Maybe Don't Dress Your Kid Up As Moana This Halloween?

[oberliner]

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. Chances are, you have a child that is enamored with all things Disney and wants to be all of the princesses. All of them! Especially Moana.

The New York Post recently highlighted an article on raceconscious.org 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. Needless to say, the Post's coverage has only amplified the debate around what does, and doesn't, constitute cultural appropriation. Last year, Disney came under fire for its Maui costume, which depicted the demigod's painted brown skin. 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.

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. 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. Though Feris puzzles over how one might wear a Moana costume respectfully, she ultimately decides it just isn't a good idea.

At this point, you might be saying something like: "But, I dressed up as Jasmine as a child, and I'm not a racist!", or, "It's just a Halloween costume, please chill the f*ck out." But one of the best things about time is that it moves forward. You should too. You can (and should) strive to be better than you were 10, 20, or 30 years ago. If you missed the mark when you were younger, maybe think about using this Halloween as an opportunity to teach your kids about the importance of cultural sensitivity. If your child's dream costume feels questionable, don't just throw up your hands and hand over your credit card. You're the parent here, and the onus of what your child wears falls on you. If your kid wears a racist costume … you're kind of wearing it too.

http://www.cosmopolitan.com/lifestyle/a13069023/moana-halloween-costume-racist/?src=socialflowTW

[cwydro]

1. When I was a kid I had a skeleton costume one year.

Another year, mom made me a clown costume. Sis and I were both witches one year. I was a pumpkin another year.

Never had these issues back in the day. Never cared to dress as a Disney character. All I remember from those days would be Mickey or Donald, but I had no wish to dress like them.

I’m so glad I was a kid then.

[oberliner]

3. Did you ever wear Halloween costumes that would be considered culturally insensitive today?

If not, do you remember seeing others who did?

[Demsrule86]

15. Yes, once I dressed up as a 'bum'...my Mom called it a hobo costume and once as a very

sexy flapper...I was a teen. If you think about it a witch is petty bad too. How many innocent women were tortured for the imaginary crime of being a witch? We trick or treated until we went to college! Everyone did. And none of this four -six shit either. We went out at dark and stayed out...people who didn't want to give out candy turned their lights off...and our town had epic toilet paper, eggs (left under the bed for a couple of weeks to attain full ripeness) and shaving cream fights. We didn't put them on houses are cars. My Dad would have...I don't know what he would have done...too scared to find out! The next morning the whole town was strung with toilet paper. I lived in Ridgefield Connecticut during middle school and high school and still remember the neighborhood battles...Mimosa vs Twixt Hills was epic.

[MontanaMama]

103. I get the witch thing...

but I dress up as a witch every single year. I have a huge Halloween display in the front yard to lure the neighborhood kiddos to my house where I give out full size candy bars, bags of Cheetos or Pirates Booty. Mini-bottles of various alcoholic beverages for the parents with little tags on them that say "I'm just here for the Boos." Nothing makes me happier than kiddos running it wide open all evening long on Halloween. Best holiday...IMO.

[Demsrule86]

111. I know I have a witch costume too...it is a kid's holiday...we should lighten up!

[MontanaMama]

113. Totally agree.

I will say that I find it odd how many kiddos (including mine) who seem to want to dress up as specific character, like Pennywise or Darth Vader. When I was a kid, we dressed up as something more generic - a gypsy, a witch, a belly dancer...we made our costumes too. My child would NEVER consider making a costume. He's a nightmare that way. It has to be an exact representation of whatever the thing is.

[LoveMyCali]

135. I have been told dressing as a belly dancer is insensitive

and I AM a belly dancer. I think everyone just needs to calm down, it's just Halloween. BTW, I'm going to be a belly dancing witch this year.

[MontanaMama]

136. Woohoo!

You're a real belly dancer?? I've been fascinated with your craft for forever. Very cool, IMO. A belly dancing witch should be especially delicious!!! Yay belly dancers and yay witches!!

[LoveMyCali]

149. Yup, an honest to goodness belly dancer

Granted no one is going to think I'm a belly dancer that you would see in a James Bond movie. I never even took a class until I was in my 40's but now dance with two troupes and have danced with veils and swords. It's a blast, I love it!

[EllieBC]

137. What do they say when you tell them you are a belly dancer?

Are you not allowed to be one???

I too am fascinated with it. I lack the confidence to take classes though.

[LoveMyCali]

148. Some say that white women shouldn't belly dance because it's cultural appropriation

but belly dancing was started by women for women partially to help make child birth easier, it's great for strengthening your core. There are also so many styles now, I have one teacher that likes to stick to Egyptian style and another who likes Tribal Fusion which has a little bit of everything even hip hop thrown in. The only time I mind when people comment on me being a belly dancer is when they confuse belly dancers with strippers. Not the same thing at all.

I started out with a community group and never had any intention of dancing in public but our little community group started dancing at fundraisers for cancer awareness like Making Strides for Cancer and Relay for Life. Now I also dance with a performance group and have danced in a theater of over 300 people and also at the state fair.

Belly dancing does wonders as far as improving your confidence and body image. There's so much camaraderie among dancers even from different troupes. I used to say I belly dance, now I say I'm a belly dancer. Give it a try, I bet you'll love it.

[ProfessorGAC]

38. I'd Say Yes

One year i dressed as a very rich Arab sheik. Probably wouldn't be cool today.

[cwydro]

62. Not that I recall.

Halloween was fun in those days.

[Blue_Adept]

65. It's fun these days too

but there are always those that are trying to rile things up. Some of it justified, a lot of it not.

[cwydro]

66. Youre right about that.

I guess grinches come around for all the holidays now, not just Christmas lol!

[Blue_Adept]

68. Like I said elsewhere, this is "our" version of the war on christmas

[cwydro]

72. Spot on.

Smh.

[snooper2]

69. I was dressed as a pigmy hunter one year

Even made my own bow & arrow

[Texasgal]

140. One year back in the 70's

as a child I dressed up like a Geisha! I loved that costume and won the neighborhood costume contest... My Mom and I put hours and hours into that costume.. I was a kid that enjoyed dressing up for halloween. Not a racist.

[Buns_of_Fire]

2. For those wondering, this is Moana:

[oberliner]

4. Biggest Disney animated movie of 2016

In terms of box office.

[Orrex]

26. Maybe only Polynesian kids should be allowed to see it, then.

I have a friend whose young son loves the Wicked Witch of the West and is dressing as her for Halloween, complete with green face. Maybe he shouldn't be allowed, because he's a privileged male?

[Hekate]

123. Looking good. I didn't tell my blue eyed great-niece she could not have a Moana doll for her b'day

...and I'm sure not going to be the killjoy who says she shouldn't dress up as Moana on Halloween if that's what she wants.

[grossproffit]

5. Nonsense!

[oberliner]

6. "my culture is not a costume"

Seems like a reasonable point.

[Loki Liesmith]

12. All culture is a costume

And no one owns a culture.

[whistler162]

13. Mine appears to be and I don't sweat it!

[petronius]

134. I was totally just about to take that guy to task, but I'm too busy berating the mom

of a five year old. But I promise, just as soon as I've dealt with all the moms and little girls, I'll definitely settle that dude's hash...

[grossproffit]

14. Nonsense. Children wear costumes to honor characters, not disparage or belittle them.

There's a difference.

[Orrex]

27. I agree

These aren't idiot racist fuckhead frat or sorority assholes donning blackface for hell week.

These are children loving a character.

[whathehell]

105. Exactly...

This is as stupid as insisting Santa Claus is white.

[Adrahil]

83. But dressing up as a particular individual is not the same...

... as simply dressing up as just a generic member of a culture.

If young people admire Moana, then why not dress like her?

[pnwmom]

151. Moana isn't a "culture." She's a fictional character who children of all colors love. n/t

[Demsrule86]

16. I actually think it is good that kids see beyond color and want to dress up as a dark skinned

Disney princess. It gives me hope for the next generation.

[grossproffit]

23. It is. They're honoring the character(s) these characters, not making fun of them.

[Demsrule86]

30. They love her...I have several youngins in my family...no grandkids yet sadly...my oldest just got

out of college so I guess patience is in order...that and maybe a marriage hah. But I have had a request to make a costume so I watched the movie...very cute. And I am making the costume...this little one lives in Georgia by the way.

[pnwmom]

152. Me, too. They're not mocking her. They're wanting to BE her. n/t

[bearsfootball516]

7. This is ridiculous

If your kid wants to be Moana for Halloween, then they can be Moana.

[Blue_true]

56. I agree.

I respect people's culture, but if a kid wants to dress up as another race or ethnic group because the kid admire things about the culture that he or she wants to dress up as, I see positives in that and a chance for teaching moments.

[Dorian Gray]

8. This is a truly sincere question here....

But Is it racist to dress as a princess without changing your skin color? I mean, kids LOVE moana. They don't understand racism. Isn't it a little racist NOT to dress as her because she's not a white princess?

We went on a disney cruise, and my daughter wore her Tiana nightgown to Tiana's place for dinner. No, she never in a million years considered changing her skin color to look like Tiana. But she LOVES Tiana. And she wanted to wear her dress. But that nightgown looks like a dress. It's not costumey.

So is dressing as Moana worse? Or did I make a mistake in allowing my daughter to wear the Tiana dress?

[oberliner]

9. The article addresses Tiana also

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. White girls have plenty of princesses to choose from — there's Belle, Ariel, Snow White, Sleeping Beauty … you get the idea. 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.

[Dorian Gray]

11. I read that

It makes me think, of course.

But let me say the following (which maybe a bit long winded, but it's a real question. I want to think this through out loud.)

When Frozen was all the rage, hundreds of kids descended upon my neighborhood dressed as anna and elsa for halloween. I live in Brooklyn, so there is a mixed ethnic background in my neighborhood. Plenty of little Elsa's were not caucasian. She spoke to people of other backgrounds. Southeast Asian/African American/etc kids wore the dresses. On Halloween or just on a regular day because they loved her.

Wouldn't it be empowering for a culture to see that Tiana or Moana were beloved amongst the entire population as Elsa was? That kids everywhere want to emulate them and love them?

Or is that completely wrong thinking. We should leave them for Hawaiian or African American girls to emulate?

[oberliner]

20. That is an interesting question

I do understand where you are coming from.

I think it would be good to hear from someone from that culture to get a sense of their perspective on the subject.

Of course there will be a multitude of different opinions, but it's worth exploring the question.

[Dorian Gray]

132. I think you're right...

I would love to hear from people of Pacific Islander background about Moana costumes and what they think about little kids of all background embracing it for halloween.

[treestar]

116. I think the problem is in assuming it is meant to

"make fun" of those cultures. Which is a sad place to be coming from, especially when you are talking about little girls.

A lack of self esteem. Instead of being proud of the culture, and that people outside it are interested. And it is teaching the white kid that they are to be excluded from that culture, which could have the effect of teaching the white kid that in turn, their white culture is to exclude the nonwhite people.

These are just kids and they can't figure out "cultural appropriation" (a ridiculous thing to attempt to ban, as it happens constantly and always has). And they have no intent to "make fun" of the other culture.

[Dorian Gray]

133. That's my sense

too, but I also wanted to invite conversation about whether I wasn't seeing the full picture.

[snooper2]

70. Interesting you can't see who authored this stupid piece, just says redbook editors

[oberliner]

74. Meredith Rollins is the editor in chief of Redbook

Although chief might no longer be an appropriate term.

[Blue_Adept]

78. Why would it no longer be appropriate?

Origin

Middle English: from Old French chief, chef, based on Latin caput ‘head.’

chief (adj.)
c. 1300, "highest in rank or power; most important or prominent; supreme, best," from Old French chief "chief, principal, first" (10c., Modern French chef), from Vulgar Latin *capum (also source of Spanish and Portuguese cabo, Italian capo, Provençal cap), from Latin caput "head," also "leader, guide, chief person; summit; capital city" (from PIE root *kaput- "head&quot .
chief (n.)
c. 1300, "head, leader, captain; the principal or most important part of anything;" from Old French chief "leader, ruler, head" of something, "capital city" (10c., Modern French chef), from Vulgar Latin *capum, from Latin caput "head," also "leader, chief person; summit; capital city" (from PIE root *kaput- "head&quot . Meaning "head of a clan" is from 1570s; later extended to American Indian tribes. Commander-in-chief attested from 1660s.

[oberliner]

172. I was trying to be facetious

Given the nature of the article.

[pnwmom]

153. The error in this argument is that the more little white children who fall in love with characters

of color -- to the extent of wanting to BE them -- the fewer racist assholes there will be in the future.

[alphafemale]

10. There is no brown skin to the costume.

Look it up please.

[oberliner]

19. Yes, there is

At least in the initial version.

‘Brown skin is not a costume’: Disney takes heat for ‘Moana’ Halloween costume

Over the weekend, Disney did something it often does: It released a new Halloween costume on its online store.

But, unlike its Buzz Lightyear spacesuit, Elsa princess gown or Mickey Mouse bodysuit, this costume depicted actual skin — brown skin covered in tribal tattoos, to be specific.

The costume is that of Maui, a demigod in Polynesian mythology who has been animated and voiced by Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson as a character in Disney’s upcoming “Moana.” Although Disney has featured brown-skinned people in its films before — “Pocahontas” comes to mind — it has not released a costume in which said brown skin itself is depicted as part of the outfit.

The costume’s description reads, “Your little one will set off on adventures in this Maui Costume featuring the demigod’s signature tattoos, rope necklace and island-style skirt. Plus, padded arms and legs for mighty stature!”

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/morning-mix/wp/2016/09/20/brown-skin-is-not-a-costume-disney-takes-heat-for-moana-halloween-costume/?utm_term=.2329b99c7f41

[Captain Stern]

36. They are talking about two entirely different costumes.

The costume with the brown skin, tattoos, and fake muscles, is a costume of MAUI....a male character in the movie.

The author of the article is objecting to girls dressing as MOANA. The Moana costume never came with any brown skin.

[oberliner]

47. Thanks for adding that

I appreciate the clarification and apologize for the conflation.

[alphafemale]

110. OK. Understood.

That is not appropriate.

The tattoos could have been printed on sheer fabric and been fine.

A stretch fabric that was somewhat form fitting would have made those tattoos look great.

[Blue_Adept]

17. Better stop all those non-white people from dressing up as wonder woman too

[oberliner]

18. Non-white people don't have white privilege

Which is what this article is addressing (in part).

[Loki Liesmith]

21. That only matters if you accept

A convenient redefinition of racism. Most don’t.

[tonedevil]

94. Most are of the...

dominant class.

[Blue_Adept]

22. Yes. but I'm white and I'm offended by it

And my opinion is just as valid.

[oberliner]

48. Everyone's opinion is valid

I just think that the argument made by the article is with respect to white people, not non-white people.

[Adrahil]

84. On the other hand....

I don't see how admiring a character of another culture and wishing to emulate them is appropriation.

I mean, we are not talking about girls (or boys for that matter) dressing up as "hula girls," which would be appropriation in my view. We're talking about a specific character.

If white people are told they can never identify with non-white characters, how does that advance the goal of countering white supremacy?

[oberliner]

91. Reasonable points

I appreciate you sharing them. A lot to consider, to be sure.

[whathehell]

107. Thank you..

Excellent point.

[treestar]

119. Exactly. Let them look up to a black person/character

and you have the makings of advancement.

[whathehell]

106. Oh please...Women and girls don't have male privilege either

Does that mean we should discourage boys and men from wearing drag or any "girl" costume,?...Intersectionality -- You could go on endlessly.

[phylny]

24. I understand the sentiment behind the article, but in the age where an African-American performer

can portray George Washington on Broadway (not to mention people of color portraying Alexander Hamilton, James Monroe, and Thomas Jefferson - edited to add, I saw the show and having people of color portray the founding fathers and mothers is a very GOOD thing, I think), if my white child was so excited about a costume that they didn't see they were the "wrong" color for the character, I'd consider it a success. Not, "No, I can't be Tiana, I'm white!" but "Look, I'm TIANA!"

[obamanut2012]

31. Exactly this -- I'll even go further

It is a celebration that a child wants to portray a brave, resourceful girl with a realistic body shape, who is from a now-marginalized group. Maori leaders and academics are loving this! All main characters are either Maori or other Pacific Islander heritage. There is a 100% Maori version of teh audio and soundtrack. Kids are becoming interested in Maori culture because of Moana, ESPECIALLY KIDS WITH MAORI HERITAGE.

Moana is a Disney Princess, but is so much more than that, just like Wonder Woman. She is a role model.

This is all so ridiculous.

[oberliner]

49. Can you see why someone would feel insulted by it?

The idea that a white person is wearing as a Halloween costume something that is culturally meaningful to a non-white person?

[obamanut2012]

59. No, there is no reason for anyone to be insulted by this

The reality is literally THE EXACT OPPOSITE OF THE STUPID ARTICLE.

This is a good thing, for white children to ID with POC and non-white cultures.

[Adrahil]

85. In this case? I can't. Here's why...

Appropriation isn't just about wearing culturally meaningful symbols or clothing, or whatever. Appropriation is about CLAIMING those things and imbuing them with a meaning that serves the appropriating culture.

Admiring a character from another culture and dressing as them is not appropriation, in general.

[phylny]

120. I honestly can't.

I can see how someone would feel insulted by Rachel Dolezal, the woman who was white but pretended to be African American. That's insulting. I can see how it would be insulting for someone to mock a culture or race. But little kids pretending to be a Disney character because they love them is as innocuous as a white kid wearing a LeBron James jersey. They admire someone/something and it makes them happy to wear it/pretend.

[mainer]

167. No. And I'm not white.

I'm Asian and as a kid, I dressed up as Lt. Uhura because I loved her on Star Trek. Imagine that, admiring a non-white character so much you want to be just like her.

[oberliner]

168. Fair enough

I thought the article raised interesting points, but I see that most folks here don't agree. I am not sure how I feel about the issue. I just found the situation worth considering.

[Merlot]

73. Agreed!

I think kids dressing up as who ever they want is a good thing, makes it less of an issue.

Now, the costume with the actual skin and tattoos, that's kinda weird. But the grass skirt, I can't see that as an issue.

[Bettie]

102. The skin and tattoos probably

went with the large fake muscles as few seven year olds would have the physique (or the tattoos) of the character.

A lot of kids' costumes are full body suits these days and made to fit tight.

Which reminds me that instead of fooling around on the internets, I should be making the clone trooper costume my youngest boy (9) wants.

[WinkyDink]

25. Stop the MADNESS! Will Americans next be restricted in their restaurants of choice?! Is segregation

going to make a comeback as a request of the Minority?

We do NOT have to give any credence to even the TERM "cultural insensitivity"!

P. S. David Suchet isn't really Belgian. Lawrence Olivier wasn't a Moor or a Dane. Go ahead; it's a fun game.

[obamanut2012]

28. Ridiculous article

Should anyone wear "brownface" to be Maui or Moana? Absolutely not. But, Maori leaders and academics have said this is the best thing for Maori culture/language, etc. ever, even though there was a small blip for Whalerider. All the major characters are at least part Pacific Islander heritage, many, like Rachel House (also in Whalerider), are Maori. They have recorded a complete audio and musical soundtrack in Maori for Moana.

Seeing children dress up to celebrate a brave, resourceful girl (WHO HAS A REALISTIC BODY SHAPE) from a now-marginalized group of people is wonderful, and it's also an educational moment. It makes children -- and adults -- learn more about the Maori than the All Blacks haka.

Ridiculous article, as is your defense of it, although that is no surprise.

[Blue_Adept]

33. Co-sign!

[obamanut2012]

34. Thanks!!!

[demmiblue]

39. I also agree.

Little girls should be able to dress up as the strong characters who inspire them (sans black/brownface).

Whale Rider is a wonderful movie; I need find my DVD to watch it again!

[Blue_Adept]

43. Yep - if you're not altering your skin color for it then you're fine

Well, if you're altering it to be a green martian or a blue avatar alien, that's fine.

[obamanut2012]

60. I watch it at least a few times a year -- so great!

And, love seeing Rachel House in so many big movies now (she played Shilo in WR).

[oberliner]

46. Thank you for sharing your perspective

You make some very strong points.

[oberliner]

51. How to dress your Pākehā child up as Maui or Moana without appropriating Pasifika culture

#2 – Do not dress your child in Polynesian cultural attire or draw on tattoos

Do you understand the cultural significance of a Puletasi, Ta’ovala, Masi, Tabua, Salusalu, Lei, Valatao, Kiekie? No. OK then don’t wear them. It’s a slap in the face taking something so deeply loaded with cultural significance, chucking it on your child and letting them run around, jump in mud, and rip it to pieces. Our people have deep spiritual connections (even if they don’t understand them all of the time) with our cultural attire. Using it as a dress up costume for a fun party is not OK.

Tatau? Just don’t. Don’t attempt to draw a Taulima, Pe’a, Malu or Ta Moko tatau (tattoo). These too have deep cultural significance and are not up for grabs in the world of costume. Tatau have specific meanings dependent on specific patterns and these date back thousands of years to when our ancestors didn’t have a written language but had tatau and oral traditions. It is not OK to use something that our ancestors created as your entertainment.

https://thespinoff.co.nz/parenting/01-02-2017/how-to-dress-your-pakeha-child-up-as-maui-or-moana-without-appropriating-pasifika-culture/

[sl8]

82. Good article.

Along with explaining a bit about Polynesian culture & cultural appropriation in general, the author gives parents some practical advice for parents helping their kids emulate their favorite movie characters, without disrespecting the culture.

...
#3 – It is OK to dress your child up in an official Disney/Warehouse/K-Mart/any other unofficial knock off Moana or Maui costume – minus the face paint, stick-on tattoos, and brown skin coloured bodysuit

...

#4 – Do it yourself! Make your own costume and keep it simple

...

So I think it’s a good idea to teach your children how to respect different cultures and explain to them that whilst it may only be a store bought costume, it is important to be respectful and understanding of where the costume comes from. You could show them the Pacific on a map or look at some pictures online of traditional Polynesian attire. You could learn how to say hello in different Pacific languages together. Use it as an educational tool while also having fun with it.

Moana and Maui are characters in a Disney movie that our children absolutely adore, so it is only natural that like every other Disney character, they want to dress up as them. It is fine to let them do this – minus the body paint, tattoos, brown skin-coloured body suit and legitimate cultural attire.

...

[Hekate]

177. If you live in New Zealand and are Pakeha, very appropriate advice. Otherwise...

[cwydro]

63. Yes.

[GulfCoast66]

67. Thanks

You saved me a bunch of typing.

Totally agree

[Crabby Appleton]

71. Agree completely. nt

[FSogol]

79. Well said. I'm glad that all the real challenges with racism & civil rights have been taken care of,

so we have plenty of time to scold children and parents about Halloween costumes.

[Hekate]

139. What you said, obamanut2012. Excellent post. nt

[Buns_of_Fire]

29. I see this as excellent practice for the upcoming War on Christmas.

For Halloween, the safest thing to do is probably to dress up like a zombie. I don't think they have a group representing them yet.

[ExciteBike66]

55. Funny thing is there was an article a few days ago about how "zombies" reflect white people's

views of black people (in the context of The Walking Dead, at least).


http://www.theroot.com/a-black-persons-guide-to-the-walking-dead-1819751001

[jmowreader]

101. If you do that, you know what'll happen

It'll be like that episode of South Park where every kid in class dressed as Chewbacca.

Last Friday I took a friend to Goodwill so she could look for stuff to sell in her eBay store, and while waiting I looked at all the little cards they posted around showing how you could transform ordinary items in the store into Halloween costumes, each card featuring two different characters. All the cards had "zombie" as one of the characters. If you owned a special-effects makeup set you could get filthy rich turning people into zombies at $20 a head.

This year I'm going to dress up as an offset printer, which is how I dress every year because I'm always at work on Halloween.

[Not Ruth]

32. And do not dress up your white guys for Hellboy

I assume that this character will see some culturally inappropriate cosplay in the future.

http://entertainment.inquirer.net/247009/daniel-dae-kim-takes-whitewashed-role

[Orrex]

37. Can I dress up as Daniel Dae Kim, though?

He's a very handsome fellow.

[Not Ruth]

42. I just got tickets for the new Harry Potter play

They are using 6 members of the original London cast.....including WOC Hermione!

Apparently Hermione was very brown in the books and Emma Watson went Trump on her.

Cultural misappropriation is everywhere.

https://scifi.stackexchange.com/questions/105467/what-is-hermione-grangers-ethnicity

[Orrex]

45. Maybe, maybe not.

Rowling has made a number of interesting but inconclusive statements about Hermione's ethnicity, but the books don't explicitly confirm it one way or the other. If JKR is satisfied with the casting of Emma Roberts in the films, then the discussion is over.

Beyond that, I'm not sure that casting a white actress in the role of an ambiguously described "very brown" character really qualifies as "cultural misappropriation." There are far better examples to cite in support of such claims.

[crazycatlady]

50. The actress is Emma Watson

[Orrex]

53. Doh! All those Emmas look alike to me.

You're right, of course. Apologies to Ms. Watson.

I blame American Horror Story.

[Hekate]

143. Hermione was "very brown" in the books? Really? I remember that her distinguishing feature...

...was an unruly mass of "bushy" brown hair. I had that when I was an adolescent, too, and I am of Irish descent. Nothing in the way of clues about race.

One of Rowling's gifts as a writer and as a human being is how she encourages readers to have a fluidity of interpretation of her characters. She encourages her readers to see themselves in the story. She does not tell all she knows, or saves it for the opportune time. Who knew Albus Dumbledore was gay? Until Jo Rowling mentioned it.

When the play came out and she was questioned about the casting, her response was why shouldn't there be a black Hermione?

If all you know about the text of the original books is something someone told you, I suggest you read at least the first one. Harry has coarse black hair and bright green eyes. Ron, like all the Weasleys, has bright red hair and freckles.

I recently read a very interesting and thoughtful essay on Mugglenet, in which a Potter fan with an Indian name talked about the sheer joy and sense of liberation he was feeling at some of the fanfic and fan illustrations depicting Harry as biracial, Indian and English. The fans were reading themselves into the story. Who knows? Jo Rowling isn't saying.

[Hekate]

145. Just what the hell do you mean by saying "Emma Watson went Trump on her"?

Just what the hell kind of statement is that?

You have not read the books. Apparently you have not seen the movies either. So let me clue you in: the young people in the Harry Potter movies were children when they started. They were all about 10 or 11 years old, for gods' sake.

What does that even mean to say that the 11 year old Emma Watson "went all Trump"?

Kee-rist

[Not Ruth]

160. about 10 or 11 years old, for gods' sake

Much like Moana

[Hekate]

176. Gee, two fictional little girls, one a witch of indeterminate race, and the other Polynesian/Maori

One rides a broomstick and uses a wand, and the other sasses back to a demigod. As far as I'm concerned they are both role models for all little girls, as they are both smart, very brave, and unstoppable, and neither of them is artificially physically perfect or skinny.

You are ruth-less in pursuing this nonsense through the lens of racial grievance. Just read the book and get back to us with your critique of the student body of Hogwarts (Spoiler alert: like modern London, it reflects the peoples of the former Empire). Get back to us when you find something to be outraged about. I'm sure you'll find something.

[RelativelyJones]

155. "Went Trump on her"??????

Please explain...

[Not Ruth]

158. White privilege, whitewashing

[RelativelyJones]

162. Overuse of these words for silly things makes them meanibgless

[Jose Garcia]

35. I was at Walt Disney World last weekend

There were a lot of little girls dressed as Anna and Elsa from the movie Frozen. Many of these little girls were not white.

How about we let little girls be little girls?

[tymorial]

40. This is ridiculous

This type of shit just feeds the alt-right. So apparently all of those kids who dressed as Jasmine (for fucking years) were being racially insensitive? Give me a god damned break.

[obamanut2012]

58. +1

[oberliner]

90. Have you seen Aladdin?

If so, do you find anything about that film to be offensive?

[B2G]

99. Well the Genie was pretty obnoxious. nt

[oberliner]

173. Some folks thought the opening song had some offensive lyrics

I remember there being some protest from Arab-American groups.

[X_Digger]

41. Oh FFS, not this shit again. n/t

[Blue_Adept]

44. it's like our version of the war on christmas

some nuggets that should be talked about but the vast majority is a mountain of bullshit

[Nonhlanhla]

52. Oh nonsense

This isn't the same as blackface, which was clearly aimed at ridiculing people of color. If a child loved the Moana movie (it was a fun movie - we went to see it with our DD), and wants to dress like her, let them. Isn't it great if kids can see that not all princesses are white, and that non-Western dress isn't the only way to dress up and look nice?

My DD plays with black and Latina dolls too - is that also not allowed? Ironically, I've made a point of including darker-skinned dolls in her doll collection, specifically because I want her to see beauty in all its variety, and doll play is a good start for that. Same with dress-up.

[oberliner]

89. I think there is a reasonable point to consider

But I think your dissenting view is also a valid one.

I appreciate all the thoughtful comments from DUers about this topic on this thread.

[Proud Liberal Dem]

54. I'm a little confused about this

Kids have always been dressing up in all kinds of costumes ever since Halloween became an annual tradition and I don't understand why dressing up as a particular character from a Disney movie whom happens to be Polynesian counts as being racist? I hope that I'm not being racially/culturally insensitive about this, but I don't get it how/why some people are digging this hard into costuming decisions. Elsa is "white privilege"?

[oberliner]

88. It's not just this character

There have been a number of issues related to culturally insensitive Halloween costumes - at schools, in particular.

[B2G]

57. And little girls of color

Can't dress up as a white Disney princess I suppose.

I just lost 20 IQ points reading this tripe. I feel sorry for the author's kids.

[cwydro]

64. I agree.

This nonsense is why people laugh at our party.

[oberliner]

75. The article is about white privilege

It specifically and exclusively addresses white people, who, by definition, have white privilege. Not girls of color.

[Hekate]

138. +1

[Coventina]

61. Maybe don't dress your kid up as Tinker Bell this Halloween

The Fey are pretty pissed over that cultural appropriation as well!

And you really don't want the Fey pissed at you!

[FSogol]

77. Turn off your air conditioning, you are all appropriating my mechanical engineering culture.

[samnsara]

76. im not up to date on kid stuff but that sounds like a strippers name!

.....or a porn star.....

[petronius]

118. You're thinking of the 'adult' version of the costume (which I'm sure will be available shortly)

Last edited Wed Oct 25, 2017, 07:43 PM - Edit history (1)

[Thor_MN]

80. So, now we are going to have a war on Halloween?

I'd say let's just get rid of Holidays, but corporations would love to ditch any days off with pay.

[oberliner]

87. It's just something to think about

Obviously, people are free to do whatever they want, but it might at least get folks thinking about how such a costume could be problematic. Then they can make their decision accordingly.

[jberryhill]

161. Then they can make their decision

Who is “they” involved in “their” decision, if a little girl wants to dress up as a character she admires.

Or is the point to start them young to understand that as girls, they have no autonomy, and their personal choices in something as designed to be for their amusement must be subject to veto by someone else’s ideology?

[oberliner]

171. The parent who buys the costume

Since the young children, as you point out, don't really have the wherewithal to purchase their own costumes (or make one without outside assistance).

[TlalocW]

81. Kids at that age are too young to read anything into it. We should be happy...

That they're wanting to emulate the Moana character, who is has many admirable qualities.

And I know I'm speaking from White privilege, but when you see it go the opposite way (kids of color wanting to be Elsa), it's because they admire the character. White kids should be able to (and just should) admire characters of color.

Two of my favorite costumes for Halloween as a kid was Zorro, who I understood was Mexican, and Groucho Marx, who I knew was Jewish (I was a big fan of the Marx Brothers as a kid so I had read about them). They were chosen because I admired the characters... and my mom was tired of my going as Batman every year.

This shouldn't be our War on Halloween. Our War should be fought against those who insist on having Harvest Parties and Fall Festivals. Those religious zealots who will bother you while you're in your garage about their church having one of these that will consist of costumes, treat, games, hayrides, bonfires, etc. but they refuse to call it Halloween! I say enough! Who's with me?

TlalocW

[oberliner]

86. That's why the article is directed at the parents

Who understand things that the kids do not.

It doesn't have to be a war, but I think there are some legitimate points to consider.

[cwydro]

92. Can I be a pirate?

Is that ok?

[oberliner]

93. Anybody can be whatever they want

And other folks have a right to express why they find a particular costume to be insensitive. It seems like a worthwhile discussion at least to have. Take a moment to consider the other point of view, if even just to dismiss it, and then do whatever you feel is right. That would be my humble advice.

[SharonClark]

144. It sounds like people have taken a moment to think about it and concluded it is ridiculous.

[X_Digger]

125. How dare you appropriate ARRRRGH culture, matey! n/t

[cwydro]

127. lol!

Thank you!

[grossproffit]

129. Nope. Hoop earrings now fall under "cultural appropriation" and you can't be a pirate w/o one.

http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/fashion/hoop-earrings-cultural-appropriation-latina-ethnicity-race-white-women-fashion-a8004381.html

[cwydro]

131. lol!

Too funny!

[treestar]

122. How do they explain to the kid that

that can't go dressed as Moana?

[Coventina]

100. The "soft war" on Halloween by Christians is pretty funny, since Halloween is a Christian term.

Shortened from "All Hallows Eve," referring to the night before All Saints' Day.

If you really want to go pagan, you call it Samhain.

[TlalocW]

108. Yeah, I explained that to the high school kids giving me the pamphlet for their Harvest Festival

Asking them why they don't just call it Halloween, explaining the basic etymology of the word, and its Christian roots ad saying that it's not an evil, magical word. They actually misunderstood me when I first asked why they weren't calling it Halloween by proudly stating, "That's right, sir. We would never call it, 'Halloween.'" as if I were praising their stupidity.

What's fun is I'm a balloon twister/magician, normally for kids parties, festivals, etc. More twisting than magic, and I got my start when I lived in super-religious Tulsa. Around this time of year, I would be getting a lot of calls from churches to entertain at Harvest Parties, Fall Festivals, etc. A normal conversation would go like this:

Client: We were wondering if you had any availability to come to our church's Fall Festival on the 28th.
Me: Oh, I love Halloween parties. Let me check.
Client: Fall Festival.
Me: So what else are you planning on having at your Halloween party other than a balloon twister?
Client: Fall Festival. Oh, face-painting, we'll do trunk-or-treat in the parking lot, games, costume contests.
Me: Sounds like fun. Aaaaand, it looks like I am available on the date of your Halloween party.
Client: Fall Festival. Great, how do I book you?
Me: Just give me an address and a time you want me there, and you've booked me for your Fall Festival.
Client: Fall F.... *pause* Oh, okay. It's at...

I estimate doing that five or six times every year, and always getting them to start to say, "Fall Festival," that last time.

TlalocW

[Coventina]

109. Haha! That's awesome!

You're my hero!

[Mosby]

95. I guess little Clair and her dad are racists

[oberliner]

96. She does not appear to be wearing a Moana costume

Unless I am missing something.

The article specifically says that singing the songs is not a problem at all.

[Mosby]

97. I didnt read the article

The whole thing is stupid and if anything, the author is reinforcing stereotypes.

[JCanete]

98. I understand the bristling at cultural appropriation. There's a long history here, and there's a lot

of objectification and discarding of the people underneath, to say nothing of the profiting on the marketable aspects of those cultures, music, etc. which amounted often enough to outright thievery. that has left some deep scars.

That said, I wonder if this keeps us at arms length of each other. People adopt affects and speech patterns, etc. when they converse with one another. Getting into the other person's skin is a builder of empathy. If we constantly need to remind white people that they are not that other person and that they should not adopt any of their culture because that is appropriating, then aren't we reinforcing the otherness that white culture has itself reinforced for centuries? Aren't we keeping that rift from ever closing?

[Sen. Walter Sobchak]

104. I would love to see these guys attend the Halloween Party my firm hosts in London

They would be damaged for life.

Although whether they would have been more scarred by the six women from a bank who attended together as "Trump's Cabinet" and appropriated the likeness of Eastern European prostitutes and each described themselves as the "Secretary of (a different sex act)" or a black Canadian man who appropriated the likeness of John Bull and was being followed around all night by a white woman dressed as Angela Merkel dressed as the grim reaper.

[EllieBC]

126. Pearl clutching

Is a popular pastime. Here in Canada there's a healthy mix of the obscene and the pearl clutching. The US seems to be all about the pearls.

[romanic]

112. This is the liberal version of "The War on Christmas"

Aka its just as crazy and stupid of an issue cooked up for political brownie points. You reap what you sow I guess.

[WinstonSmith00]

114. 4 year old white girl is going to be Michael Jackson

Is that culturally insentive or is it okay because MJs skin was white?

I teach my kids to be color blind. Skin color is only skin deep and only the concern of superficial people and if my daughter wanted to be Moana she would be.

The PC culture is becoming racist itself by limiting the possibilities for others based on the color of ones skin.

[Squinch]

115. That's just dopey as hell.

[Hekate]

117. Oh ffs. It's HALLOWEEN. By its very nature it is transgressive. Standards change with the times...

...to be sure. No one in their right mind would wear blackface and go as Aunt Jemima, and good riddance to that, say I. My uncles used to commit minor acts of vandalism (Trick or Treat!) tipping over outhouses and at least one Model T Ford. We don't laugh that off as boyish hijinks any more, do we?

However, my late sister in law Patty used to lead her girls on excursions to TP selected houses. Jack-O-Lanterns on my street routinely get rolled downhill by older kids after the littles have gone home.

Disney Princesses, some have argued, are already bleached-out representations/ stereotypes of womanhood and girlhood. Little girls of all ethnicities really, really want to be "princesses" and ride sparkleponies. For gods' sake. They're under 10. They need to role-play, and if imagining themselves as a different ethnicity at least leaves a trace that opens them, a few years hence, to try to see the world a different way...

As for Moana and Maui, as a mythologist and kama'aina I watched the movie with just a bit of gritted teeth, but tried to take it for the entertainment it is. The kids adored it, here in California, and my niece wanted a Moana doll for her birthday -- I got the last one at the mall.

Maui is a demigod, and Trickster -- not a complete buffoon, really. Iz wrote a song about him callling Maui the Hawaiian Supahman. He's a culture hero across Polynesia. The marks on his skin are Polynesian tattoos, and a costume that replicates those is hardly racist. From my seat they looked authentic enough, but I don't have a picture in front of me. As for Moana, points to Disney for giving her a somewhat authentic body-type, and making her a spunky girl.

I do not know what is going on with a site that calls itself raceconscious.org -- are they by any chance the same people that tried to tell all of us we can't wear hoop earrings unless we are Latina? Because of cultural appropriation?

[lunamagica]

121. I think that kids who dress like Moana or Tiana do it because they like and admire the character.

Isn't that a good thing?

[Hekate]

124. This is on par with the killjoys who want to make it all about Sin, Jebus, & Hell. You may quote me.

smdh

[Doreen]

128. I think the adults need to chill.

Let the kids dress up as their hero. The kids do not give a crap whether their hero is one color or the next. They are going to see the adults freak out about this and that will be when the children start to question right or wrong of different color. This is children's holiday just let them be and dress the way they want. It is not time to be dragging them into our shitty adult problems. It could be worse you know, they could be dressing up as trump.

[elehhhhna]

130. Are we also telling any child of any color that they may not dress like 99% of the Disney princesses

because that would be white face? Hmmm. Hope not.

Personally, the whole Princess Disney thing is lost on me – our daughters, the youngest of whom looks exactly like Ariel the mermaid - without the tail, obviously - insisted on being Dracula, big muscle guy Superman Batman, the good witch and Dorothy from the Wizard of Oz, the Blue's Clues guy, a male trucker, a male cop, Winnie the Pooh... the random list goes on and on and on. we always let the brats make their own decisions and trust me, those decisions were made on a whim based on whatever they were enthralled with at the moment.

And why hasn't anybody mentioned that the closest thing to an African princess the Disney has ever produced is probably Nala from the Lion King. Like, "Okay, whew, we covered Africa. Next?" * Oops, forgot the black princess Tiana, featured in a 2009 film , the Princess and the Frog. Get this – when she kissed him he turned into a white guy prince . I am not making this up. They did not promote this film and it was awful. Good lord Disney's backwards and poisonous.

So, to wrap up this rant, when it comes to young children and Halloween costumes I think intent is critical. We can't enjoy, understand, and appreciate (celebrate?) our differences if we can't LOVE THE COOL DIFFERENT STUFF about each other. Cultural appropriation is often an expression of flattery. It's also a scientific fact of human

P.S. the whole "white women are are appropriating wigs from black women" kerfuffle is gonna get very real when Greek women hear about it. Unless we only go back to the modern era (A.D. vs. B.C.), then the British women get to come in with a claim. European MEN have an even older claim!

Bottom line, it's evolution . If you love something about another culture and want to adopt it, is that a terrible thing?

[stevenleser]

141. My daughter is going to be Princess Elena of Avalor this year. Elena is a Latina princess

I am half Latino. Is that enough for my daughter to avoid the cultural appropriation charge?

When you start thinking of things that way and realize these are children this whole thing sounds silly.

As a multi-ethnic, multi-racial and multi-religioned (background) person, the whole idea of cultural appropriation seems pretty weak in terms of the arguments for it.

[BainsBane]

142. Leave the kids alone

FFS.

The cultural appropriation in question is of Disney. We live in Trump's America, with White supremacists and Nazi defenders in the White House. Hate crimes are rampant, and DOJ is working to strip away civil rights. Disney characters don't rate in that list of horrors. This is the kind of shit the right touts to stoke the culture wars. I have no doubt that's why the NYPost published it, and it doubtless is making the right wing media circuit.

[Hekate]

146. It just makes us look moronic, that's for sure

[JHan]

156. NYPost's intent was definitely trollish.

Just the thing to get some people's blood boiling.

[treestar]

164. Yes at this point in history I would think

even Disney is OK - they are trying to include, not make fun of, the nonwhite people with these characters.

[nini]

147. The samoans I know love how this movie shared their culture

Theyd be thrilled that litlle girls would want to pretend for one day to be Moana. This notion that its rcist is odd. Sharing culture is important, especially these days.

[pnwmom]

150. I think they've gotten this backwards.

Why isn't it a good thing for ALL children if dolls and Disney characters come in all colors? How can it be a bad thing if white children love a brown skinned character or a black doll?

[oberliner]

169. The general consensus seems to be that the arguments raised in this article are not valid

I do appreciate reading all the feedback from folks here. Many have made very good points. I am not sure how I feel about the whole thing at this point. I thought the article had raised some points that were worth considering, and I still do feel that way, but the counterpoints are also strong.

[RelativelyJones]

154. Idiotic article and gross to use kids as pawns for the writers' "callout" BS

[LostOne4Ever]

157. And this is why I think the concept of cultural appropriation is flawed and need to be rethought. Nt

[BainsBane]

159. No, it isn't

It's an idiotic article intended to stoke the RW culture wars.

[RelativelyJones]

163. Stupidity from self-appointed culture cops undermines efforts...

against real racism.

[mainer]

165. Good grief. I am Asian, and I'd love to see little white girls dressed as Mulan.

It would mean that heroines of color have become role models for everyone.

[pnwmom]

175. That's how I see it. If a white girl loves a black or brown character enough to want to be her,

how can that be a bad thing?

[Oneironaut]

170. Its Halloween, so the scary cultural appropriation people are out with their list of acceptable

costumes!

[Fix The Stupid]

174. If I were one of these 'russian bots'...

or someone paid to disrupt the US and divide them even further...

This is exactly the OP I would post...

Just sayin'