'Absolutely Appropriate,' Disney 'Princess' Flips Script on Cultural Appropriation Narrative
Halloween is just days away, which means the United States is entering the most dreaded of times: Politically Correct Outrage Season.
It seems to come around annually, each year a bit more strongly than the last. As people pick out costumes and photos go viral on social media, there’s always those people who find offense with everything, usually while shrieking about “cultural appropriation.”
You’ve probably seen the examples. Nearly every October 31st, somebody in a Native American or Gaucho costume is called out online and shamed for daring to dress like a different person.
Even wearing one’s hair in dreadlocks isn’t safe, as people found out not long ago.
Of course, some “offenses” are more serious than others. Megyn Kelly is poised to lose her television show after she mildly defended the use of “blackface” (and “whiteface,” it’s worth noting) in Halloween costumes, despite the fact that there seems to be a different set of rules for liberals.
But there may be a glimmer of hope among the rampant politically correct madness. A well-known Disney star just spoke out against the faux outrage over cultural appropriation, even if she didn’t use those words specifically.
Auli’i Cravalho is the voice of Disney’s “Moana,” a movie set in the Pacific islands. Like her role, the actress is from Hawaii, and recently told People Magazine that she’s not onboard with banning certain costumes just because they’re from other cultures.
“I think it’s absolutely appropriate,” Cravalho said of people who don Polynesian costumes, including her “Moana” character. “It’s done in the spirit of love and for Disney and for the little ones who just want to dress up as their favorite heroine, I’m all for it.”
She may not speak for all of Disney, however.
In 2016, the giant corporate mouse was forced to remove a “Moana”-themed costume from its retail and online stores after some people declared that it was offensive.
“The Maui costume featured brown-hued padded arms and legs covered with tattoos, a rope necklace laced with faux shark teeth and an island-style, leafy skirt. Disney has now pulled the $44.95-$49.95 costume from its stores and website,” reported People Magazine at the time.
Disney has pulled its Polynesian ‘blackface’ Moana costume from the shelves https://t.co/M0uFW3qLyZ pic.twitter.com/YjgQkC8bM2
— Yahoo Movies UK (@YahooMoviesUK) September 22, 2016
How is dressing up as a specific character from a kid’s movie “racist?” It’s a bit unclear, and seems to only be a problem if the character in question happens to have dark skin.
“It’s basically putting the skin of another … race onto your children and telling your children that this is okay,” whined a woman named Chelsie Haunani Fairchild in a YouTube video. “It’s disgusting.”
She did not specify whether a child with naturally dark skin, such as an African American or Latino, was also “disgusting” if they dressed up as Captain America or Iron Man, both Caucasian. Maybe it only goes one way.
What’s interesting among all the “cultural appropriation” hubbub is that people who are the race allegedly being “appropriated” often have no problem with a costume, while it’s people who are not part of the culture who become the killjoy busybodies.
An eye-opening video from PragerU, for instance, demonstrated that Hispanics didn’t seem to have much problem with someone dressed in a stereotypical Mexican costume, while white liberals called foul.
While she may not have intended to, the Disney actress who defended “Moana” hit on something important with her comments. If we’re all supposed to be part of one unified, loving human race as the left often preaches, then what is the problem with celebrating or having fun with both our similarities and differences?
Exploring other characters — real and imagined — is one of the major parts of the holiday. If we’re only allowed to dress up as ourselves, what’s the point?
Not everything is racist, and by enforcing costume regulations and putting people into boxes, we become more divided instead of less. Perhaps we should all lose the chips on our shoulders and relax a bit … especially on a day like Halloween.
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