Thoughts about 'Maui' costume from Disney's Moana?

It's literally a brown skin costume. I don't know how anyone can argue with that. Thats what it is.

It's not "brown skin costume". It's a costume for a character in a Disney movie that has tattoos all over his body. If anything, it's a "tattoo costume". I think they chose a base color that would work with most skin colors except for maybe the very fair and very dark. The very fair and very dark could still wear it but the contrast with the color of the costume would be greater and that's fine.

It was either choose a base color that would probably work with 80% of the kids that would want to wear it or make it in a dozen different base colors and make it cost twice as much.
 
I have not read the seven pages of responses yet, but here is my opinion. I have as much problem making a child look all tattooed up as I do this brown skin thing. Both are equally off-putting to me. I think dressing as this particular character is inappropriate for a CHILD. It would be like dressing a little kid up as Tarzan. Weird. These are big bulky men wearing VERY little...no more than a grass skirt. This is Disney marketing just trying way too hard to push a movie and it's associated characters merch and capitalize on Halloween WAY before the movie's release.

I imagine any child who chooses one of these Moana costumes is being strongly influenced by mom and dad...

I would have thought Judy Hopps and Nick Wilde would be the popular Disney costumes this year. Or Finding Dory.
 
I have not read the seven pages of responses yet, but here is my opinion. I have as much problem making a child look all tattooed up as I do this brown skin thing. Both are equally off-putting to me. I think dressing as this particular character is inappropriate for a CHILD. It would be like dressing a little kid up as Tarzan. Weird. These are big bulky men wearing VERY little...no more than a grass skirt. This is Disney marketing just trying way too hard to push a movie and it's associated characters merch and capitalize on Halloween WAY before the movie's release.

I imagine any child who chooses one of these Moana costumes is being strongly influenced by mom and dad...

I would have thought Judy Hopps and Nick Wilde would be the popular Disney costumes this year. Or Finding Dory.

But the bunnies or foxes might get offended...
 

That seems...racist.
I said problematic. Not out-right wrong. It's just ... weird. Sensitive. Something to think hard about. Problematic.

Those tattoos? Do they mean something important? They don't to me. I don't know if they do to Pacific Islanders; I don't have that cultural knowledge. Are there specific meanings behind them? Just like wearing a native headdress. To you, it's a costume; to a native, it means something specific.
 
It's a costume. The point is to be something you're not. Otherwise it's not a costume. It's just.... you.
 
Cultural appropriation is was explained to me as when an oppressive race takes on aspects of a culture it oppresses or has oppressed without understanding the whole culture. Sort of cherry picking the good and fun parts without doing something about the oppression. When someone from an oppressed culture takes on aspects of their oppressors it's assimilation and a survival tool, that's why it's acceptable for an African American girl to be Elsa (Assimilation), but not a Caucasian girl to be Tiana (Appropriation). I personally distinguish the intent behind a costume. Tiana and Elsa are made up characters so I don't really find anything wrong with anyone of any race dressing as those characters. I think where a line is crossed is when you do face or body paint, but just wearing Tiana's dress is just wearing a green dress. I'd have a whole different feeling if a Caucasian person dressed as a slave from the antebellum south for Halloween whether they painted their face or not as that is someone from a race that oppressed another and is , in a sense , mocking a dark time in our history, and yet, if an African American wanted to play a Southern Belle from the Antebellum south it wouldn't bother me because I see it as assimilation to fit into an oppressive culture. Right or wrong these are my feelings I don't claim to always be logical and reserve the right to change them at any time.

I admit that sometimes I get frustrated with the cry of 'Cultural Appropriation!' mostly because I don't like being told what I can and can't do. I get over it though. I am a flawed human being and it's part of the process of making myself a better person to see things from other points of view, even if I'm not always the quickest at it.

I Cosplay Wonder Woman at comic book conventions, I am Caucasian and the character is a traditionally Caucasian female, but I have seen many African American, Asian and Hispanic Wonder Women and no one cares. There was however a big stink a few years back when a white girl chose to cosplay as Michonne from 'The Walking Dead', who is an African American Character. The cosplayer did do blackface so I get the outrage. I wish she had done the character without the blackface so I could see if the outrage is the same. Storm from X-men is one of my favorite comic book characters ever. She is drawn as a light skinned African American character. Could I cosplay her? Probably, she's drawn light skinned enough that some people wouldn't probably even notice I wasn't the correct race. Will I Play her? Probably not, there are plenty of Caucasian characters I can pick from without offending anyone and I'm just not ready to deal with the backlash that could potentially occur. So I'll just admire the African American and braver than I Caucasians who choose to play her and continue to play Wonder Woman.
 
Reading the above just gave me a headache. This is just so not my world/life...
 
Cultural appropriation is was explained to me as when an oppressive race takes on aspects of a culture it oppresses or has oppressed without understanding the whole culture. Sort of cherry picking the good and fun parts without doing something about the oppression. When someone from an oppressed culture takes on aspects of their oppressors it's assimilation and a survival tool, that's why it's acceptable for an African American girl to be Elsa (Assimilation), but not a Caucasian girl to be Tiana (Appropriation). I personally distinguish the intent behind a costume. Tiana and Elsa are made up characters so I don't really find anything wrong with anyone of any race dressing as those characters. I think where a line is crossed is when you do face or body paint, but just wearing Tiana's dress is just wearing a green dress. I'd have a whole different feeling if a Caucasian person dressed as a slave from the antebellum south for Halloween whether they painted their face or not as that is someone from a race that oppressed another and is , in a sense , mocking a dark time in our history, and yet, if an African American wanted to play a Southern Belle from the Antebellum south it wouldn't bother me because I see it as assimilation to fit into an oppressive culture. Right or wrong these are my feelings I don't claim to always be logical and reserve the right to change them at any time.

I think the only thing missing from this, is room for cultural appreciation. As you state, cultural appropriation is taking aspects of an oppressed culture without understanding the whole culture. The way to fix that, is to make genuine efforts to learn about that culture and find ways to express appreciation with sensitivity.
Of course, no culture is monolithic -- you will always have members who may find offense and others who do not, making it tricky. But I think most of the time when there is an honest effort to learn and engage, not just hijack the fun parts, people are appreciative of a dominant cultures desire to learn.
I'm not sure where this costume falls on that spectrum, just speaking generally. The costume is part of a movie franchise, so I think the real question is, did Disney do a good job of telling the story of this Polynesian myth? And I don't know enough about either the film or that culture to have an opinion.
 
I just don't like the costume. Doesn't really have much to do with the race thing, but from what I've seen of this character, he's not my favorite (still excited for the film though). Just a personal impression and really has nothing to do with all the controversy that has surrounded him.

I'll just add that it's one thing to put your kid in this costume, but it's another to paint your white daughter's face black when she puts on a Tiana costume. You can't ignore the history. It's really hard to make a convincing argument why that would be or ever be necessary. I just don't think it's a white person's place to say when that would be appropriate.

People are also very sensitive right now. Race relations are tense right now to say the least for a variety of reasons (don't quote this post and try to blame one side or the other), so I think, at the very least, we should be mindful and considerate of all viewpoints. I might not agree that this costume is offensive, but ultimately, I'm not of Polynesian descent, so instead of saying those who disagree with me are "overreacting" or are being "too sensitive," I'll simply just say I respectfully disagree. I wish people would have that attitude again.
 
And I think that's a ridiculous double standard! How can you overcome separation with more separation?

I do agree with you about it being a double standard. What I posted is just the definition and example I was given when I asked. I am fortunate enough to have a large circle of friends and co-workers from many cultures and backgrounds. The majority don't cry 'cultural appropriation' at every little white girl dressed as Mulan. The majority understand it's just a kid enjoying their favorite Disney character and don't read racist intent into someone from one culture enjoying some aspect of another. I think it's really an outspoken few who we hear the most objections from. Still, I think it's important to listen to what they are saying and understand where they are coming from, whether or not I agree fully with them or whether or not I choose to do anything about it.
 
I think the only thing missing from this, is room for cultural appreciation. As you state, cultural appropriation is taking aspects of an oppressed culture without understanding the whole culture. The way to fix that, is to make genuine efforts to learn about that culture and find ways to express appreciation with sensitivity.
Of course, no culture is monolithic -- you will always have members who may find offense and others who do not, making it tricky. But I think most of the time when there is an honest effort to learn and engage, not just hijack the fun parts, people are appreciative of a dominant cultures desire to learn.
I'm not sure where this costume falls on that spectrum, just speaking generally. The costume is part of a movie franchise, so I think the real question is, did Disney do a good job of telling the story of this Polynesian myth? And I don't know enough about either the film or that culture to have an opinion.


Given that it's Disney, I'm going to guess the movie is not terribly accurate or respectful. I'm basing that on not only the trailer but also their track record. Song of the South, Pochahontas, heck, even Mulan. I also feel that that the costume was in rather poor taste, given the current cultural climate. Indigenous history (not a happy topic), African American history (even less so), religious reasons (if the tattoos have sacred meaning relevant to current practitioners). Every reason for Disney's marketing team to NOT go there. And they don't have a good reason to do so, either, because no one has seen the movie so there is totally artificial demand.

On the other hand...I don't really care for the cultural appropriation argument. It's not black face, and hasn't got the same intent/meaning. It's not clear to me if Maui is a mythical character or a deity- and if he is the latter, someone who does consider those tattoos sacred has every right to to be offended. I'm offended by promiscuous nun costumes or priest or Jesus costumes. But banning people from selling or wearing them is laughable and futile. Beyond that, I have absolutely no idea where you draw the line about cultural appropriation. The US is a melting pot. In a lot of ways, there is now a global culture. I'm not sure if there's a difference between a Japanese man wearing lederhosen to Oktoberfest in Illinois and a blonde, Caucasian teenager wearing a kimono to an anime con in Seattle. And I ate butter chicken tonight. Is that cultural appropriation? Does it make a difference who made it? Does it matter that I have never been to India? Does the fact I chose to eat that over Mexican food have a deeper meaning?

Now, if you really want to make your head explode, go read about Marc Jacobs and his runway, pastel (fake, wool) dreadlocks. It's even more absurd than Disney's Maui costume. And it's a lot more relevant in terms of US culture and politics, at least.
 
So, this is A-OK...

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But this isn't...

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Sorry, kiddos. You're only allowed white skin colours in your costuming. Dark skin colours are shameful and must be avoided at all costs, not paraded around with pride.

The best way to deal with racism is to ignore dark skin and pretend it doesn't exist. You know, like we politely ignore any other embarrassing affliction. :crazy2:

I understand why Disney decided to yank the costume, but I'm very disappointed in the people who forced their hand.
 
The whole "Cultural Appropriation" segment of the Internet Outrage Culture is out of control. Earlier this week Bon Appetit was cowed into taking down a video on their web site of a chef explaining how to eat the popular Vietnamese dish "Pho." There was one small problem in the eyes of the Internet Outrage crowd... the Chef's skin color. A white guy trying to education people about a Vietnamese dish was intolerable since is was clearly a "cultural appropriation."
 
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The whole "Cultural Appropriation" segment of the Internet Outrage Culture is out of control. Earlier this week Bon Appetit was cowed into taking down a video on their web site of a chef explaining how to eat the popular Vietnamese dish "Pho." There was one small problem in the eyes of the Internal Outrage crowd... the Chef's skin color. A white guy trying to education people about a Vietnamese dish was intolerable since is was clearly a "cultural appropriation."

Like so many things, the internet has taken a valid sociological principle, twisted it out of proportion and removed all context, to stoke false outrage and self righteousness.
Which is a darn shame, because the extremes really make it hard to have a good conversation about otherwise valid principles.
 



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