Kenya Mooreis coming to her own defense after wearing what she dubbed a “Warrior Princess” costume onThe Real Housewives of Atlantaafter receiving some criticism for the Native American-inspired look.
On Sunday’s episode of the Bravo series, Moore, 50, dressed in an ensemble that included a Native American headdress as she attended a Halloween party at the home ofFalynn Guobadia.
Several costars (includingDrew SidoraandPorsha Williams), as well as many on social media, spoke out about feeling uncomfortable with the costume.
“Kenya’s Native American costume is super problematic but I ain’t trying to ruffle no feathers for this girls trip,” said Sidora, 35, during a confessional, adding with a laugh, “It feels like I’m always the only one that sees the issues withKenya Moore’s decisions.”
Kenya Moore.Bravo/Youtube
“Kenya is a Native American warrior. I thoughtwe weren’t doing that no more,” said Williams, 39. “Like, I knew that this girl was crazy, but add lame to the list, add whack to the list.”
Moore defended her decisionin a tweet on Sunday, writing in response to one piece of criticism about the costume, “Also part of my heritage#RHOA.”
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During theRHOA After Show, Williams referred to Moore’s costume as “head-to-toe cultural appropriation,” while costarLaToya Alisaid of a heated exchange between herself and Moore during the show, “I couldn’t take Kenya seriously as we were having the conversation because she was in an Indian-chief costume. … Isn’t that called cultural appropriation?”
ButKandi Burrussjumped to Moore’s defense, telling Ali, “To be honest with you, I didn’t think anything of it.”
“I don’t thinkshe was wearing the costume tomock anyone, and I think she thought it was a beautiful costume because it’s the sign of a leader — a chief is someone to look up to, not to be made fun of,” added Burruss, 44. “And I don’t think she was doing it as a joke to be mean or anything like that.”
Kenya Moore Twitter
On Tuesday, Moore issued an apology about the costume.
Bravoalso responded to the criticism surrounding theRHOAstar’s outfit and said in a statement: “Bravo aims to have the highest standards of respect and inclusivity and we recognize that the recent episode ofThe Real Housewives of Atlanta, in which a cast member wears a Native American costume, did not uphold those values. We had hoped it would provide a teachable moment, however in retrospect it is clear that the network did not address this properly given the gravity of the situation. We apologize to both the Native American community and our audience as a whole.”
“Costumes that mock Native peoples, defame our traditions and cultures, and perpetuate negative stereotypes are racist. ‘Playing Indian’ is a form of mascotry that is not just offensive, it is part of a long history of how Native peoples have been dehumanized,” the post continued, adding that they were “concerned” no Bravo producers “intervened.”
Kenya Moore.Charles Sykes/Bravo/NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal via Getty Images
Comments about Moore’s costume on Twitter were mixed, with some fans coming to Moore’s defense while others called her out for her actions despite her intentions.
“Even if that’s true, That doesn’t give you license to perpetuate harmful stereotypes,“one user replied toMoore’s tweet about her own heritage.
“I am Oglala Lakota and Leech Lake Ojibwe, my People have been on this continent for thousands of years,” another said. “Weare not mascots or costumes. You don’t get to tell me or any marginalized person what is ok or not ok.”
“The issue is it’s not just YOUR people. It’s OUR people,” a third user Tweeted, in response to the latter comment. “There are plenty of Black Americans with NA ancestry. If she chooses to represent her heritage in what she wears,yes even a costume, she can. And you don’t get to tell her that it’s not okay.”
source: people.com
