Television presenter Oriini Kaipara, proudly wearing a traditional Māori face tattoo, responded gracefully to online trolls, reaffirming her cultural pride and identity.
Kaipara, a trailblazing 41-year-old newsreader for New Zealand’s Newshub, made history as the first person to deliver a primetime news bulletin while wearing the moko kauae, a significant cultural symbol worn by Māori women. The moko kauae, traditionally placed on the lips and chin, reflects a woman’s heritage, status, leadership, and familial connections within the Māori community, the indigenous Polynesian people of New Zealand.
Despite the praise Kaipara has received, one viewer named David expressed his displeasure through an email to Newshub. According to the Daily Mail, David’s message criticized Kaipara’s appearance, calling her moko “offensive and aggressive looking” and dismissing her use of the Māori language as “incoherent.”
Rather than ignoring the remarks, Kaipara confronted them head-on. She shared the email exchange on her Instagram story, handling the situation with grace and dignity. In her response to David, Kaipara pointed out that his complaints were based on personal preferences about appearance and corrected his misspelling of the word “moko.” She made it clear that moko kauae represents no threat, and such expressions of cultural pride do not deserve intolerance or discrimination.
“We mean no harm or ill intent,” Kaipara wrote. “Neither do we deserve to be treated with such disregard.” She added a sharp rebuke, telling David to hold off on expressing his “cultural ignorance and bias” until a time more suited to such views—“ideally the 1800s.”
Despite this negative comment, Kaipara emphasized that most responses to her are positive, and trolls like David are the exception. In an interview with the New Zealand Herald following the incident, Kaipara spoke about the importance of having more Māori advocates in prominent positions. “The fact that my existence triggers some people is testament to why we need more Māori advocates in key roles across every sector,” she said.
Kaipara’s composed response serves as a powerful reminder of the importance of cultural pride and resilience. Her actions inspire others to embrace their identities with confidence and stand up against prejudice.
CBS Mornings’ Gayle King, 69, makes debut as cover girl for Sports Illustrated Swimsuit issue
Once she decided to go through with the photoshoot she set a few ground rules. She wasn’t going to starve herself and she didn’t want any retouching of her photos, except for “a few dimples on her thighs.”
“My grandmother said to me [when I was little], ‘Mother nature was not as kind to you as she was to other little girls. Maybe you need to start wearing makeup.’ I just never saw myself this way.”
She added, “I know what I look like before I go into hair and makeup, so it’s hard for me to go from that to [the cover]. That’s something I have to process myself.”
King had nothing to worry about.
When she arrived at the photo shoot in Mexico, she said photographer Yu Tsai made her feel like “Beyoncé, Jennifer Lopez, Halle Berry all rolled into one.”
“I felt so comfortable and cared for that I didn’t even have time to feel self-conscious.”
“I never in a million years thought I would be standing here in a bathing suit for Sports Illustrated [Swimsuit], but here I am, which says to me that sometimes people can dream, God can dream, the universe can dream a bigger dream than you can ever think for yourself,” King told Sports
Illustrated. “I would have never thought this was possible. This was nowhere on my bucket list. So I’m thinking maybe it was a dream that I didn’t even know I wanted because now that I’m here, I want it bad.”
Gayle looks amazing! I think it’s wonderful how Sports Illustrated showcases all different ages, body types, and races in their issue. We’re not all the same, and everyone deserves to be represented.
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