The issue of “Britishness”

When I moved to London, people often told me things like “Oh you’re so lucky, London is such a multicultural city that you’ll blend in perfectly. No one cares if you have green hair or if you’re wearing your shirt inside out!” A friend of mine from university recently posted this as her Facebook status: “Number of times I laughed to myself on the long walk home from Angel: 34. Number of times people stopped to stare at the strange Asian girl laughing to herself: 0. Another reason to love London.” But this hasn’t always been the stereotype.