Why Do Beautiful Women of Color Keep Dating Down?

By the time Mika Abdalla’s engagement to former child star Jake Short ended in June, the internet had already assigned the Off Campus star a familiar role: the exceptionally beautiful woman beside a man everyone else considers extremely lucky to be there.

Then, a now-

from a 2024 podcast resurfaced, in which Short was asked to describe his then-fiancée. “Some b***h,” he answered, smirking, as even the hosts were left gobsmacked. He later apologized, calling the remark a “disrespectful, juvenile joke.” Thousands flocked to social media to criticize Short and beg Abdalla to break up with him. Abdalla and Short responded by saying they shared a loving, respectful relationship. But then, news of their breakup started circulating — to a global sigh of relief. 

Whatever the case, the narrative felt achingly tried and true: a beautiful woman had finally left a man who not only appeared to be dating spectacularly above his league, but had responded to his good fortune by bringing her down. It was a particularly vivid iteration of one of society’s favorite questions: how the hell did he land her and when he finally got her, why did he treat her so poorly? And why does the impact seem so much worse for women of color? We spoke to relationship experts, women who’ve experienced this firsthand, and more to get to the bottom of this troubling trend.