It’s safe to say Disney has never been a beacon of progressive liberal thinking.
Walt Disney himself was a famous anti-Semite, and under his direction, notoriously racist and sexist films were completed — 1940’s “Fantasia” certainly comes to mind. But in the last ten years, Disney has come a long way down the road of inclusivity.
One of the most highly anticipated films of the Thanksgiving season is Disney’s “Moana,” which will follow the story of a young Hawaiian girl as she embarks on an ocean voyage to save her people.
The animated film will be Disney’s first feature-length venture into Pacific Island culture since 2002’s “Lilo and Stitch” and continues Disney’s recent attempts to showcase more diverse, feminist-friendly storylines.
But with one huge progressive step forward comes two unintentionally racist steps back.
Last week, Disney released the first bout of Moana merchandise on their website. The merchandise prominently features costumes of major characters, including Maui, the shirtless tattooed demigod who accompanies Moana on her journey. The costume consists of a brown bodysuit complete with tribal tattoos and grass skirt and offers the wearer the opportunity to literally step into the skin of Polynesian folk hero Maui.
The notion of taking on Hawaiian culture through putting on a brown skin suit is problematic for a lot of reasons, not least among them the inherent racism of the concept. Even the use of tribal tattoos, which carry powerful meanings in Pacific Island cultures, is worrying.
“Moana” has been promised to the public as a celebration of Hawaiian culture, and yet, at Disney’s first real opportunity to make money off of the film, they establish an atmosphere of appropriation rather than celebration. Now, for the low price of $49.95, anyone can turn the complex racial identity of Hawaiians into a cheap costume.
Of course, I know thousands of children around the world will certainly love Moana, and many of them will likely ask to dress up as their favorite characters. Disney would have gone bankrupt decades ago if it didn’t understand that capitalizing on merchandise is important.
I’m not saying that a child can never dress as a character of a different race, but when the costume is rooted in a change of skin color, the costume is inappropriate.
Perhaps, instead it would have been smarter to market the character’s actual costume — a necklace and leaf skirt. After all, the princess Moana’s dress is being sold without an accompanying brown leotard, so clearly the concept of dressing as a character without a Buffalo Bill-style skin suit is feasible.
As a white person who grew up in Hawaii, I understand the want to be a part of a culture so rich in beauty, color and complex tradition. And I will admit that, at times, it can be confusing to understand where the boundaries of cultural appropriation versus appreciation lie.
But anyone who’s ever googled “cultural appropriation” can recite the cardinal rule: never use a culture as a costume.
I have faith that Disney executives did not produce this costume for the purpose of causing harm or controversy.
But at the end of the day, racism, even when it’s unintentional, is unacceptable.
rjdague@indiana.edu
