--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I am South African and I am so aware…" description: "\"I am South African and I am so aware, even as a white, privileged South African, that even within our community of privilege the idea of talking about ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e6f/charlize-theron-1430_comfortable_i-am-south-african-and-i-am-so-aware-eve_1782267.jpg" --- # I am South African and I am so aware, even as a white… ![“I am South African and I am so aware, even as a white, privileged South African, that even within our community of privilege the idea of talking about sex or sexual preference or sexual identity or anything like that was just, nobody ever did that and nobody ever felt comfortable doing that.” quote by Charlize Theron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e6f/charlize-theron-1430_comfortable_i-am-south-african-and-i-am-so-aware-eve_1782267.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e6f/charlize-theron-1430_comfortable_i-am-south-african-and-i-am-so-aware-eve_1782267.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e6f/charlize-theron-1430_comfortable_i-am-south-african-and-i-am-so-aware-eve_1782267.jpg) > “I am South African and I am so aware, even as a white, privileged South African, that even within our community of privilege the idea of talking about sex or sexual preference or sexual identity or anything like that was just, nobody ever did that and nobody ever felt comfortable doing that.” [Charlize Theron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlize-theron/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Even in privileged groups, discussing sexuality can be taboo, limiting openness and understanding. **In simple terms:** Sexual topics are often avoided in privileged circles. Key Takeaway Encourage open dialogue about identity. Themes identity privilege communication Mood empathetic activist Type social educational When to use this quote - workplace - education - community building - media representation Key Concepts social norms inclusion Questions to Reflect On - How can you create safe spaces for such conversations? - What barriers exist in your community? A Different Perspective Cultural resistance may persist despite advocacy. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Community](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/community/) [Homosexuality](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/homosexuality/) [Ideas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ideas/) [Identity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/identity/) [Preference](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/preference/) [Privilege](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/privilege/) [Sex](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sex/) [South africa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/south-africa/) [South African](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/south-african/) ## Related quotes > [I think the 'Law of Attraction' comes from a rich, white, privileged perspective.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryan-gosling/i-think-the-law-of-attraction-comes-from-a-rich-white-privileged/) [Ryan Gosling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ryan-gosling/) > [I grew up in a very white, privileged, old-fashioned society in South Africa and went to a boarding school run by nuns.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/prue-leith/i-grew-up-in-a-very-white-privileged-old-fashioned-society-in-south/) [Prue Leith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/prue-leith/) > [I didn't understand that just because something wasn't about race for me, doesn't mean it's not about race for the other person because I'm…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stassi-schroeder/i-didn-t-understand-that-just-because-something-wasn-t-about-race-for/) [Stassi Schroeder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stassi-schroeder/) > [I have privileges even in comparison to a Palestinian Israeli because Palestinian Israelis who live permanently in Ramallah risk their status, not as citizens…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amira-hass/i-have-privileges-even-in-comparison-to-a-palestinian-israeli-because/) [Amira Hass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amira-hass/) > [“People wo are privileged tend to take their privilege for granted. South Africans are no exception in this regard. We take for granted the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-chikane/people-wo-are-privileged-tend-to-take-their-privilege-for-granted/) Frank Chikane > [I have been privileged to have the opportunity to work with many of African American fraternal and social organizations that are active in my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-van-hollen/i-have-been-privileged-to-have-the-opportunity-to-work-with-many-of/) [Chris Van Hollen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-van-hollen/) > [At first I found it really hard using three different English accents: South African, faking the American, faking the accent required by the job.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlize-theron/at-first-i-found-it-really-hard-using-three-different-english-accents/) [Charlize Theron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlize-theron/) > [I feel like I know South Africans. I feel like I know our culture.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlize-theron/i-feel-like-i-know-south-africans-i-feel-like-i-know-our-culture/) [Charlize Theron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlize-theron/) > [Think bigger than society lets you think. And find mentors. My life is filled with people who knew me when I was 19 and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlize-theron/think-bigger-than-society-lets-you-think-and-find-mentors-my-life-is/) [Charlize Theron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlize-theron/) > [I've always been very proud to be a South African and I've always been very honest to people about that. And whatever I can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlize-theron/i-ve-always-been-very-proud-to-be-a-south-african-and-i-ve-always/) [Charlize Theron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlize-theron/) > [It's pretty impossible to be a South African and not have been personally affected by HIV or AIDS.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlize-theron/it-s-pretty-impossible-to-be-a-south-african-and-not-have-been/) [Charlize Theron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlize-theron/) > [People are talking about sex. They're talking about sex with their husbands. They're talking about sex with their girlfriends. They're talking about sex with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-l-james-2/people-are-talking-about-sex-they-re-talking-about-sex-with-their/) [E. L. James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-l-james-2/) > [Why is that people like talking about sex? Is it 'cause they haven't had any lately? ahhh,but the cure is fucking yourself. Then your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isabella21/why-is-that-people-like-talking-about-sex-is-it-cause-they-haven-t/) Isabella21 > [“I swear to God, I think my panties just melted off my body. How can Crush just talking sex make me hot?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jillian-dodd/i-swear-to-god-i-think-my-panties-just-melted-off-my-body-how-can/) [Jillian Dodd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jillian-dodd/) > [I am comfortable talking about sex scenes and stuff, but to me, when it's physically explicit, I do feel prudish and uncomfortable.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phoebe-waller-bridge/i-am-comfortable-talking-about-sex-scenes-and-stuff-but-to-me-when-it/) [Phoebe Waller-Bridge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phoebe-waller-bridge/) ## More by Charlize Theron > [I have been working a lot, and I like it. And you know, it's hard for me not to. I guess I've been working…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlize-theron/i-have-been-working-a-lot-and-i-like-it-and-you-know-it-s-hard-for-me/) [Charlize Theron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlize-theron/) > [I met a woman in Albuquerque and she came and hung out with me in the trailer. It was really just more to kind…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlize-theron/i-met-a-woman-in-albuquerque-and-she-came-and-hung-out-with-me-in-the/) [Charlize Theron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlize-theron/) > [ I love the idea of longevity in this career. But \[producing\] is not about, "Let me do this because this might happen 20 years… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlize-theron/i-love-the-idea-of-longevity-in-this-career-but-producing-is-not/) [Charlize Theron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlize-theron/) > [It's in the eyes, mostly. Don't listen just to the other actor's lines. Look at - and listen to - their eyes. That's where…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlize-theron/it-s-in-the-eyes-mostly-don-t-listen-just-to-the-other-actor-s-lines/) [Charlize Theron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlize-theron/) > [I don't try to kind of go for the overly sympathetic. I don't really like sympathy; I don't like it for myself. Sometimes sympathy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlize-theron/i-don-t-try-to-kind-of-go-for-the-overly-sympathetic-i-don-t-really/) [Charlize Theron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlize-theron/) > [Looks alone won’t get you that far. It may get you in the door, but there’s always somebody younger, somebody prettier. You have to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlize-theron/looks-alone-won-t-get-you-that-far-it-may-get-you-in-the-door-but/) [Charlize Theron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlize-theron/) > [I hate actors who come and quote Nietzsche.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlize-theron/i-hate-actors-who-come-and-quote-nietzsche/) [Charlize Theron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlize-theron/) > [Of course you want your son, your children, to be proud of you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlize-theron/of-course-you-want-your-son-your-children-to-be-proud-of-you/) [Charlize Theron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlize-theron/) > [I don't really watch a lot of television, and I would watch mindless, mindless television.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlize-theron/i-don-t-really-watch-a-lot-of-television-and-i-would-watch-mindless/) [Charlize Theron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlize-theron/) > [My thoughts and love go out to the Mandela family. Rest in peace Madiba. You will be missed, but your impact on this world…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlize-theron/my-thoughts-and-love-go-out-to-the-mandela-family-rest-in-peace/) [Charlize Theron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlize-theron/) > [I think today women are very scared to celebrate themselves, because then they just get labeled.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlize-theron/i-think-today-women-are-very-scared-to-celebrate-themselves-because/) [Charlize Theron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlize-theron/) > [I don't believe in charmed lives. I think that tragedy is part of the lesson you learn to lift yourself up, to pick yourself…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlize-theron/i-don-t-believe-in-charmed-lives-i-think-that-tragedy-is-part-of-the/) [Charlize Theron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlize-theron/) > [I don't want to be put on a pedestal. I don't want to be anything other than what we are. I want to just…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlize-theron/i-don-t-want-to-be-put-on-a-pedestal-i-don-t-want-to-be-anything/) [Charlize Theron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlize-theron/) > [I think of myself as a highly sexual creature, I have to use that, I like it.. I didn't grow up with a mother…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlize-theron/i-think-of-myself-as-a-highly-sexual-creature-i-have-to-use-that-i/) [Charlize Theron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlize-theron/) > [I know what I'm capable of wearing in one lifetime and what I really need.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlize-theron/i-know-what-i-m-capable-of-wearing-in-one-lifetime-and-what-i-really/) [Charlize Theron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlize-theron/) [Explore all 242 Charlize Theron quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlize-theron/) ## More Comfortable quotes > [I could not limit my values and pursuits to what makes others comfortable. Being possessed by a promise I live without options. I will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-johnson/i-could-not-limit-my-values-and-pursuits-to-what-makes-others/) [Bill Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-johnson/) > [How much more comfortable it is to say 'Yes, and...' than 'Yes, but...'.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-fagg/how-much-more-comfortable-it-is-to-say-yes-and-than-yes-but/) [Lawrence Fagg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-fagg/) > [If I had my brothers I think with just a little bit of the correct marketing, I'd like to be almost exclusively in small…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-bozzio/if-i-had-my-brothers-i-think-with-just-a-little-bit-of-the-correct/) [Terry Bozzio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-bozzio/) > [I'm more comfortable modelling as a man because I don't get any criticism.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rain-dove/i-m-more-comfortable-modelling-as-a-man-because-i-don-t-get-any/) [Rain Dove](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rain-dove/) > [I'm aware of who I am and I'm comfortable with who I choose to date.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shibani-dandekar/i-m-aware-of-who-i-am-and-i-m-comfortable-with-who-i-choose-to-date/) [Shibani Dandekar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shibani-dandekar/) > [Money is only used for two things. One, it's to make you comfortable, and the more comfortable you are the more creative you will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-proctor/money-is-only-used-for-two-things-one-it-s-to-make-you-comfortable/) [Bob Proctor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-proctor/) > [I am comfortable talking about sex scenes and stuff, but to me, when it's physically explicit, I do feel prudish and uncomfortable.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phoebe-waller-bridge/i-am-comfortable-talking-about-sex-scenes-and-stuff-but-to-me-when-it/) [Phoebe Waller-Bridge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phoebe-waller-bridge/) > [It's my intention to make something stand outside the realm of album art, but it also feels comfortable to me to be in it.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-dyer-baizley/it-s-my-intention-to-make-something-stand-outside-the-realm-of-album/) [John Dyer Baizley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-dyer-baizley/) > [There's always gonna be people with a lot of money making film, and the goal is to make profit and carry on. It is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clint-howard/there-s-always-gonna-be-people-with-a-lot-of-money-making-film-and/) [Clint Howard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clint-howard/) > [There are those that say, if you do the uncomfortable thing long enough, it will become comfortable. But we are really not encouragers of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/esther-hicks/there-are-those-that-say-if-you-do-the-uncomfortable-thing-long/) [Esther Hicks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/esther-hicks/) > [It's like my second home, 'It.' And I would like to return to it, because I feel very comfortable with it, and I have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-muschietti/it-s-like-my-second-home-it-and-i-would-like-to-return-to-it-because/) [Andy Muschietti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-muschietti/) > [I was a bit overweight as a teenager, which may be why I'm more comfortable playing with clothes than showing my body.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orla-brady/i-was-a-bit-overweight-as-a-teenager-which-may-be-why-i-m-more/) [Orla Brady](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orla-brady/) > [When you're comfortable with someone you love, the silence is the best.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/britney-spears/when-you-re-comfortable-with-someone-you-love-the-silence-is-the-best/) [Britney Spears](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/britney-spears/) > [Our families and our homes are the center of American life, Everything we do is to make those homes-and the lives in them-more beautiful,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martha-stewart/our-families-and-our-homes-are-the-center-of-american-life-everything/) [Martha Stewart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martha-stewart/) > [You build the bonds through the community and police force, build bonds of understanding, and then when people feel comfortable in their communities, that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-kaine/you-build-the-bonds-through-the-community-and-police-force-build/) [Tim Kaine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-kaine/) Browse all 4,560 Comfortable quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I am South African and I am so aware, even as a white, privileged South African, that even within our community of privilege the idea of talking about sex or sexual preference or sexual identity or anything like that was just, nobody ever did that and nobody ever felt comfortable doing that.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Charlize Theron" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlize-theron/i-am-south-african-and-i-am-so-aware-even-as-a-white-privileged-south/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Comfortable" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlize-theron/i-am-south-african-and-i-am-so-aware-even-as-a-white-privileged-south/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e6f/charlize-theron-1430_comfortable_i-am-south-african-and-i-am-so-aware-eve_1782267.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e6f/charlize-theron-1430_comfortable_i-am-south-african-and-i-am-so-aware-eve_1782267.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e6f/charlize-theron-1430_comfortable_i-am-south-african-and-i-am-so-aware-eve_1782267.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I am South African and I am so aware, even as a white, privileged South African, that even within our…” — Charlize Theron", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Charlize Theron", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlize-theron/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "I am South African and I...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlize-theron/i-am-south-african-and-i-am-so-aware-even-as-a-white-privileged-south/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlize-theron/i-am-south-african-and-i-am-so-aware-even-as-a-white-privileged-south/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```