Fernanda Lee was born to parents who were South Korean and Portuguese. Her mother was from Spain and her father from Portugal. They were of the Basque race and were of average height with dark hair. Her skin color is a very pale cream color, which according to Fernanda’s own descriptions, has made her “very shy.” Growing up in a multicultural household, she was encouraged and suited for being a Punjabi, Spanish, or Portuguese national. But because her parents did not emphasize her cultural roots, their cultural identity seemed to be lost when it came to marriage.
Her parents never pressured her into any kind of ethnic community, but they always made her feel that if she married someone from one of those cultures, it would be better for her. As a result, Fernanda Lee never identified with her father’s culture or nationality at all throughout her marriage. She always thought of herself as a Portuguese or a South Korean. Because of her parents, her siblings and other family members never had any sense of her true heritage.
When it came time to start her marriage, her parents divorced. Her new husband took her in his arms, promised her that they would change her name to hers, and wanted her to marry him. This was something that she could not imagine. After the divorce, Fernanda Lee did not look beyond race to find her true partner. She felt like an alien, unwanted, and considered by many to be unworthy of love. Through much struggle and hard work, however, she found love with her true partner, whom she had never known existed beyond her native tongue.