She says that bias and discrimination towards interracial couples is definitely a thing, but that the reasons behind it are complicated.
Here in the U.S., interracial relationships are also stigmatized and often looked at as "other," says Inika Winslow, a licensed psychologist who works with interracial couples and whose parents are of different races.
Though Sheikha lives in Norway, her experience isn't unique to where she lives. "I feel like people are so shocked because he's white and not only am I brown, but I'm also wearing a head scarf and full hijab and people are just mind-blown that that's okay the two of us are together." She's a Middle Eastern woman who wears a head scarf and covers her body, and her husband is a blond-haired white man with blue eyes.
Sheikha Steffen is used to the whispers and stares.