Sunday’s episode of Real Housewives of Atlanta has sparked outrage after Kenya Moore wore a Native American headdress as a costume for a Halloween party.
But viewers are calling Bravo out for its hypocrisy.
During the episode, Moore’s castmate Drew Sidora slammed the costume as “problematic,” and viewers were equally as disturbed. So much so that several Indigenous groups stepped forward to condemn Moore.
And they weren’t wrong.
Her costume offended many viewers, who took to social media to express their outrage.
IllumiNative, an initiative created and led by Natives to ensure accurate and authentic portrayals of Native communities in pop culture and media, released the following statement:
A portion of it read: “We are deeply disturbed by last night’s episode of #RHOA in which @KenyaMoore wore a Native American “warrior princess” costume. Costumes that mock Native peoples, defame our traditions and cultures and perpetuate negative stereotypes are racist. “Playing Indian” is a form of mascotry that is not just offensive, it is part of a long history of how Native peoples have been dehumanized.”
In response, Moore very quickly released a heartfelt apology.
“I want to sincerely apologize for inappropriately wearing the Native American headdress as a costume. I now realize that this was both disrespectful and insensitive and would never have done it if I had that knowledge and understanding beforehand. I regret it. When you know better, you do better. I am genuinely sorry.”
Bravo even went as far as to release a statement on Moore’s actions.
“Bravo aims to have the highest standards of respect and inclusivity and we recognize that the recent episode of The Real Housewives of Atlanta, in which a cast member wears a Native American costume, did not uphold those values,” the network commented under IllumiNative’s post.
“We had hoped it would provide a teachable moment, however in retrospect it is clear that the network did not address this properly given the gravity of the situation. We apologize to both the Native American community and our audience as a whole.”
But after issuing the statement, Bravo has come under fire by many of its Black viewers for not treating a similar incident with a white housewife in the same way.
The “Real Housewives of New York City” star at Housewife Dorinda Medley’s Halloween bash back in 2017 dressed as Diana Ross — an oversized black afro and darkened skin.
During an episode of Watch What Happens Live With Andy Cohen, Luann de Lesseps claimed that she loved and respected Ross, but denied darkening her skin.
“I didn’t. I had bronzer on that I wear normally like the rest of my skin. I’m tan, like right now. So I didn’t add anything to or would ever, ever dream of doing a blackface. Ever,” she claimed.
Bravo did not issue a statement following de Lesseps’ offensive display.
