Oops, you guys.
Kenya Moore’s bad!
After garnering a great deal of backlash, the The Real Housewives of Atlanta cast member has finally apologized for donning a Native American headdress on this past Sunday’s new episode of the franchise.
To be specific, Moore dressed as a “Warrior Princess” while attending a Halloween party at the home of Falynn Guobadia (remember, these episodes are filmed months before they air).
Multiplle costars (such as Drew Sidora and Porsha Williams) spoke out about feeling uncomfortable with the attire.
“Kenya’s Native American costume is super problematic but I ain’t trying to ruffle no feathers for this girls trip,” said Sidora during a confessional, adding with a laugh:
“It feels like I’m always the only one that sees the issues with Kenya Moore’s decisions.”
As for Porsha’s take?
“Kenya is a Native American warrior. I thought we weren’t doing that no more,” she said on air.
“Like, I knew that this girl was crazy, but add lame to the list, add whack to the list.”
As you can see below, plenty of social media users also took issue with Porsha’s decision here.
Then, on the Real Housewives of Atlanta After Show, Williams referred to Moore’s costume as “head-to-toe cultural appropriation,” while LaToya Ali said of a heated exchange between herself and Kenya during the program:
“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?”
Moore, for her part, Tweeted on Monday that she has Native American “heritage,” but she now appears to realize how that’s a very lame defense.
“I want to sincerely apologize for inappropriately wearing the Native American headdress as a costume,” said Porsha on Tuesday in a statement.
“I now realize that this was both disrespectful and insensitive and would never have done it if I had that knowledge and understanding beforehand.
“I regret it.
“When you know better, you do better. I am genuinely sorry.”
Bravo also went ahead and addressed the scandal, telling Us Weekly and other outlets:
“Bravo aims to have the highest standards of respect and inclusivity and we recognize that the recent episode of The Real Housewives of Atlanta, in which a cast member wears a Native American costume, did not uphold those values.”
Added a network spokesperson:
“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.”
Moore’s mea culpa came after a post shared by IllumiNative — a nonprofit organization highlighting awareness of Natives in American society — called her out for the costume on Monday.
“We are deeply disturbed by last night’s episode of #RHOA in which @thekenyamoore wore a Native American “warrior princess” costume,” IllumiNative Tweeted this week, adding:
“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.”
On social media, as you might expect, the issue caused quite the divide among individuals.
But this person summed it up well:
“I am Oglala Lakota and Leech Lake Ojibwe, my People have been on this continent for thousands of years.
“We are not mascots or costumes. You don’t get to tell me or any marginalized person what is ok or not ok.”
Source: Read Full Article
