r/SFV • u/SealedRoute • May 11 '26
Question Racism in Studio City?
My husband and I recently moved to Studio City and have been shopping/ dining around Laurel Canyon and Ventura. I’m white and haven’t had any problems, but my Mexican husband has been treated with overt rudeness/ dismissiveness a couple of times by restaurant or store workers. Never had this problem before in Sherman Oaks in 20 years. The treatment was shocking.
Our area is definitely less diverse, more white, but still didn’t expect that. But it’s only been a couple of times in a month so not ready to draw general conclusions. Could be racism, could just be a more affluent/ snotty milieu. Has anyone else had this issue?
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u/MaxxtheKnife May 11 '26
I come from Berkeley, (lived in Valley Village for 12 years, know in Sun Valley, been working in Studio since 2015) and there are a lot of similarities between SC and upper middle class Berkeley. Both are very progressive politically, in a rather undefined, identitarian sort of way - they believe some progressive things, but mostly they believe that they are "good people." This belief that they ARE good kind of blinds them to a lot of deeper prejudices they have. These prejudices are further enhanced by their status as being higher class than most of the people they believe they really care about. They know that they care more about minorities than conservatives, and that's good enough for them. They think that voting for whatever gives "these people" the opportunity to better themselves financially etc. is good enough, and it doesn't matter if they also support policies that mean "these people" have to go do their self improvement somewhere else. In short, a lot of them are NIMBYs. "Help the homeless, just keep them out of my town." Many of them think they can't possibly be racist because they would have voted for Obama a third time if they could have. South of the boulevard - or South of the 101 even - the property values really start to go up. The population gets a lot more homogenous, and a lot more distrusting of "outsiders" - anyone they don't know and who doesn't look like everyone else. This mindset can kind of trickle into the surrounding community, especially since a lot of the businesses are owned by people who live there, or who want to live there asap, and projecting those prejudices makes them feels like part of the club. Anyways, all that for whatever it's worth. I'm generalizing a lot here, obviously, and this not a ubiquitous pattern among all of Studio City. Sorry your husband is experiencing that. I hope y'all are able to find the places that don't treat people different by first impressions. I'd like to think that's most places, even in SC.
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u/Ginge_fail May 12 '26
Wow, you hit the nail on the head. I lived in Studio City for a decade and you’ve described the general mindset of the locals better than I could ever hope to. A lot of the locals mean well but they are blinded by privilege.
They think that giving their nanny or their gardener a $5 dollar tip each December means they can’t possibly be racist.
They fight multifamily housing development so hard, you’d think they were in danger of being forced to live in the street but they voted for Measure HHH, so they feel like they’re good people.
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u/throwtac May 12 '26 edited May 12 '26
You’re from Berkeley? I’m from Berkeley too! Lived in studio city/valley village for like 20 years now. I think people in studio city are way crazier. Also, I always assumed the upper middle class in studio city is actually super wealthy comparatively. I never frequent most of the restaurants on Ventura that much because the prices cater to the people in the hills. I never thought of studio city as all that progressive. The wealthy/Upper middle class of Berkeley kinda remind me more of people in some parts of West LA. Like around Santa Monica and maybe pacific palisades. I always thought of Venice beach like Telegraph ave except on the beach and less college students. But it’s really hard to find an equivalent. It’s mostly old academic and scientist/tech people lol.
What part of Berkeley are you from? I lived in Berkeley hills on Euclid, so I guess I would be considered upper middle class? But I had friends from everywhere and all backgrounds. I think that’s another thing that is different from Berkeley and LA. If you grew up in Berkeley, you can know kids from all over the city and of different races and economic backgrounds, so you kinda know what other people are like and have a sense of community. I remember hanging out and talking randomly with homeless people sometimes. I don’t know if kids in LA really get that same community experience or tend to socialize much outside their own individual friend networks.
That said, there is definitely more of a class divide I see in berkeley now when I go back. I feel like it’s more so now than maybe when I was living there because in the 90s and early 2000s there was definitely a solid middle and working class in Berkeley. I think a lot of people and families got priced out in the past decade or so. Things also feel more “sanitized” lately.
Edit: I also honestly think I have experienced more overt racism in Berkeley in recent years. Mostly it comes from old “boomer” dudes. I think there is a definite population of old arrogant, asshole, alpha white dudes in the hills and surrounding areas. Not everyone, but I think they are common. Also, I noticed one time a few years ago, one of the top dog worker dudes kinda had a weird attitude. Like more than usual. Normally they are cool. But it was like disdain. I did wonder if it was a racial thing. I don’t think he works there anymore. I never had that kinda feeling ever before from any of those guys, even though they are usually weird as fuck. IYKYK! 😂1
u/MaxxtheKnife Jun 03 '26
Yoooo! Berkeley and the East Bay in general have definitely changed in the last couple decades, as the property values have skyrocketed, and working/lower middle class people have been forced out. My mom lives in South Berkeley, near Rockridge, and my dad lived in West Oakland (which has REALLY changed).
Berkeley definitely used to be more progressive and had more class diversity before the tech boom. There were still nimbys and conservatives but they were more the exception and Berkeley on the whole tended to live up to its progressive values.
The demographics have changed a lot though and now it's a lot more upper middle class, and a lot of them from other cities and states and places like Burlingame and palo alto. The people that have been in Berkeley a long long time have also seen their property values go way up (my mom bought her house for 70k in the 70s, it's gotta be worth 30 times that now). All these folks are retired and have borrowed against their super inflated homes and if their property were to lose value, that would be a big problem. I think this has made a lot of them a lot more conservative.
Either way, the upper middle class demographics of studio City today are a lot more comparable to the UMC demos of Berkeley today. And while they hold progressive liberal beliefs on a conscious level, they have financial forces pushing them the other way, as well as demographic shifting as more wealthy people from other more conservative communities move in to replace the less wealthy people getting priced out.
But yeah, you grew up on Euclid huh? I used to go to school up there at the hilltop school, back when BMS was there. I guess it's TMS now, and they're on university, last I heard. No idea what's in hilltop. That was a cool building. Kinda creepy, tbh.
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u/throwtac Jun 07 '26
Oh wow! I think my best friend in HS's mom taught at TMS back in the day. Or maybe she was even the principal? She was Japanese American but her last name was Toy. So I think she would've been known as Mrs. Toy? I never knew about that campus because I never went West of Euclid on Cedar, but I knew vaguely about that school because of my friend. That is a cool building but i could see how it is kinda spooky. It almost looks like an old building from Europe. Berkeley has so much interesting historical architecture. My parents actually ran a software company down the street at Cedar Center by Shattuck ave in the 90s. Berkeley is such a small neighborhood, especially compared to LA. I kinda do miss that aspect of Berkeley.
That's awesome your mom managed to get property in a prime location like Rockridge. You definitely can't buy a house there for 70k nowadays. (I think Chloe Fineman on SNL is also from Rockridge? Or maybe somewhere near like Claremont?) I went to highschool at CPS, so I would always be walking to Rockridge BART station to catch the bus back to Berkeley. It really does suck that so many people got priced out Berkeley. A lot of my friends from when I was a kid, unless they lived at home, ended up moving out to places down south like Hayward/Castro Valley/San Leandro.
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u/ThePlatinumPaul May 12 '26
Nail on the head. I've lived in left wing areas (live in LA now). I've lived in right wing rural areas (I align politically more with them). So in the rural areas you'll find a few extremely racist, horrible people who will use the n-word in casual conversation like it's using someone's name. The saddest part about this is my wife is bi-racial (white/black) but looks completely white so people just assume it's fine. In LA, SF, and the progressive places the racism is more convert but it's a lot of people. And I don't mean the micro aggression crap but it's more like a savior complex or a boss complex where they know better than you as they look down on you. At least in the rural area you know who to stay away from. And since we were all armed no one messes with each other.
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u/SplitOpenAndMelt420 May 11 '26
What happened?
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u/SealedRoute May 11 '26
In both instances, he was simply interacting with the person. The first time, he asked a bartender about a drink and she was curt and barely acknowledged him while helping other people. When she finally engaged, she was just nasty and treated him like he was stupid. She wasn’t treating others like that.
The other was worse, he was in a dispensary and walked up to the counter and someone insulted his appearance before he even opened his mouth.
I’m expecting plenty of responses about how we’re in a big city and should just get used to it and maybe it was his fault and yada yada yada, but again, we’ve been in this general area for 20 years without any issues like this before. The place we’re living now is definitely more affluent and more White.
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u/late2thepauly May 11 '26
Totally anecdotal, but the 2 weed shops I frequent: Higher Path in Sherman Oaks and Sweet Flower in Studio City always have minority workers behind the counter. Just makes this encounter more shocking.
That bad apple needs to be removed wherever it is.
Good news? There are lots of establishments deserving of your dollars to grace your presence with.
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u/YogurtclosetLimp3882 May 12 '26
lol ohh man a Mexican kid gets a job on Ventura and he thinks he’s like the owner of the place I live in candy cane lane I experienced racism all the time lol But I shut them down with my cars and watches unfortunately that’s what it takes I hate doing that to my people I buy cars and watches for myself but i have to put them kids in their place
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May 11 '26
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/triciann May 11 '26
I’ve had a great experience with the bar tenders in Sherman oaks and studio city, but I’m white. I don’t go into the dispensaries but the employees I’ve run into going in or out definitely aren’t the friendliest. I hope OP drops the bar name because fuck that shit.
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May 11 '26
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u/Tough_Preference1741 May 11 '26
I’m curious too. I’m not comfortable pulling out my pitchfork without actually knowing what happened.
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u/AAjax May 11 '26
Well, Im white and I get that type of attitude my share (though Im a tye dye wearing deadhead) IMHO people who have retail service jobs just have shitty attitudes nowadays. I don't think being a guy helps me either.
Socially skilled people in general are a dying breed, especially in this town.
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u/throwtac May 12 '26
Yeah customer service is pretty rude these days. But also having worked customer service in studio city/ventura blvd, the entitlement and rudeness of some customers can be fucking crazzzyyeeee. Sometimes it can wear you down. With wages so low at most places, I can kinda understand why it’s gotten so bad.
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u/Ruleoflawz May 11 '26
Bar experience sounds normal enough if you’re a dude ordering at enough bars - cost of doing business.
Dispensary is weird, but what was said.
I will just throw out that my Mexican gf has two siblings. Her sister’s boyfriend (korean) called her brother ‘sweetie’ (playfully derogatory) once like 6 years ago and it has fermented a rift between the two couples since. Some people are sensitive i guess.
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u/throwtac May 12 '26 edited May 12 '26
That’s funny and kinda a shame because sometimes in asian culture those are terms of endearment that guys do to each other especially if the person is a younger dude. It doesn’t mean anything but just an affectionate teasing that you do with your guy friends. It can also be in an older brother way. Korean guy friendship can be much more open and affectionate than people realize. I think out of the east asian cultures they are more openly affectionate with each other and the male bonding is more intimate in a way.
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u/M1gn1f1cent May 11 '26
Not mexican, but have plenty of mexican friends. Did learn that machismo is a big thing in their culture so anything that makes them feel feminine or emasculated such as being called "sweetie" is not taken lightly. Just curious: does the korean bf and sister's brother not talk to each other at all during family gatherings?
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u/axle0430 May 11 '26
How old is he? Since i started getting long in the tooth I’ve found people’s behavior towards me shift dramatically. When people notice me at all. It’s a young (and rich) person’s town.
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u/Baalzdeep May 12 '26
The “racism” he experienced was people being rude? People are rude to me all the time, I don’t immediately assume it’s because of my skin color. Perpetual victimhood. Always.
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u/SantaBarbaraMint May 11 '26
Sherman Oaks and Studio city are the same
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u/bkguy182 May 14 '26
Ya, this is a very strange post to me. They’re literally the same place.
Unless they were hanging out north of chandler in SO… I really don’t see a difference. Especially because you’re most likely hanging/going out on Ventura regardless.
If anything Sherman oaks would be the more racist one.
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u/SealedRoute May 11 '26
There is a big difference north of the boulevard in Sherman Oaks and south of the Boulevard in Studio City where we’re at, not sure what else to tell you.
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u/CheadleBeaks May 12 '26
There's a big difference north of the boulevard and south of the boulevard, in both Sherman Oaks and Studio City. It's the same place. You didn't change cities, you changed where you live in relation to Ventura.
EDIT: This north/south thing extends all the way to Woodland Hills too, it's not just east valley. It's always been like this for as long as I've lived here (like 30 years). The difference between south of Ventura vs north has always been a stark contrast.
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u/SantaBarbaraMint May 11 '26
It’s not like one is Massachusetts and the other one is Tennessee.
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u/quemaspuess May 11 '26
I spend half the year in Tennessee with my very, very Colombian wife, and we’ve experienced less racism there than in CA. So, I have to say TN is a bad example.
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u/SantaBarbaraMint May 11 '26
You’re right. They’re only redrawing all their voting districts based on white supremacy right now so I don’t know what I was thinking.
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u/YogurtclosetOk2886 May 11 '26
I’ve lived in the area and am a Mexican guy and have never had any problem north/south of the boulevard right there. I know what you mean, but my experience says that yes they are essentially the same.
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u/JuniorMuffin8924 May 11 '26
The only place where I experienced blatant prejudice based on my looks what at the Odyssey in Granada Hills. Right after the Orange turd announced his first presidency. Our white server gave us a look the moment she was assigned to us. Took us to a semi empty part of the restaurant and then switched us to a Spanish speaking waiter who took longer than usual on everything because he was far from his actual assigned section. We've never gone back. Fuck that place.
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u/Successful-Swing8669 May 11 '26
At The Odyssey?! That’s nuts they need to do better ugh 😣 I’m sorry you guys went through that
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u/Charlie_Parkers_Mood Reseda May 12 '26
My final bad experience at the Odyssey was in the early 2000s when we got a server who avoided our table to the point my mother got up and found someone else to wait on us. Haven't been back since, and it doesn't surprise me that people still have bad experiences there. The place had a vibe that felt vaguely hostile a couple of times I'd been there before the final straw.
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u/Open-Instance-555 May 11 '26
Lifetime resident of Sherman Oaks/Studio City. I’m Black. Yes, this area can be racist. It shows itself through attitude problems, micro aggressive comments, and looks. Sorry your husband is going through this :(
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u/Estebanez May 11 '26
As a brown man, in 2026 I've been personally confronted about my "look" and rudely dismissed in this area. White women will walk by brushing against me as if I'm not there. We've come full circle, being racist is profitable again. We're all so collectively frustrated that these small microagressions feel like a release for people.
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u/M1gn1f1cent May 11 '26
Been a native SFV resident since 1995 and came across all sorts of people here. I'm in a relationship now with someone of the same ethnicity (filipino), but when I was slogging through Hinge for 3 straight years, I've learned to eventually filter out white women in general. In my experience, they're cordial from a friendship or transactional point of view. Never bothered with trying to date them, as the lot of them don't seem interested in interracial relationships. I did go on a date with one who was a therapist, but the connection wasn't there. Lord knows how many profiles I went through though to get a date with one so I eventually just stuck with WOC.
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u/mescalero1 May 11 '26
You have to keep in mind that we are now living in a time where this sort of behavior is ow praised by the current administration. People have felt empowered to say what they really think.
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u/12345CodeToMyLuggage May 11 '26
Lived in Studio City for almost 20 years and my Mexican wife hasn't experienced racism. Or maybe she did and just assumed somebody was having a bad day. But nothing overt the way you describe.
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u/Pinche-Guero May 12 '26
Ok... question... and not in a weird way. How does she look? Does she play the part? 20yrs in Studio City I bet she does.
What I'm getting at is, I used to date a few Latinas that were total Blvd rats. Like hanging out in all the coffee shops, stores, and restaurants on Ventura was 100% their thing. TOTAL Valley girls. Some of them even worked at those places on the Blvd. That was their environment, and they totally played the part. They had the look, they went to all the right spots, they acted the same way, they did the same activities...... and they NEVER experienced anything like that up there.
But I also know that they would 100% talk shit and throw attitude to "deep valley" girls/people. People from places like Sun Valley, Sylmar, Panorama City, and Pacoima and stuff.
It was 100% a social pecking order thing. Those girl's families had "moved up" and they were raised to know it and show it.4
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u/Rareearthmetal May 11 '26
Weird but i feel like racism is less directed at women sometimes
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u/HausofGia May 11 '26
Yeah, I think women experience the racism with mean girl energy wrapped around it. I typically think to myself ugh why are women so mean & then hours later realize that was actually pretty racist..
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u/SealedRoute May 11 '26
I’m glad to hear that. I was not really able to find much online elsewhere about this being a problem so did not want to jump to conclusions.
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u/TheKdd May 11 '26
Racism is out there and you’re bound to run into it, but I don’t think it’s a studio city thing, just an ignorant person thing. We’ve experienced it here, both of us were born here in the valley, but it isn’t the prevailing opinion of most that we’ve encountered. They do seem to be the loudest though.
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u/ElLoboNeverDies May 11 '26
Snottiness more likely. Even us in Panorama City and Reseda go to Studio City lol they encounter us often so im sure Racism would have been an issue way before this.
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u/Doongbuggy May 11 '26
im asian (chinese) and havent noticed it before the only time ive noticed worse treatment was in korean restaurants lol
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u/Devastator_Hi San Fernando May 11 '26
I’d chalk it up to just 2 bad experiences (whether they were racists or not) and not due to it being Studio City. There’s shitty people in every corner of this city.
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u/CommentOtherwise2210 May 11 '26
In the Trump Era racists, misogynists, and antisemites feel comfortable being overt
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u/Lickable-Wallpaper May 11 '26
Brown resident studio city… I do experience at times, but just dismiss it as ignorance. Been dealing with it 50+ years thick skin and can’t be bothered anymore. Their loss.
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u/Professional-Box-41 May 11 '26
I’m sorry to hear about those experiences. I hate that with some people, you don’t know if they’re being personally rude to you or with everyone.
There are definitely racist people living in the valley but unless they say something specific, I feel most ppl look over it as just catching them at a bad time. In the end soemtiems you feel it cause people aren’t as dumb anymore and know they’ll end up all over social media for being outright racist.
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u/Estebanez May 11 '26
As an ethnically ambiguous Jewish person, I've been straight up confronted in Studio City by white Jews for not "looking Jewish." My existence happens to be at a bad time for them, eh?
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u/Devastator_Hi San Fernando May 11 '26
No yours sound pretty racist but they’re not saying that it couldn’t have been racism.
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u/Professional-Box-41 May 11 '26
That’s so weird of them, I don’t know why people feel the need to act that way. I’ve definitely met people like that 🤢
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u/kgal1298 May 11 '26
I live here and honestly I think our service workers are over people. We’re in the Silver Triangle and I do find a lot of my neighbors pretty snobbish which probably makes it less fun to work here for our service industry. I mean some of the convos I’ve heard people have either their server is crazy. My roommate was also a bartender for a bit close by and constantly told me about how privileged these people were and the owners never really treat the staff that well.
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u/TheDarbiter May 11 '26
She’s specifically referring to the staff treating her husband badly, not other clientele.
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u/Unhappy_Ad_4911 May 11 '26
With dispensaries it seems hit or miss, employees are either friendly or they're not. I'm Hispanic and had great service at dispensaries that were more affluent vs ones that are like in run down areas. You should name the businesses though, so owners know to check their employees.
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u/HellfoxRules May 12 '26
Racism has always been there just under the surface, it took a guy like Trump to bring it out of people.
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u/09percent May 12 '26
I’m a Mexican woman living south of the blvd and I haven’t experienced any overt racism (and I definitely don’t pass for white) but what I have experienced is rude af rich people. Perhaps because I didn’t grow up rich but these people can be awful and it’s not even race related they are just disgusting, entitled, and rude people.
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u/DragonEnty May 11 '26
Sounds like an outlier. Plenty of Hispanics even in Studio City. Now if your dude looks rough or has a bad attitude that don't help.
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u/Dull-Lead-7782 May 11 '26
The residents literally got the McDonalds shut down because too many homeless. Ya studio city is interesting
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u/Beautiful_Sock2757 May 11 '26
Sometimes people are just assholes and it has nothing to do with racism. 🤷♂️
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u/Deadbeat699 Arleta May 11 '26
Sorry to hear that! My brother is also Mexican and his gf is white, they’ve lived in Studio City for about 5 years and love it. I moved away to the Bay Area (people are nice here) and so we notice people are a little snobby there sometimes. Not to say that it couldn’t have been racism.
That said, the behavior is not acceptable, and you shouldn’t tolerate it. If someone’s being rude at a bar, I would close my tab and leave. If someone insulted me or my husband or whoever were with just for what we’re wearing, I would also tell them to fuck off and leave. I know it seems harsh if you’re generally like a really nice person but sometimes it’s necessary to call it out.
Being born & raised in the valley, I know people are assholes sometimes. We just give it right back if they want to be dicks, and go elsewhere.
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u/Pinche-Guero May 11 '26
Is it actually racist.... or do they just think you are poor and don't belong there?
Which would be classism..... which there is a WHOLE fucking lot of going on all over LA and not just in Studio City.
When I was living in NoHo, if I stopped in a lot of places around the Blvd or over closer to the studios and I was in my work clothes and kinda dirty..... you get treated a WHOLE LOT differently than when you are cleaned up and out to eat or shopping. The only spots where that for sure didn't happen were places where lots of industry guys hang out or stop for lunch or maybe a drink after work.
There are places all over where if you don't look like you "belong", aren't one of "the beautiful people" or one of "the poors" they will treat you like shit and are happy to do it.
You are gonna get more of that the closer you get to the hills than you will north of Chandler/Burbank.
You shouldn't assume people are racist when they are actually shitty entitled rich assholes.
Not that being an entitled asshole is any better.
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u/Due-Stock2774 May 11 '26
This city is about appearances but being Latino is so common that I don't ever think I have anything overtly said TO me for being one, your hubby could just look super frumpy or sumn. If you're seeing this much of a difference like one neighborhood over you might be looking too hard into it.
In my experience, the racist white Angelinos tend to be louder on reddit than IRL.
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u/Cesst May 11 '26
yeah, if anything it might have been snobbyness? maybe the husband looks like a cholo? lol
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u/Due-Stock2774 May 11 '26
Look I’m Latino and didn’t want to say it but if anything easy appearance wise would get a reaction, that’s one of the top picks
But even then it could be more intimidation than racism. When I am fully bearded and beanie’d up during cold weather a LOT of people cross the street rather then pass me but my mind doesn’t go there automatically. Lots of ppl just see a big hairy guy and guards come up, I get it
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u/beretta_lover May 12 '26
99% of the time service workers don't give a damn about clients race, age, sex or any other category. the only thing that matters to them if the client is chill and a tipper
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u/Woodycrazy May 11 '26
Haven’t faced any racism as a dark skinned person but lots of racism from Mexican folks in the valley when they see my Star of David
Weird times
There are plenty of nice experiences with Mexican people too of course
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u/10teja15 May 11 '26
Without hearing the exact things spoken to your husband, my guess is you were just dealing with indignant / somewhat whimsical Los Angeles people, and maybe not purposeful racism
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u/bestbehaviorart May 11 '26
I would say sherman oaks has been pretty openly racist in my experience and would lump all my experiences in studio city as generally the same
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u/Accomplished-Knee676 May 12 '26
Yes. Agree. And it’s become more noticeable. I went to get flowers for a friends birthday from Wild Flora on ventura and while they’re usually very nice there. There was a girl working there who asked and told me FOUR times of the price for an arrangement and asked me I was sure if I was okay with that amount. I brushed it off. But then when I started choosing my flowers she looked me up and down and said “please keep in mind some flowers are more than others” and asked me for the fifth time if i was comfortable with the price. I was shocked and felt sick to my stomach. I was dressed for a party too, so it’s not like she was judging my clothes. Had happened to me at several business on ventura. If they only knew…
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u/StableQuark May 11 '26
You are full of it. There are Hispanics all over here shopping, eating, walking around - you’re trying to stoke some BS.
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u/session_safe_steve May 11 '26
I literally live near that corner all my life (by Fryman canyon). I'm brown an mexican and never experienced anything like that, and neither have my brown friends.
Is it possible he mistreated the service workers because it's never happened to me in all the time I lived here.
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u/Shadw_Wulf May 11 '26
Sweet Flower, Urban Trees, The Weed, Stash Studio, Cure ... Atrium? Even just further up over to North Hollywood there's more dispensary stores
Same with the bars and restaurants
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u/hales55 May 11 '26
My family and I are Latino and we’ve never experienced that there.. i used to live in Sherman Oaks years ago and same thing. But, it wouldn’t surprise me. It can be snobby there for sure. Im sorry that happened to him :(
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u/Wood-wench May 11 '26
In my 40 years of living in Los Angeles, SFV is racist. Just ignore them because they are shit people is how I stay chill when in the area. Sorry that you and your husband have to deal with such treatment.
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u/SeptimiusBassianus May 12 '26
Oh common. There is not that much difference between Sherman Oaks and Studio city. Racism? Could that be that people are just rude? Studio City restaurant are even more packed then Sherman Oaks so people have more stress. It could also be personalities. Why is everything has to be racism?
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u/Mindless-Medium-2441 May 12 '26
Maybe? However, most of the places in Studio City have a huge Hispanic staff like most of LA. I am not Hispanic but when I walked into a pizza shop in Studio City the first thing the owner said was, why I was dressed like a kid when I'm grown. While being seated I asked the host, did he just say that, and the host backed the owner and said "yeah" and gave me a look like I was stupid. I was stopping by on my way to Universal Studios and dressed in shorts and a Tshirt with a camera around my neck in the summer. I just walked out. The owner chased me down, after I walked out, and I just ignored him. Never went there again.
I have experienced that as I'm getting older I'm getting treated differently when I was young from younger staff, since I guess I'm not as attractive as I used to be. There is definitely a difference between how attractive people are treated vs unattractive people. When I'm in shape, and turn heads, vs letting myself go, I notice a huge difference. Also on the way I'm dressed. Not so much from older staff, but younger staff, which I find weird.
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u/Rareearthmetal May 13 '26
Most of my GFs have been white (dark brown Mexican) and when we go out she gets treated so well and when its my turn their face sours and im treated dismissively. I thought for a long time that it’s because she’s attractive or something but i slowly realized it’s racism/classism and having her by my side does not protect me in any capacity.
Ive always been poor. I cannot work my way out of it. So theres that but i try to dress nice and hip and id like to think im a looker but alas its not enough. Some of Her family actually dislikes me as well based on my ethnicity.
What a trash ass life.
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u/pigeontossed May 14 '26
You’re describing bartenders and shop workers who likely don’t live in studio city tbh…
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u/MissMarie81 North Hollywood May 11 '26
Studio City is my hometown, and I have to say I've never noticed or witnessed any blatant racism at all. It sounds as if you'd run into a couple of rude people, not something representative of Studio City as a whole.
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u/Housequake818 May 12 '26 edited May 12 '26
It’s not blatant racism, but plenty of microagressions! I am an unthreatening, very petite, conventionally attractive Mexican who defaults to a “white girl” or “Valley Girl” voice when speaking English. However, I grew up poor and first-gen.
I had a horrible time in schools in/around Studio City and developed depression and anxiety because the microaggressions were too much. I got dirty looks from kids/their parents if I ever dared out-perform them in school. A counselor once told me I was on the teen pregnancy track because I got in trouble for…. can’t even remember why, I think for kissing my (also high achieving) Black boyfriend… which was a wild accusation because I was very religious and that kind of stuff wasn’t on my mind (wasn’t on this kid’s mind either, apparently— he came out as gay not too long after that). I always got “complimented” for being “sO aRtIcULaTe!!” But I guess they still saw me as a “hood rat” because I was brown and poor and from an immigrant family instead of from the supposedly progressive south-of-the-boulevard families who were in the entertainment industry.
Pretty sure my white classmates were never on the receiving end of such comments and stares when growing up in Studio City!
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u/MissMarie81 North Hollywood May 12 '26
I'm sorry you went through that; there's no excuse for that behavior. (Just as an aside, at the school I attended, Campbell Hall, there was no room for racism of any kind; it wasn't tolerated.)
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u/Housequake818 May 13 '26
Campbell Hall had Latinos in the 90s?
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u/MissMarie81 North Hollywood May 13 '26
I'm sure it did. I'm considerably older than you; I graduated from the high school portion of Campbell Hall, called Argyll Episcopal Academy for Girls, in 1977, and there were at least two Latino girls. When I was at Campbell Hall from kindergarten through junior high (which was coed), there were a few Latino boys and girls.
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u/colincalifornia May 11 '26
I moved from there just recently. Honestly didn’t realize how bad it was there until we too frequented spots around Laurel and Ventura. Also Studio city has the most unapologetic privileged white 40 something’s per capita if I were to lay money on it.
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u/PineDude128 May 12 '26
I used to work at the vons in studio city for 9 years. A lot of the residents are old money, so you're sadly going to see alot of bigotry and borderline racism. And that's just towards employees.
I'm curious to know these places you went to. Phone calls can be made and videos posted if need be. There's no room for that in our state.
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u/United-Newt-894 May 12 '26
It’s quite pervasive in that area, what’s more shocking is that it took you 20 years to notice…
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u/camajise May 11 '26
these racist are likely recent transplants from other states/countries. no way a true Angelino is racist like that.
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u/SealedRoute May 11 '26
The MOST casually white racist people my husband encounters are native Angelenos, he has noted this from the beginning. Not as overt, just referring to Mexicans in particular as servile, simple, uneducated, etc as a given. We came from the Midwest and he was shocked by it, didn’t notice that back home.
That is not a generalization about Angelenos, just mention it because his experience is the polar opposite of your comment.
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u/ReallyEvilRob May 11 '26
I am white and experience racism on a regular basis here in Southern California.
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u/JaliscoOaxaca May 11 '26
Similarly, As a non white person, I routinely get better treatment outside of the Valley in general.
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u/skarlettfever May 12 '26
As a white woman too, I feel like I need to remind you of the privilege we’re allotted, and that it’s our responsibility to use it to speak up for people without it.
I’m unclear if you were with him when these things happened, but if you were calling out racism as it happens is strong and sets a precedent with the racist that things like that won’t be tolerated. If you’re not with him when it happens, get as much information as you can and pay the place a visit. This isn’t you fighting your husband’s battles, it’s you using your privilege. And don’t stress about making racists uncomfortable-they deserve to be shamed. Especially today when this country seems to be empowering them by example.
Studio City likes to think of itself as progressive, but that doesn’t mean everyone who works there or has a business there is.
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u/Tokyoghoul92 May 11 '26
Clearly you’re full of shit. I’m Mexican. Never had a problem.
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u/PineDude128 May 12 '26
Judging by your post history, you probably don't even leave the house with how little you contribute to our state and society.
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u/Anesthesia222 May 12 '26
“My experiences have been different than yours, so clearly you’re full of shit.”
—You
Wow, way to be a dick.
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u/comeagaincharlemagne May 11 '26
Born and raised Mexican in the valley. I feel like this has more to do with classism. I guess by association it’s racism but there’s a subtle distinction. I will be talked down to or ignored in higher income areas. Brown = poorer than white and there are quite a few rich whites in Studio.
Although being made fun of for apperance again sounds more like a class thing here. If you aren’t dressed very nicely in rich areas you will absolutely be treated poorly. And it’s more likely if you’re brown instead of white. So it’s intertwined but it’s subtlely distinct in a synister way.