But there's no better time than when a kid is in their formative years to teach them that it's not OK to mock other people's cultures. They're good songs! Moana is a powerful, phenomenal Disney heroine who relies on more than just her CGI perfection to save the day. To clarify: No one is telling you to ban your child from belting out Moana songs in your living room. To pretend to be a racial, ethnic, or religious minority when you're not makes light of their history - and reinforces a deeply problematic power dynamic, wherein white people use, then discard, pieces of cultures they've subjugated for centuries just because they can. It's important to align with, and stand up for, people of color and minorities, and a key part of that is showing respect for their cultures. So what does this have to do with a seemingly innocent princess costume? Pretty much everything. Meanwhile, Black Americans continue to be killed by police, and antisemitic voices feel louder and more powerful than they have in decades. Our President is a hate group apologist who tries to ban refugees from seeking asylum in our country, simply because of their faith.
Miana costume full#
If your Caucasian son or daughter doesn't get to be exactly what they wanted for Halloween, encourage them to take a step back and realize that they're awash in privileges that the real Moanas and Tianas of the world will likely never see, because the world is full of racist assholes.Īnd those assholes are becoming even more empowered. White girls have plenty of princesses to choose from - there's Belle, Ariel, Snow White, Sleeping Beauty … you get the idea. Recognize this: Moana is a really special character to young girls of Polynesian descent who have never seen a Disney Princess who looks like them, just like how Tiana from The Princess and the Frog likely resonated with young Black women who had waited decades to see themselves represented. If your kid wears a racist costume, you're kind of wearing it too.
Though Feris puzzles over how one might wear a Moana costume respectfully, she ultimately decides it just isn't a good idea. Feris expresses concern that while an Elsa costume might reinforce notions of white privilege, dressing up as Moana is essentially cultural appropriation - the act of reducing someone's culture to stereotypes, and thereby belittling it. The original article, written by Sachi Feris, discusses how her white daughter was torn between dressing as Elsa, from Frozen, or the titular character from Moana. The company ultimately pulled the costume in response to the uproar, telling Entertainment Weekly in a statement that "The team behind Moana has taken great care to respect the cultures of the Pacific Islands that inspired the film, and we regret that the Maui costume has offended some." The Maui question may have been settled, but this year, there are plenty of tweets out there asking the internet (and Lin-Manuel Miranda) if it's OK to dress as Moana for Halloween. Last year, Disney came under fire for its Maui costume, which depicted the demigod's painted brown skin. Needless to say, the Post's coverage has only amplified the debate around what does, and doesn't, constitute cultural appropriation. The New York Postrecently highlighted an article on about how that's probably not a good choice if your kid is white, and revealed that "moms are freaking out" over the culturally appropriative costume. Chances are, you have a child that is enamored with all things Disney and wants to be all of the princesses. It's mid-October, which means Halloween is just two weeks away, which means it's way past time to decide on a Halloween costume for your kid.
0 kommentar(er)
