
AD 2060
Ellen is the CEO of a leading fashion industry in LA: B&B, which she inherited from her family. Her company is thriving but a major hazard is now putting her company at stake. The minister for Ethnic Policies had noted how, despite being immersed in a widely multicultural society as are the U.S. in 2060, employees at B&B are overwhelmingly white.
Today Ellen is talking with the inspectors of the Ministry, who are about to make an interesting proposal. She is faced with the danger of bankruptcy if her company gets fined and becomes associated with a bad reputation about race issues. Most of the customers of the firm are either multiracial, African American or Latino so losing popularity among them would doom the company which is what Ellen cares most in the world.
“I can pledge that we will hire more non white people, ok?” says Ellen, trying to save her company.
Her interlocutor is an attractive black lady in her late thirties. She doesn’t look convinced by Ellen’s offer. “Well, that’s the bare minimum but it’s not enough. Obviously you will have to decrease the ratio of white employees from 70% to 50%, but you need also something more to compensate for many years of white privilege. We need a more radical change, we need to send the customers a more powerful message: an African American lady as CEO.”
Ellen doesn’t know what to say. “But… I deserved this position, I earned it working here since my early twenties! You can’t just replace me with a random black lady!”
“Of course, no one here is questioning that.”
“But then, how…?”
“With the help of cosmetic surgery you could take the appearance of an African American young lady. Then we promise we won’t carry further actions against your company. Otherwise, the days of B&B would be counted.”
Ellen is dumbfounded. She is also the majority shareholder of her company so its financial success is paramount but this is a bit too much. She stares the lady in her eyes. She’s a professional but she cannot hide a sparkle of pride and revenge in her eyes. White women had looked down to them for centuries and now they were finally on the same level. She even has the pleasure to tell this arrogant white lady that she has to change her own ethnicity to match the new standards. Still, Ellen tries to appeal to her interlocutor’s humanity. “Listen, you have to understand that one cannot simply accept such a change. This is who I am, how could I live in a different body?”
“Well, millions of women in this country have meaningful existences as black women, plus you are rich and successful. Where is the problem? Or do you see us as inferior?”
” No, it’s not that! But… I’m also married and have a small daughter. How will they accept this?”
“How old is your daughter?”
“9 months”
“Well, than that’s not a problem, she will just remember you as a black woman!”
The idea that her own daughter had to see her as a black woman sounds disgusting to her bus she can’t say anything of course.
“As for your husband, I’m sure he will enjoy the novelty, haha! Anyway, my time is up, let me know when you are ready for your decision.”
After a long period of reflection, she decides that this is the only way she can get what matters the most for her: keeping her company successful. If this will mean losing her nordic looks, never mind.
Today she is going to talk to the surgeon, together with some persons from the Ministry to plan her surgeries.
On a large screen she can see herself in her current form.
“So, you have booked a full body surgery to change your ethnicity to African, right?”
“Yes” said Ellen, ashamed. The surgeon is an averagely attractive Latino man. She is soon going to be darker than him, she thinks with fear.
“First of all, we will take away all your blonde hair and transplant black, naturally curly hair.”
“Is this necessary? I really like my hair, can’t we just dye it?”
“Natural hair is a very important part of a Black lady’s appearance, so I’m sorry but you will get it.” says one of the inspectors from the Ministry.
Her picture on the screen now shows thick black curls. She looks plain ridiculous.
“Then we need to get rid of those blue eyes. They would look creepy on a black girl. A good dose of melanin and we’ll turn them black for good.”
Now her image looked like that of a pale Latina girl.
The idea of permanently changing her eye color scared her even more, she identified with her blue eyed gaze and the idea to have to get used to see dark brown eyes in the mirror sounded alien to her.
“You will get melanin injections to darken your skin before genetic therapy fully works. “
Now her image on the screen changes radically. She looks like a dark Indian girl maybe, with dark feature but an European-like phisionomy. It’s still recognizable but she looks very different.
“Do I have to be that dark? Can’t I be a light skinned black woman?”
“But that IS a light skinned black woman, you could have been much darker than that.”
“Thanks, I guess.”
“Then we will broaden your nose and enlarge your lips.”
“Oh god no” she thinks. “How will I live with a black woman’s face? I love my tiny nose, it’s a family thing!”
Now she looks like a full blooded skinny African girl.
“Last but not least, your body shape has to change. Thanks to fat tissue injections, we will give you a large buttock, fatter legs and much bigger breasts.”
“This is really not necessary!”
“I hate to remind you that the contract you signed gave us full freedom on your physical aspect. This is for your public image, moreover. A more natural beauty will give a better impression than a model-like skinny body.”
Her image now looks like a very natural looking African girl, a very good looking one to be honest.
“The whole process should take a few hours, but we need to wait a couple of weeks for the swelling to go away.” – concludes the surgeon.
“Well, it looks like we are all set now” – comments the inspector. “The scheduled date for the surgery is in one week. You will hear from us after you complete your recovery.”
Ellen’s last week as a white woman is fidgety and sad. She manages to explain this to your husband. He was shocked at first but he really loves her so as long as she is happy this is ok for him. On their last dinner together as a white couple she couldn’t but notice all the interracial couples, which now constitute most of the population. They are soon to be an interracial couple too, she thinks with a chill.
On the day of the surgery she doesn’t feel anything anymore, she just wants to be done with it. Before the surgeon sedates her, he whispers “You will be beautiful, don’t worry!”

When Ellen wakes up from the anesthesia she is afraid to look in the mirror. They tell her that all the surgeries went very well and that she has fully recovered by now. They waited until now to wake her up to allow her to see herself after all the swelling from the surgeries has gone so that she can appreciate her beauty.
Ellen asks all the nurses to leave the room to give her some privacy. Now she is all alone lying down in the bed. She knows that everything has been done already but seeing herself is going to be hard. At first she just moves her body a little in the bed. It feels different. She is definitely fatter now. Ot thicker, as they say. Also, she can feel that her hair texture has dramatically changed. It tickles the skin on her head. She moves her arm, so that she can see it. The skin on her hand is black. It even looks darker than in the pictures. The palm is much lighter than the back, as it always happens for black people. She has always noticed this feature but seeing it on her hand is alienating. She starts thinking that this was a bit too much of a change and starts regretting it. But it’s too late now. She finally stands up. Her frizzy mane is now in front of her eyes. It looks absolutely alien to her. “Oh God, what have I let them do to me!”. She moved toward the mirror and finally the whole effect of her transformation. She was a completely different person. She almost freaks out and makes a scared face. With her horror, the reflection shows a black girl’s face pathetically contorting itself in a funny way. Even her facial expressions are so different now! And her large breasts give her such a “cheap girl” look! God, she looks like a hooker!
“Nurse!” – she screams and she realizes that her voice has changed. Her voice is now lower, hoarser and somewhat sexier. “My voice! What have you done to it?”. “Oh, just a small adjustment, you would have looked ridiculous with your high pitched white girl-like voice.” “Noo, I hate this! It’s too much! Aargh!” – and faints.
It is soon clear that she has psychologically rejected her new appearance. No psychologist can do anything about this. Reversing the procedure is not possible as surgery making people whiter is not legal in the country to encourage ethnic minorities to accept their own complexion. After giving her a light sedative, the head psychologist proposes her an interesting solution. “So, how do you feel now?” “A bit better, thanks to the drugs, but I cannot go on like this! I hate my body, my voice, this just isn’t me!” “There could be a solution to your problem” “Which one? Anything!” “We need to work on your brain to make you accept your… condition. After our little intervention you will always remember being a black woman!” “Ok, fine, I just want this pain to stop!” says Ellen in tears.
After the procedure Ellen is a completely different person. Her new name is Shanice and she is a proud African-American girl. She is now not a CEO anymore but a simple secretary. Knowing her story, her main competitor, whose CEO is a black woman, hires her as a secretary. Shanice will never understand the giggles and comments she gets and will just get used to them but everyone in the firm will enjoy seeing how their old foe has become a humble black secretary working for them





























