An Australian mom is being slammed for giving her 9-year-old son blackface. The little boy dressed up as Australian soccer star Nic Naitanui for a school book week parade. However, many have taken to social media criticizing her for painting his face black.
Students were instructed to dress up as their favorite hero or book character, so the boy donned a black wig and brown skin in honor of the West Coast Eagles player.
The original Facebook post has since been deleted, but not before appearing on various social media sites. Now the boy’s mom and the soccer star are reacting to the backlash.
In an interview with Radio 6PR reporter Lisa Barnes, the mom said that she just wanted to fulfill her son’s dream.
“Having to explain to my 9-year-old what’s going on was heartbreaking, his response ‘I dream of being Nic Nat, I just wanted to look like him for one day,'” she said.
However, in her initial post, she bragged about how “fanf—ingtastic” her son looked in blackface and described the act as a “parenting win.”
“He is pastey white and if I just sent him in a wig and footy gear, no one would tell who he was,” she said.
“So I grew a set of balls and painted my boy brown.”
“After being told by everyone on Facebook not to do it and it’s a horrible idea etc, my son won the f—ing parade!”
The mom later explained that she chose not to shelter her son and force him to choose something else. She also stated that he had “as much right as anyone else” to go to the fair as his idol.
“And a 9-year-old kid shouldn’t have to be subjected to being called racist or even know what it is at this age,” she added.
I certainly agree that calling a child racist is harsh. However, while I understand that her intentions were good, I take issue with how she reacted to the criticism.
The mom stated that people told her it was inappropriate, but she painted her son’s face anyway. It’s like saying, her kid’s feelings trumps the racist connotation behind blackface.
I agree that it’s important to foster our children’s dreams, but there should be limits. If my daughter wanted to dress up as her idol, I’d support that decision. However, I have no problem drawing the line if dressing up as a character means offending a group of individuals.
It’s no secret that blackface is offensive to the black community. This style of entertainment dating back to the 1800s involved white actors painting their faces black to represent African Americans. It’s often referred to as coonery, which perpetuates black stereotypes in society. This woman’s actions are far from a “parenting win.”
Instead of apologizing, she defended her son and said that he had a right to dress up as his idol. She “had the balls” to paint his face, and then boasted that he won the “ f—ing parade!”
As parents, it’s our duty to teach our children valuable lessons in life. If our kids came to us wanting to wear something that would offend people, we’d use the moment to teach them the importance of respect. My husband I would also explain why we won’t allow it.
Nic Naitanui has since responded to the backlash, saying that he believes their intentions we good.
“The young bloods innocence merely attempting to emulate his hero hurts my heart. Especially when that hero is me!” Naitanui wrote.
“It’s a shame racism co-exists in an environment where our children should be nurtured not tortured because they are unaware of the painful historical significance “blackface” has had previously on the oppressed.
“I don’t believe the mother had any intention to cause harm, just wanted her kid to simply be ‘Nic Nat’, however (she) may reflect on this and choose an alternate method next time.”
And at the end of the day I genuinely admire the kid for looking up to me.Would love to meet the little champion reader @WestCoastEagles
— Nic Naitanui (@RealNaitanui) August 26, 2016
In addition negative responses, the young fan and his mom has received support, with some saying there’s nothing wrong with dressing in blackface.
@wxnderless @RealNaitanui mimicking someone’s look, whether hair colour, eye colour, skin colour, clothes colour really isn’t racist. — Chris McKenna (@munkanu) August 26, 2016
@RealNaitanui @WestCoastEagles the kid is admiring you simple as that
im half black im not offended one bit .— Marcelo Da Silva (@mdsgrafix) August 26, 2016
Whether you agree with this mother’s decision or not. It’s imperative that we set a positive example for our kids. I’m hoping that their story serves as a way to educate those who may be ignorant to blackface and its historical significance.
Do you see anything wrong with painting a child’s face black?
CommentsStacy-Ann Gooden (aka Weather Anchor Mama) can be seen delivering the weather forecast on the news in New York City. But her most important role is being a wife and mom. She writes about balancing career and motherhood in her blog, Weather Anchor Mama. You can also follow her on twitter, Pinterest, and Instagram.
