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.
What do you think of this story? Share your thoughts in the comments!
John Legend and Chrissy Teigen revealed they secretly welcomed fourth child – everything we know about their journey
John Legend and Chrissy Teigen had a difficult miscarriage before to the birth of their third child, and they have been transparent about it.
The couple has since revealed how, in secret, they welcomed a fourth child using an alternative way.
To learn more about the Wednesday birth announcement of their son, scroll down.
The couple was helped by a surrogate named Alexandra, and they did something amazing to show their gratitude for her support in welcoming their child into the world.
Alexandra is “the most incredible, loving, compassionate surrogate we could ever imagine,” according to a blog post written by Chrissy.
The minute we chatted with her, I knew she was the right person for us. “All of our goals and desires came true,” Chrissy wrote. “I wanted to rest my head on her belly and feel the kicks and hiccups, I wanted our kids to play, I wanted dinner together, and I wanted to be her friend. I desired for them to be in our lives for as long as possible.
She talked about how Alexandra “fought to get ready for a second transfer,” enduring “the mental toll” that came with it, and sacrificing “her own body” for surgeries.
Esti, the couple’s daughter, was being carried by Chrissy Teigen concurrently with the other two ladies. Alexandra writes that they “were overjoyed” to find that she was having a son.
Chrissy reminisced, “We watched Vanderpump Rules with our expanding bellies and celebrated eating hot pot together for the past year.”
“Got to witness the most beautiful woman, my friend, our surrogate, give birth amidst a bit of chaos, but with strength and pure joy and love,” Chrissy said on Instagram on June 19.
And Chrissy and John made the amazing decision to honor their surrogate. “We would like to express our gratitude for this amazing gift you have given us, Alexandra,” Chrissy wrote. We are overjoyed to announce his arrival to the world, bearing the name Wren Alexander Stephens, which will always be associated with you.
Luna and Miles are the couple’s two older children. Six months ago, they also welcomed Esti, their third daughter.Additionally, John Legend posted a photo of himself and his family with the newest addition. “Wren Alexander Stephens, our new love,” he captioned.
With their newest member, the family appears to be very content. We hope the best for them! Tell your friends and family about this wonderful news on Facebook.
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