Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. A phone that grows with your child.

Meet the Other Phone.
A phone that grows with your child.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

Is it offensive or am I being silly?

999 replies

CocaColaaa · 02/03/2019 15:57

Just a quick one but NC for this as I guess its outing.

My childrens school are doing world book day and the “theme” is peter pan, its given some suggestions of characters you can dress up as and one is tigerlilly. I was thinking of chosing that one for DD as I hate all of the tinkerbell dresses but ive heard its offensive to dress up as certain things. Native americans being on of them. Is it offensive or am I being silly? Why oh why do they have to do themes and not just let people pick their favourite book characters 😩

OP posts:
Thread gallery
5
PosiePerkinandPootle · 02/03/2019 21:29

StinkyCandle Grin many thanks for your prompt response. With the risk of going TAAT, on the thread about what you'd re-invent I'm going to put a request for multi-coloured shadows, mine's turquoise with maybe a hint of silver depending on my mood.

KingscoteStaff · 02/03/2019 21:39

sirfredfred Tigerlilly is not a negative stereotype. She is brave and highly intelligent.

TheBigFatMermaid · 02/03/2019 21:39

Ridiculous!

Our local theatre group just put on Peter Pan and they clearly needed 'Indians' or native Americans. We don't have many in West Somerset, so white people dressed as them, you know as needed.

StinkyCandle · 02/03/2019 21:46

PosiePerkinandPootle
hold on, I need to do some research, there's something that sounds fishy in that turquoise, I 'll get back to you with some outrage as quickly as I can.

Mangofandangoo · 02/03/2019 21:50

I went as tigerlilly to world book day when I was a child. Granted that was way back when. I wouldn't see a problem with it now

Thymeout · 02/03/2019 21:54

Why is LBS a harmful stereotype? The author was making up a story, set in the country she lived in, about the adventures of a little boy like the children she taught. I imagine they were her first audience. I thought it was quite educational for my dcs. They learnt about ghee and I seem to remember buying a tin of mangoes. The fresh ones weren't widely available at the time. The people in the books weren't portrayed as savages - I think the doctor was Indian, too. Do you think they would be offended or pleased that children in England were reading about the adventures of a little Indian boy?

There used to be a series about twins. The Scottish twins, the Eskimo twins - you get the idea. I expect they were full of stereotypes, too, but I enjoyed reading them. The point wasn't to make fun of other cultures but to show that we are all human beings, whatever our culture.

All this concern about Navajos being offended by cultural appropriation is really quite ironic. They were the arch-appropriators among Native American tribes and were called magpies for nicking other tribes' decorative techniques.

Catsinthecupboard · 02/03/2019 21:55

It is a fictional character!!!

I think we've had enough of the politically correct malarkey! (And my father would be considered a person who could be "offended" which he never was bc he felt that imitation was a form of flattery.)

This is not something that i would ever pursue as offensive.

Chlo1674 · 02/03/2019 21:57

So does that mean that the book should be seen as offensive as well? Really not sure what to think anymore.

shakeapoo · 02/03/2019 22:03

*I’m out. Seriously, I can’t believe in this day and age that people are this uneducated when it comes to understanding the difference between perpetuating harmful stereotypes of cultures and just dressing in modern clothing, along with the idea that it’s ok to take from cultures that were destroyed for the very things that are now thought of as ‘fun bit of dress up’.

People across the world have had everything taken from them, oppressed, nearly wiped out for not conforming, and now should be grateful we want to copy some sick idea of their cultural? Fuck off.*

THIS

Shelby2010 · 02/03/2019 22:04

I grew up in the 70s when Cowboys & Indians was a favourite childhood game. I also had a dad who was addicted to Westerns with all their stereotyped Native Americans. However when my DD’s recently watched the Peter Pan film I was literally embarrassed by the portrayal of the Red Indian characters. Weirdly I think my DDs didn’t see them as a race of real people just more strange imaginary characters like the mermaids or Lost Boys themselves.

I was also annoyed by Wendy’s ‘mothering’ and absolutely infuriated by Peter Pan’s smugness at being fought over by Tinkerbell, Wendy & the mermaids. Bloody awful film.

Why not just send your DD as Tinkerbell, I bet that’s who she’d rather be anyway.

CarolinePooter · 02/03/2019 22:06

Does anyone follow Titania McGrath on Twitter? She is very quick to seek out offence on behalf of others, and would certainly make some pertinent contributions to this thread!
I am shocked that people can be so small minded as to whinge about World Book Day. It is lovely to encourage children to engage with fictional characters, and give them a chance to appreciate the world of the imagination. JM Barrie was a much-loved author and by censoring his books you are insulting his memory. Are you prudish killjoys aware that he left the copyright of Peter Pan to Great Ormond Street Hospital, and they have benefited enormously from the royalties over the years?
No, OP, you are not being offensive, and whatever you decide I hope your little girl has a super day!

PickledLimes · 02/03/2019 22:07

Can people really not understand that a character being the hero of a story or having one positive personality trait does not that mean that they can't still be a stereotype?

As for the Navajo they have been mentioned by one or two posters but I'm no more and no less concerned about the Navajo being stereotyped than I am by the depiction of the other 562+ Native American tribes. Also Native Americans supposedly stealing from other Native American tribes is a completely different issue from Non Natives doing the same.

PickledLimes · 02/03/2019 22:07

Does not mean. I can't type today.

ElloBrian · 02/03/2019 22:09

Titania McGrath is a parody account ffs.

Lovingbenidorm · 02/03/2019 22:12

Peter Pan was written in 1904
Obviously attitudes, opinions, social norms, acceptable practices and behaviour has changed.
1904 people!

CarolinePooter · 02/03/2019 22:12

Yes, but some of you sound like parodies.

BertrandRussell · 02/03/2019 22:12

Nothing stereotyped about this image at all....

Is it offensive or am I being silly?
Lovingbenidorm · 02/03/2019 22:14

He was a young black child wasn’t he?

Shelby2010 · 02/03/2019 22:17

I guess part of the problem is that none of us are thinking about the original book. Most people have only seen the Disney film or a pantomime. I read the book as a child but can’t remember if it was as offensive as the film. I didn’t read it again because I was upset that the dog died.

Bohbell · 02/03/2019 22:20

What about dressing up as poor victorian kid? They were abused and exploited and had no rights. Is it offensive to dress up as Oliver? most of the world including most white people were repressed throughout history. Surely it is worse NOT to dress up as TL because its like rubbing her out and making her invisible. Making native americans disappear. Anyway, i’d stick her in a tinkerbelle dress and be done with it. Stereotyping young blonde females as pixie like frail things who fly into jealous rages and do spiteful things is so much more PC.

CheshireChat · 02/03/2019 22:22

KickAssAngel I'd complain to the school as well actually, there's really not a lot for girls to use and no, they shouldn't have to dress up as boys if they don't want to.

MistressDeeCee · 02/03/2019 22:24

There is no problem with your DD going as Tigerlily. Just like there's no problem with a black/Asian girl going as little red riding hood, Mary Poppins, etc

Hark at you 🙄

I ran school workshops for years and one little boy came dressed as a non-white character - the TEACHER had a go at him, made him wash his face, get rid of costume etc. She was shocked when she saw him.

I doubt you'd even understand why tho.

I wasn't phased or offended at all when I saw him, I just felt bad that his parents were so very lacking in awareness and had put him in an awkward position. Not his fault at all.

If you are not of particular nations that have been oppressed then it's simply not your place to importantly decide it's fine to imitate and appropriate them. They don't have to like it. & Your voice doesn't matter more than theirs.

Anyway OP - I wouldn't, if I were you. But if you go ahead be mindful that it may not go down well. Then your DD could become upset which would spoil the day and event for her

Limensoda · 02/03/2019 22:24

I read Sambo as a child. I loved him. So however offensive it's viewed today, I suppose I should be ashamed of loving him.
The thing is, children aren't racist until they are taught to be.
Children don't know a Tiger Lilly outfit is 'offensive' (more to white people than actual American Indians as it turns out)

It's a book written a long time ago.
The theme is that book. That book has lots of characters. One is Tiger Lilly.
No offence is intended. It's applicable to the book and subject....let your child be Tiger Lilly.

Original poster
CocaColaaa · 02/03/2019 22:25

I feel ive left it too late to complain tbh and I wouldnt want dd to stand out if she is dressed as anything else (not from peter pan) the tinkerbell dresses are all so awful hmm

OP posts:
CheshireChat · 02/03/2019 22:28

CocaColaaa it's not really too late, you can just that when you thought about outfits it made it clear just what a poor choice it was. I'm not thinking about taking it to the governors or something, more talking to the teacher sort of approach