in the body, and babies only have low levels at birth, increasing as they age. People with blue eyes have the lowest levels of melanin, and dark brown eyes the highest. These melanin levels are also why some dark skinned children are much paler as babies, and their skin darkens with age.

[EmmaGrundyForPM]

my (white Caucasian) son had dark, almost navy, blue eyes for the first few months of his life. They were incredible and lots of people commented on them. However, by a year they had changed to Hazel. Loads of babies have blue eyes at birth but they change to brown.

[LT2]

Yes - the first thing people notice about my 8 month old is his big blue eyes. People have said about them possibly changing. They won't, as both his parents have blue eyes.

[newjobwhodisperhaps]

@Alopeciabop That's your view. Personally as much as I have had negative comments, I have also had 'positive'. Such as the examples you give about mixed race people being beautiful. That in itself is rooted in racism and fetishisation of some black features (such a bigger lips and bigger bums) being desirable and others not, and the view that mixed race people get the 'best' of both worlds.

Sadly, there is racism in a lot of encounters whether they seem minor to you or not. I am not saying someone who is ignorant is necessarily an awful person and a hideous racist, but they are just that, ignorant.

[FruitPastilleNut]

Yes, Ds2 had/has blue eyes and they were the first thing people commented on as a baby.

People still comment on my Dc's eyes now if they see them together - one has brown eyes, one has blue eyes and one has green. People exclaim over it and think it's really odd.

[MooseBreath]

DS used to get comments on his blue eyes because both DH and I have green eyes. At around 1.5, DS's eyes turned green.

[OceanbreezeSun]

I think some people just notice the contrast more & perhaps find it striking but tbh almost all babies will get the comment about big beautiful eyes whether they are blue, brown or green etc. The same for hair colour/ if they have lots of hair etc.

Blue eyes in my family are common, so although beautiful (like green and brown eyes are just as much) they are ‘normal’ to me and not something I would particularly notice straight away or think to comment on.

My dd has dark blue eyes and very blonde hair(almost white in some places)
She is 3 now and friends/family/strangers have always commented on her very fair hair. It’s especially noticeable next to my dark hair and dhs light brown hair. I’ve lost count of the amount of times people have asked questions like ‘where does she get it from?’ ‘Do you think it will go darker as she gets older?’ or ‘wow, she’s very blonde isn’t she?!’
It doesn’t bother me.

[XelaM]

My niece has very beautiful blue/green eyes - they are really extraordinary and everyone used to comment on her eyes when she was younger. She's 19 now and people still mention her eyes sometimes.

My brother also has blue eyes whereas it's unusual in my family and people used to comment on it a lot. He was also very blonde as a child. People used to always say he looks like a little angel.

[MooseBreath]

Now we get loads of comments on DS's green eyes because apparently people don't often see a blonde child with green eyes.

[GertrudePerkinsPaperyThing]

I think it probably is because you're not white and you've got brown eyes so people feel it's more of a topic. 'oooh mum with dark skin and dark eyes with blue eyed baby'. I can imagine it gets boring for you.

I think it must be this. Otherwise it’s such a non topic! Although blue eyes are rarer than brown, a pretty sizeable proportion of the UK has them.

Could also be that people seem to just try to think of something to say about babies and toddlers as there’s sometimes not much to say.

[whumpthereitis]

I’ve got heterochromia so I get comments on a semi regular basis. People just like to comment on something unusual.

[GertrudePerkinsPaperyThing]

My two have blue and green respectively and I have brown. I guess I probably got a few comments on that (they were also both blond babies whilst I have dark hair and olive skin). So I’m thinking it’s just what people say.

[Mistlewoeandwhine]

My son had blue eyes until he was one or so. Then they went green and eventually hazel exactly like mine. His dad has blue eyes and my other son has blue eyes.

[Mumoftwoinprimary]

Both dh and I are blue eyed so we always knew the kids would be too. (Barring genetic mutation or me bonking the milkman!)

Because I have never witnessed it, I am fascinated by the whole concept of a baby’s eyes changing colour. It just seems so unlikely - like you suddenly
casually said “and tomorrow Timmy is going to grow his extra limb”.

I used to get really excited when my friends’ kids eyes changed.

[Tigger85]

Both my ds have blue eyes, eldest has steely blue, youngest ocean blue. They both get commented on for their big blue eyes but one has asked if they will change colour, both me and their dad also have blue eyes as does everyone on my side of the family. Youngest ds was born with a full head of long wavy blonde hair with some coppery bits and that's what gets commented on the most.

[10HailMarys]

@TooMuchToDoTooLittleInclination

Mine were blue as a child, people always commented on them.. By the time I was 10 they had started changing, now they're blue/green (differed a lit) with flecks of hazel

when firms ask eye colour I just write 'other' now.

I'm interested to know what forms are you completing all the time that ask you to specify your eye colour.

[YouSirNeighMmmm]

I think the obsession with blue eyes is insane. To me it's all about a despicable, regressive racist pecking order (subconscious to most, I hope) that has blonde haired blue eyed people at the top, black people at the bottom, and brunettes with brown eyes somewhere in the middle above mixed race people.

[Changechangychange]

Could also be that people seem to just try to think of something to say about babies and toddlers as there’s sometimes not much to say

There is definitely an element of this - I’ve done it myself, regardless of eye colour. “Oh what big beautiful eyes she has!” is just what you say about babies isn’t it? “Cute nose!” or “what dinky ears!” would sound weird.

[BillBenWeed]

@XelaM

My niece has very beautiful blue/green eyes - they are really extraordinary and everyone used to comment on her eyes when she was younger. She's 19 now and people still mention her eyes sometimes.

My brother also has blue eyes whereas it's unusual in my family and people used to comment on it a lot. He was also very blonde as a child. People used to always say he looks like a little angel.

Blonde hair and bright blue eyes being a ‘little angel’ is absolutely backing up @newjobwhodisperhaps’s points (all of which I 100% agree with btw as a white woman).@XelaM not saying anything negative about you as obviously this was other people saying to you about your brother, but it’s underlying bias of white features as desirable / better / associated with angels etc. I doubt many dark-skinned babies with brown eyes get such comments. Yes blue eyes are pretty common but they’re overwhelmingly found in white people and rare in other ethnicities, so a preference for them or even just greater awareness of them is absolutely rooted in colourism and racism even though in most cases the person commenting won’t be aware that’s where it’s coming from and would be aghast at being called racist. But we should be more aghast at the fact we could be perpetuating racist ideals even subconsciously than offended at that being called out, but as @Alopeciabop’s many outraged posts show, people focus on the call-out and how they’re obviously not like that rather than reflecting where it might be true. And yes @Alopeciabop i know you say you prefer brown eyes, but this is talking on a systemic level, and ‘muddy’ is undeniably a pretty negative word to describe someone’s eyes and stands out as a choice of word against much more positive words to describe brown/hazel colouring that you could have used.

[BillBenWeed]

@10HailMarys

I'm interested to know what forms are you completing all the time that ask you to specify your eye colour.

@TooMuchToDoTooLittleInclination just wants to let us all know how stunningly unique her eyes are. Odd but hey ho

[ZenNudist]

Sounds like small talk to me

[Icanstillrecallourlastsummer]

This is what people do. Comment on babies. My son had HUGE brown eyes and got comments for years. I am really not sure there is more to it.

[YouSirNeighMmmm]

@LT2

Yes - the first thing people notice about my 8 month old is his big blue eyes. People have said about them possibly changing. They won't, as both his parents have blue eyes.

What colour are your partner's?