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.
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After 43 Cosmetic Procedures to Look Like Barbie, Critics Claim She Resembles…
A 29-year-old woman from Baghdad, Dalia Naeem, has undergone 43 cosmetic procedures in her quest to transform herself into a real-life Barbie doll. Dubbed the “Iraqi Barbie” by some, Dalia’s striking features and golden hair have drawn both fascination and criticism.
Dalia’s transformation, reportedly costing thousands, has garnered her a significant following on social media, with over 996,000 Instagram followers and 43,900 TikTok fans. However, her recent appearance in a video with her makeup artist sparked mixed reactions. While the artist complimented her saying, “You look so beautiful, my dear, like Barbie,” some viewers were less kind, labeling her a “Zombie” and “Devil Barbie.”
In the video, Dalia, known for her tiny nose and prominent lips, acknowledges the compliments about her makeup, which was described as “Barbie-like.” Speculation suggests that her procedures include lip fillers, breast augmentations, and other enhancements.
Beyond her transformation, Dalia is a well-known actress and TV host in Iraq, living in the Adhamiyah neighborhood of Baghdad. Her pre-surgery photos reveal a striking difference, showcasing just how dramatically she has altered her appearance.
While Dalia’s journey has earned her both admirers and critics, it’s clear she has captured widespread attention for her dedication to embodying the Barbie image.
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