Unfortunately, the folks at Disney seemed to miss the memo when it came to understanding the difference between celebrating diversity and cultural appropriation. That was evidenced by news that broke over the weekend about the costume of the movie’s character, Maui, being sold online through the Walt Disney Store, and how the costume is making a whole lot of people feel uncomfortable with the way that it basically encourages people to “wear” the skin of a given ethnicity and culture.
Fortunately, the Twitterverse was able to explain exactly why, to put it simply, “cultures aren’t costumes.”
Because what choices, and responses — like that of Jacobs’ and the marketing masterminds at Disney — fail to realize is that for people of a given culture or ancestry, how they wear their hair or decorate their skin or put clothes on their bodies isn’t a casual fashion statement, but in fact a literal, visceral, unavoidable articulation of their own identity. For such people, these visual signifiers aren’t fun trends, but both who they are and a way of physically connecting with those who have come before them.
Because the truth of the matter is that it’s hard to assert that a culture is not being appropriated — that is, objectified in a way that dilutes its history, essence, and significance down into its most superficial elements that can than be adopted as costume by those not of that culture — except for those of the culture in question.
A white, cisgender man, can’t tell black women that their own cultural beauty standards are not being appropriated, just as the very likely white, cisgender culture driving Disney marketing isn’t in a position to tell native Hawaiians if everything from the color of their skin to their traditional body tattoos being packaged and sold as a costume shouldn’t be thought of as offensive to them
Appropriating Maori or whatever culture is like appropriating Celtic culture at this point. Look at me, I'm covered in woad!
Jacob Moore
Fuck off.
Elijah Foster
Christ, I thought that was a Cosby sweater for a moment.
Lucas Hughes
The worst is that Moana is going to be released only in January in my country.
WHY DISNEY WHY???
Ryan Campbell
...
Jordan Howard
"WAAAAAHHH THREADS ABOUT MOVIES DON'T BELONG ON Cred Forums!!!!"
Jack Rivera
Don't people have real problems to deal with anymore?
Connor Johnson
It appears not...
Dominic Young
dude i agree.
so all black people cant wear suits anymore.
Adam Jones
they really don't
Anthony Sullivan
more like this, Cred Forums or whatever site/board you crawled out of
Benjamin Bailey
So no cosplaying of Klingons?
Brandon Evans
So should I get offended by minorities dressed up like European nobility?
Blake Morgan
You mean every BBC show now?
Ryan Hernandez
meh, they kinda have a point. Tattooing in Samoan culture has a significant meaning.
If a non-Samoan kid or adult used body paint then I don't personally wouldn't consider it in bad taste, but I'm white so what do I know
Carter Stewart
you don't know shit because you're an idiot, not because you're white
Justin Williams
Yeah but the costume in OP is just made up scribbles which were created specifically for this movie (probably with input from polynesian experts on what is okay and what isn't) and would mean as little to any polynesian who takes their culture seriously as it does to any faggot who buys it as a halloween costume
This is all stupid SJW posturing, another case of dumb millenials getting offended on the behalf of others to make themselves look good
Colton Hall
I know enough to look at both sides of an issue and come to my own conclusion instead of just choosing one side and sticking to their viewpoint for every issue
Jaxson Young
first they illegally occupy our lands, now they're trying to kill our culture? when will the white american oligarchy stop!?
Robert Rogers
> white kid can't dress up as polynesian god for halloween > non white kid sure as shit can dress up as king arthur
I don't want to live on this planet anymore
Ryder Rivera
WHO GIVES A FUCK
Gavin Johnson
I look at it from how much effort you put into the portrayal. If someone wanted to dress up as the character and did it with bodypaint/temporary tattoo I view it as someone who probably respects the culture more. The costume in the op is just some mass produce crap made in some sweatshop for $2 and sold to parents for $50. The company who made it is only concerned with making a profit and the kid who wears it doesn't know/care about the significance of the tattoos or anything about the culture he is portraying, he just thought the character was funny and cool.
Julian Wilson
I agree with this
Glad we're finally cracking down on cultural appropriation
Brandon Allen
>Tattooing in Samoan culture has a significant meaning. Nothing is too sacred to not be parodied or used as a fucking Halloween costume. The fact that this debate even exists boggles my mind.
Luis Williams
>the kid who wears it doesn't know/care about the significance of the tattoos or anything about the culture he is portraying, he just thought the character was funny and cool. so what's wrong with that? as long as it's not an offensive portrayal to begin with it seems pretty innocent
Austin Hughes
>how they wear their hair or decorate their skin or put clothes on their bodies isn't a casual fashion statement, but in fact a literal, visceral, unavoidable articulation of their own identity.
Thinking about how it must feel to be that shallow and superficial makes me fucking nauseous.
David James
It's about a costume, not a movie. If you want to be a dickhead online that's fine but if you're unaware the logical jump you made there is twisted then you need to think on it
Kayden Fisher
So, how big of a bomb is this movie going to be? Pixar's Brave level, or the Princes and Frog level?
Grayson Bell
>non white kid sure as shit can dress up as king arthur >implying a black person would portray the victim of cuckoldry That's a white man fetish.
Joseph Scott
>he just thought the character was funny and cool.
That's literally all kids cares about. It's all they should care about.
You really think some kid wearing a knight outfit is going to understand the separation of a given man at arms in the late 14th century and the type of armor he wore to more effectively use bills? Or how cheap Venitian export armor of the time denuded local smiths and their culture or how insulting it is for someone claiming to be an english knight is wearing a french sallet instead of a hound face bassinet?
No. It's a random idealized stereotype, and there is nothing wrong with that.
Austin Russell
It isn't about what can and can't be parodied, it has more to do with the context and if its in good taste.
If I see someone wearing this it wouldn't bother me the slightest, but if I saw a Samoan person get bothered by it I would understand why. I wouldn't tell them they were wrong to fell that way and stop being pc.
Tyler Sanchez
>complain about not enough representation in Disney Princess movies >Get it >Kids like a character and may even look up to it >Make a costume for kids >Complain about cultural appropriation
Fuckers biting the hand that feeds.
Ryder Cooper
>The costume in the op is just some mass produce crap made in some sweatshop for $2 and sold to parents for $50. It is likely that Samoans are laughing at the shitty inhabitants of the Northern Marianas' children at stuck stitching together outfits to help white fucks look like Samoans for 5 dollars an hour.
Joseph Diaz
A knight is identified by his armor, not his skin. Samoans have a specific skin color, and their tattoos and their tattoos are designed in a way to have specific cultural meaning exclusive to Samoans.
If Disney did their research to portray it accurately then cool. Sell tattoo sleeves of the character little Johnny can wear over his own skin instead of selling him a cheap costume of someone else who is most likely a different ethnicity
James Perez
A knight is identified by his banner and title which have specific cultural meanings exclusive to their state or country. Each of those being directly related to the color of their skin in different areas as they were separates peoples from specific areas. Many knights didn't even wear full armor or armor from their homeland. And that gear changed from generation to generation anyway.
But that's not important when you want a story about a generic knight.
Similarly, Samoans are easily lumped into any of the hundreds of pacific islander tattooed tribes. And that stereotype has been around since Magellan. Nothing wrong with a generic Queequeg guy costume.
Honestly, I think the main mistake in making the costume is that most kids only think two kinds of half naked guys are cool, Conan/Heman type barbarians and sometimes wrestlers. Even in the heyday of cowboys and indians, the kids all wanted to be cowboys. Strongfat island guy doesn't fit in that model at all. So it's pretty dumb from a making money perspective. Seems stupid to make a fuss about a product that won't sell very well in the first place.
Brandon Anderson
>Seems stupid to make a fuss about a product that won't sell very well in the first place. It's not about fighting anything, this new wave of absolute cancer is entirely about dumb shit women going "ooh, look at me, I'm better than you because I think more about the plight of X group" and all the other vapid cunts hopping on the bandwagon so they aren't called racist for not "getting it". It's a completely insane, cult-like mentality, but when feminism ruined all of the perks of being a woman like complete security and never having to work, and replaced it with an empty lust for cock, this is really all they have left now, bickering on the internet like a pack of hens.
Millenial chicks are absolutely fucked. The next generation might grow up understanding that being a total slut through your teens and 20s completely warps your expectations of relationships, and when your biological clock starts ticking nobody wants you anymore aside from the dumpy guy in the sales department who would marry anyone.
Dominic Gonzalez
I get that all the fuss over the costume is just virtue signaling but holy shit.
Isaac Reed
>glorifying a people who genocides and enslaved others
FUCKING KEK
GET FUCKED MAORI YOU PIECE OF SHITS NEED TO GO EXTINCT
On 19 November 1835 and later on 5 December, about 900 Māori armed with guns, clubs and axes arrived on the brig Lord Rodney. The first mate of the ship had been kidnapped and threatened with death unless the captain took the invaders on board. The Māori came from two tribes, Ngāti Tama and Ngāti Mutunga. The group, which included men, women and children, brought with them 78 tonnes of seed potato, 20 pigs and seven waka.[18]
The incoming Māori were received and initially cared for by the local Moriori. When it became clear that the visitors intended to stay, the Moriori withdrew to their marae at te Awapatiki. There, after holding a hui (consultation) to debate what to do about the Taranaki Māori invaders, the Moriori decided to implement a policy of non-aggression. Soon, the invaders began to takahi, or walk the land, to lay claim to it. They proceeded to ritually massacre about 300 Moriori (nearly a sixth of the estimated total Moriori population of about 2000),[18] cannibalised the dead and enslaved the survivors. A Moriori survivor recalled: "[The Māori] commenced to kill us like sheep... [We] were terrified, fled to the bush, concealed ourselves in holes underground, and in any place to escape our enemies. It was of no avail; we were discovered and killed — men, women and children — indiscriminately." A Māori conqueror said: "We took possession ... in accordance with our custom, and we caught all the people. Not one escaped. Some ran away from us, these we killed; and others also we killed — but what of that? It was in accordance with our custom."[19]
Wyatt Ward
>People can't dress up in costumes of other peoples honor >Its like they don't want people to show interest in other peoples cultures Sounds kind of like a great/bad idea.
Jonathan Reed
ITS JUST A FUCKING COSTUME FORMKIDS TO WEAR AND ACT LIKE DISNEY CHARACTERS THAT ARE POTRAYED ON FILM FOR FUCK SAKE REEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE
Brandon Cooper
Why is it okay for niggers, spics, sandniggers, gooks and all other non-whites to appropriate white culture though? Why are they allowed to drive cars? Why are they allowed to wear jeans or suits or dresses? Why are they allowed to use computers? Why are they allowed to use phones? Why are they allowed to ride trains? Why are they allowed to watch TV? Why are they allowed to play classical instruments and listen to classical music? Why are they allowed to get treated with modern medicine?
That's white culture. Every time they make use of it they appropriate it and dilute its significance.
Aiden Flores
Then how about papists stop throwing a bitch fit when someone wears their beads for fashion? >create a necklace >be insulted when it is used as a necklace
Adrian Bailey
when does this actually happen?
Matthew Harris
Maybe if you were the ones assembling the computers, the phones, the tvs, you might have some weight in the matter. >MUH UNION LABOR >MUH SAFE WORKING ENVIRONMENT Your loss, faggot.
Kayden Johnson
Live in NZ, heaps of white people with traditional Maori tattoos.
Gabriel Baker
>computers, phones, tvs
Guess where chip fabs are located at
Kevin White
The funny thing is that they'd call the costume "whitewashing" if it was see-through except for the tattoos
I wish bigwigs would just realize that you cannot win with these people.
What race are you? White? Would it truly offend you if a nigress dressed up as a European noble woman? Or if an Asian dressed as a knight? I seriously am failing to see the logic in this.