Born in Honolulu, Hawaii, Jason Momoa has always been proud of his native culture and heritage. His appreciation for his culture also reflects in his work in Hollywood and some of his most popular characters. He never hesitates from discussing it, however, over the past few months, his approach toward his culture has seemed to have offended native Hawaiians.
They find his actions as more of an attention-seeking technique instead of appreciation toward his culture, leading the American actor to receive immense backlash from native Hawaiians.
Jason Momoa Representing His Culture And Heritage
Back in October 2022, Jason Momoa shared glimpses of his fishing trip with his fans on Instagram. A clip from the post featured the 43-year-old actor in a malo, a clothing piece of Native Hawaiian culture. While some native Hawaiians were grateful to see the actor posing in his traditional clothing, others had different feelings about it.
Many seemed to be thirsting over the See star in the post’s comments. Seeing the nature of most comments on Momoa wearing malo, native Hawaiians started calling out the s*xualization of the actor for his appreciation toward his native culture.
However, the Hawaiians were not supportive of the Game of Thrones star when he took things too far during his appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live! When Jimmy Kimmel asked Jason Momoa about fishing in a malo, he said that he has been wearing it regularly in order to prepare for his role in the upcoming TV show Chief of War.
Jason Momoa Receives Backlash From Native Hawaiians
Things went too far when the Aquaman star was asked about fishing in a malo on Jimmy Kimmel Live! After sharing the inspiration behind using malo in his daily life, Momoa stood up, removed all of his clothes to reveal the malo, and circled around to give the audience a good look before jiggling his butt toward the host of the talk show.
While people defended him after he was s*xualized for wearing a malo, they did not feel the same about what he did on the talk show. However, Momoa was not done yet. He continued posting snaps and clips wearing a malo on his Instagram.
One of the clips includes him promoting a t-shirt from his clothing and gear line called On the Roam. The Slumberland star walks off, dancing in malo and a t-shirt after sharing details about the new shirts for sale.
uhhh idk but my partner is Hawaiian & has said he hates having to wear tradish clothes like malo in front of non Hawaiians bc the commodification of Hawaiian culture 😐 not that jason momoa can’t just be sexy in whatever he’s wearing.
— anna (@annaaaae) October 26, 2022
Dwayne Johnson is Samoan. Jason Momoa shouldn't have to play every Native Hawaiian role. There are other Native Hawaiians out here. pic.twitter.com/fGpVxSMZkx
— Fangirl Jeanne (@fangirlJeanne) May 10, 2017
i know this is a joke, but i promise it’s not funny. at all. you didn’t even try to Google what he was wearing, all you care about is “oh it’s exotic so i think it’s hot”
— Pig (it/they/neos) (@KailuaPig) October 27, 2022
Literally went balls to the wall defending and trying to redirect the horrible online attention he was receiving. Now look. This is so embarrassing for him and it shits on every Hawaiian who tried to stand up for our culture a few weeks ago.
— anuhea (@AnuheaNihipali) November 10, 2022
Just a reminder to folks, not all representation is good representation. If someone from our community is very publicly prostituing and commodifying our culture on as large a scale as Jason Momoa is, it’s bound to inspire and encourage some a-holes outside the community too.
— ren • 蓮 🪷 (@renmaicha) November 29, 2022
While some find his actions appreciative of his culture and funny, others criticize him for being a “wannabe” by using and s*xualizing the Hawaiian culture. People took offense at his actions and accused him of using his culture for his own profit and encouraging people to s*xualize traditional Hawaiian clothing. Many even claimed that he does not deserve to portray the character in his upcoming TV series, Chief of War.
Source: Buzzfeed
