
#Miana costume skin#
This means no face painting or making your child's skin appear darker.Īnd while it might be easier to purchase a store-bought costume ( this one is still available on Amazon!), making your own can be a lot more fun.

Kids wanting to dress up as their favorite character is harmless, but when it comes to dressing up as characters from cultures other than your own, there's a right way and wrong way to do it.

Always remember that what might not seem offensive to you, could be taken the wrong way by someone else. So, it's no surprise that many young girls want to dress up as the character for Halloween.īut parents, be careful. Moana is a brave hero who gets chosen to go on a mission in order to save her village.
#Miana costume movie#
23.Moana came out nearly three years ago, but the movie and Moana is still a fan fave: its wonderful Disney soundtrack (hello, Lin-Manuel Miranda!), its vivid representation of Polynesian culture, and its atypical storyline enchants fans. Whether these conversations will help or hurt ticket sales remains to be seen, of course. On June 22, Jenny Salesa, a member of New Zealand’s parliament, posted a meme to her Facebook page that compared the attractiveness of three Polynesian actors (including Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson, who voices Maui) to the ‘half pig half hippo’ caricature of Maui in Moana.” One user compared the costume to the suit made from literal human skin in Silence of the Lambs.Īs The Washington Post’s Michael Cavna wrote, “When the Disney film Moana lands this November, it will feel fresh to many moviegoers for an unusual reason: It is a mainstream Hollywood animated film that casts featured voice actors of colour who represent the culture being depicted.”īut quickly after the film’s first trailer was released, some prominent Polynesians claimed the depiction of Maui was offensive to the culture’s mythology.Īs The Post reported, “The common thrust of the criticisms is that the character is not conveyed to be strong or serious, and most complaints centre on Maui’s physical appearance. ‘Wear another culture’s skin!’ ” yet another person tweeted. “This might be the creepiest thing Disney has ever done. It sickens me, please don’t ask me to talk about it,” tweeted a third. “Hey heads up, I’ve seen that Moana costume, and I seriously don’t want to see it again. Cultures are NOT costumes,” tweeted another. “Many people are Rightfully upset about this new piece of #Moana merch. Our Brown Skin/Ink’s NOT a costume,” one user tweeted. “As a Poly I support our folk involved in #MOANA.

Predictably, almost immediately outrage spread across social media from people decrying the idea of skin colour being used as a costume.

Plus, padded arms and legs for mighty stature!”Īccompanying the description is a photograph of a young boy, who has brown skin, wearing the costume. 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. 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 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. Over the weekend, Disney did something it often does: It released a new Halloween costume on its online store.īut, 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.
