Moana Costume Is ‘Cultural Appropriation?

What if your kids want to dress up like "Moana" or "Elsa " from Frozen?

Some people think that is could be culturally insensitive, "Cultural appropriation" – or even racist.

Reference:

Moms are freaking out that ‘Moana’ costume is ‘cultural appropriation’

http://nypost.com/2017/10/16/moms-worry-trick-or-treating-as-moana-is-cultural-appropriation/

So some people say that if your kid does not have Polynesian heritage, it would be cultural appropriation.

Even some say that "Elsa" from "Frozen" is the metaphor of "the power/privilege carried by Whiteness, and about Whiteness and standards of beauty."

Quote from:

http://www.raceconscious.org/2017/09/moana-elsa-halloween/

"I think we have to look at history as the guide. In a country where people dressed in blackface and dressed as “Indians” who were then shot by cowboys (a sterilized version of the genocide of the Native Americans), we continue with the trauma by dressing up as people of color. I think we have to be clear that this is the distinction, white people cannot dress up as people of color (whether they be real or imaginary) because it invokes the history of and current practice of racial oppression."

There are 2 perspectives we have to consider.

One is culture.

The other is history.

Let's start with the 2nd one.

I am totally against kids wearing "Anne Frank" costume. kids wearing "Nazi Germany" costume in Holloween, that is absolutely insane, crazy.

But looking back our history, how about wearing "ancient Rome" or "ancient Greece" costume?

How about "Christian Crusade" costume?

….How about "American Civil War" costume? Maybe this would be still controversial.

And I believe wearing "Red Guards uniform during Big Cultural Revolution in China (the 1960s)" still hurts a lot of Chinese Americans' feeling.

And let's move on to the first one.

I understand that "culture" cannot be separated from its history. However, the acceptance of the culture starts from duplicating. To be copied, to be caricatured, and to parodied then, to be accepted.

That is how and why there are so many interesting and mixed cultures existing in the United States. That is how and what America is strong and wonderful.

Look at "California Roll" and "Panda Express". "Deep Dish Pizza", too. Maybe "Meatloaf" and "Hotdog" and "Humbergar". You know "Hambourg" in Germany, right? They are so Yummy!

We will have Thanksgiving soon, and that comes from our great history of starting of the United States.

Source:http://local12.com/news/nation-world/some-call-childrens-moana-halloween-costume-racially-insensitive