A TV presenter with a traditional Māori face tattoo has calmly replied to negative comments from a viewer, proudly standing up for her cultural heritage and identity.
Facial tattoos often spark debates online. Some people think tattoos should only be on the body, while others understand and appreciate their cultural importance.
Oriini Kaipara, 41, made history when she became a newsreader for New Zealand’s Newshub. She is the first primetime TV news presenter to wear a moko kauae, a special facial tattoo for Māori women.
The Māori are the indigenous people of mainland New Zealand. They see moko kauae as important symbols of their heritage and identity. These tattoos, traditionally on the lips and chin, show a woman’s family ties, leadership, and honor her lineage, status, and abilities.
Oriini Kaipara. Credit: Oriini Kaipara / Instagram.
Despite receiving praise, one viewer named David expressed his dislike for Kaipara’s moko kauae in an email to Newshub.
He wrote, “We continue to object strongly to you using a Māori newsreader with a moku [moko] which is offensive and aggressive looking. A bad look. She also bursts into the Māori language which we do not understand. Stop it now,” according to the Daily Mail.
But Kaipara didn’t let David’s negative words stop her. She bravely shared screenshots of his messages on her Instagram story and responded calmly.
“Today I had enough. I responded. I never do that. I broke my own code and hit the send button,” she wrote on her Instagram story alongside a screenshot of David’s message.
Kaipara didn’t just share screenshots of David’s email, she also responded to him. She explained that his complaint wasn’t valid because she hadn’t broken any rules for TV.
She also corrected David’s spelling mistake. He called her tattoo a “moku” instead of “moko”.
In her email back to him, Kaipara said, “I think you don’t like how I look on TV. But tattoos and people with them aren’t scary or bad. We don’t deserve to be treated badly because of them.”
She asked him to stop complaining and to try to understand better. She even joked that maybe he should go back to the 1800s if he couldn’t accept people with tattoos.
Despite David’s negative words, Kaipara says she mostly gets nice comments, and mean ones are rare.
In an interview with the New Zealand Herald, Kaipara talked about how it’s important to have more Māori people in important jobs. She said, “The fact that my existence makes some people upset shows why we need more Māori people in every job.”
Kaipara’s calm response reminds us how important it is to be proud of who you are, even when people are mean. She’s inspiring others to be proud of themselves and stand up to unfair treatment.
What do you think of this story? Share your thoughts in the comments!
Her Son Identifies As A Cat And Mom Is Upset The Vet Won’t Treat Him
Amidst the cacophony of the internet’s viral sensations, one peculiar video has captured the attention of global audiences. In this digital age where information spreads like wildfire, a seemingly ordinary American woman has become an unexpected protagonist in a narrative that challenges conventional notions of identity and societal norms.
The video, disseminated by a British commentator who ominously forewarned of societal collapse, features the American woman candidly sharing her perplexing ordeal. She reveals that her son, with an earnest conviction, identifies as a cat. What ensues is a discourse that traverses the boundaries of rationality, sparking debates on the fringes of acceptance and skepticism.
At the heart of the controversy lies the woman’s lamentation: despite her son’s steadfast identification as a feline, a veterinarian purportedly denied treatment, citing the undeniable reality of his human anatomy. It is this clash between subjective identity and objective reality that forms the crux of the woman’s grievance, casting a spotlight on the intricacies of discrimination and inclusion.
For the woman, her son’s assertion of being a cat transcends mere whimsy; it is a fundamental aspect of his being that warrants recognition and accommodation. In her impassioned plea for understanding, she asserts that her son’s self-professed identity should afford him the same rights and privileges as any other member of society. To her, the denial of veterinary care based on his human physiology is tantamount to discrimination—a stark reminder of the pervasive biases that persist in our ostensibly progressive world.
Leave a Reply