I’m all for cultural sensitivity. Anyone who knows me or
follows me on social media should be acutely aware that I have zero tolerance
for racism, supremacy, homophobia, stereotyping…none of that...whether blatantly
stated or alluded to in an off-color joke.
But there is a fat line between respecting other cultures and
ethnicities and doing summersaults to make race a part of every equation…and
the recent Redbook article about “acceptable” Halloween costumes for white
girls has crossed it.
For those of you who haven’t had the pleasure of
reading the article in question, “Maybe Don’t Dress Your Kid Up as Moana this
Halloween?” the gist of it is that it’s racially insensitive for little white
girls to dress up as Moana or any Disney character of any ethnicity other than
Caucasian.
To quote directly:
“White girls have plenty of princesses to choose from — there's
Belle, Ariel, Snow White, Sleeping Beauty … you get the idea.”
I can’t be the only one completely dumbfounded that in an
effort to diminish racism, people are actually encouraging us to teach our
children to stay firmly inside their racial boxes. It is truly tragic for a
little girl who admires Moana – one of the few Disney princesses who showcases
bravery and independence and whose story doesn’t revolve around the love of a
man – to be told “No, I’m sorry. Your costume options are limited to princesses
who share your skin tone.”
The author of the article seems to think that a white girl
dressed up as Moana is in essence “mocking” Polynesian culture. What I don’t
understand is how a little kid’s desire to literally BE a strong, Polynesian
character for a day is considered a mockery. Obviously, the costume must be assembled tastefully, but - if anything - we should be
celebrating the fact that members of the younger generation are capable of identifying
with and aspiring to be like
individuals from other cultures.
The truth is, little kids may not even notice the racial differences between themselves and the characters
they admire…I’ll be damned if I’m going to be the one to step in and ruin that.
If my daughter wants to buy the black Barbie doll, then it’s going in the
shopping cart. If she wants to dress up as Tiana, I’ll happily make her a
tiara. And if she stays blind to the little irrelevant details that distinguish
her from people of other ethnicities, I’m sure as hell not going to turn on the
lights.
