Watch CBS News

Online Controversy Poses Question: Should White Kids Be Moana For Halloween?

BALTIMORE (WJZ) -- It's a big debate right now in the parenting community online: Is it appropriate for a white child to dress up as Moana for Halloween?

Moana is a 2016 Disney movie that follows the title character, the young daughter of a village chief in ancient Polynesia who sails away from her island to try to cure the blight that has struck there.

The story is based on real myths and legends in ancient Polynesian cultures, and a native Hawaiian actress, Auli'i Cravalho, voiced the animated character.

The controversy about whether or not white children should dress as the character seems to have originated with a Sept. 5 post on the website RaceConscious.org , simply titled "Moana, Elsa, And Halloween."

That piece, written by a white woman and mother of a 5-year-old girl, argues that the costume could be considered culturally appropriative if worn by her child.

But many more articles, both agreeing with and rebutting the points made in that piece, have been published since then.

Cosmopolitan, The National Review, USA Today, the New York Post, Today's Parent and other publications and blogs have addressed the issue.

What do you think?

Follow @CBSBaltimore on Twitter and like WJZ-TV | CBS Baltimore on Facebook

View CBS News In
CBS News App Open
Chrome Safari Continue
Be the first to know
Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting.