conner___leah_reflection_a_revision_-_acapella_recording_-_criss.mp3 | |
File Size: | 2671 kb |
File Type: | mp3 |
Malia Mahoe
Hadley Brouhard Malia Mahoe is an 18-year-old girl from a small village on the island of Hawai’i. An image of Malia is shown here. She is not conventionally beautiful, but she has more of the true Aloha Spirit in her than your average girl. Seeking success in Oahu she leaves everything she has ever known behind and makes the long trek into an unknown world despite the warnings from her friends and family. During her time in the big city she faces a major identity-crisis that causes her to question her beliefs, her heritage, and herself. As a child she was teased for her non-symmetrical features, but she never let it bother her because in her heart she knew, her spirit and her belief in Aloha was enough. When she travels to the city she is faced with the commodification of that spirit and asks herself ‘is it worth sacrificing my identity and my culture for monetary success?’ In the image she is shown with a slightly puzzled and lost look on her face and anyone can see the internal struggle she faces. However, in the end Malia chooses her spirit and her Ohana over the bright and shiny tourist world. Her trust in the spirits of her homeland, her culture, and her elders allows her to keep the Aloha Spirit alive. |
The Hawaiian Popstar
Anonymous Student Elvis Presley promoted ideas of whitewashing and historical stereotypes about Hawaii, such as exoticism and Hawaiian primitivism, throughout his lifetime. His inclusion in Lilo and Stitch stands as an obstacle to overcome these depictions of Hawaii, therefore his presence must be removed entirely to make significant progress toward good representation. To compensate, Disney should replace Elvis with a fictional Hawaiian celebrity whose songs are just as renowned and popular worldwide. The popstar must be of modern times and sing modern pop to create a message that Disney has moved on in its representation of the “historically imagined” Hawaii. The change of Elvis to a Hawaiian popstar also helps Disney with its representation of Pacific Islanders, as Lilo, David, and Nani are the only notable AAPI characters within the film. Lilo would then describe this popstar as the “model citizen” thus eliminating whitewashing and white superiority, which Elvis historically embodied. This prototype of a Hawaiian popstar provides an example for the type of character which Disney might create: a stylish, appealing Hawaiian man whose actions actually prove that he is an upstanding, model citizen. With his popularity, the star may advocate for and embody the Hawaiian representation he would like the rest of the world to fall behind. |