THIS ONE IS FOR THE 808 Ft. Auli'i Cravalho ｜ Drew Afualo ｜ THE COMMENT SECTION EP 72
Summary
Ali Cravalho is a legend in the making. She's a comedian, writer, podcaster, and podcaster from the Big Island. In this episode, we talk about her life growing up in a small town in Hawaii, her love of Moana, and her thoughts on representation in Hollywood.
Transcript
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The rock just existing was representation in and of itself, but even then, like...
00:00:05.100
I read a statistic that he makes up something like 80% of all Pacific Island roles.
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But I would also like to say that he owns the production company and...
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Hey, everyone, and welcome back to another episode of the Comment Section Show starring me, your favorite.
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Everybody knows me, and again, nobody cares about me anymore.
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Today, I have an extremely special guest, my fellow island yell, the one and only Ali'i Cravalho.
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It doesn't matter anymore. Nobody cares about me anymore.
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Ever since I became Spotify exclusive, they're like, okay, who's on the show?
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Well, thanks. I watch your episodes. I think you're really funny.
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I think of you kind of like a big sister from the internet.
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I love that for us. I love that I can be that for everyone else.
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Everyone's like, you're where I go when I want to be really mean.
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Outwardly presenting like, I have my talking points down pat and I do not stray from them.
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Listen, if we hang out outside of this podcast, we're going to fight, but we're going to love
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I was a little careful because Disney's watching.
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If you're not from the 808, you're just not going to get it.
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I made a joke on my other podcast with my sister about dating local Polynesian boys in Hawaii.
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And I was like, where they take you on a date to the Rainbow Drive-In.
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Everyone was like, my sister kind of laughed and I was like, the local bitches are going
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And you know your wifey when like, Waihole Poi Factory?
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Instead of just like easy finger food, everybody used to grab the tray and then put it back.
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That's why I'm like, this is going to be such a specific episode.
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I was still at CMMS schools, so I would like fly out once a month or so and just like do
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hours and hours, like six hours of voiceover work.
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I didn't apply because I didn't, like my friends were auditioning.
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I was like, eh, I enjoy singing, but I'm not going to make a career out of it.
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And then seemingly on the last day of casting, I got like an email because my friends and
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I put together an audition to become the entertainment of a non-profit event because we also got extra
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And the casting director was from Hawaii Five-0 and she was also doing casting on the islands.
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And I did my first slate and it worked out and they flew me up and changed my life.
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What was that experience like when you like first, because you're like, you said you weren't
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So like, how was that transition from like that to being the first ever Polynesian princess
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I also, like I said, like I went to an all Hawaiian school and like born and raised on the island.
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And so I knew how important it would be to my community, to my family.
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Like my cousins go to Punanaleo or like Hawaiian immersion schools.
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They were like, someone who looks like me, who like actually is going to be played by someone
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Like, but I was also cast when I was 14 and I was like, oh no, I have to create like a public
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I have to, I would send all of my posts through Disney first to make sure that it got approved.
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My mom's like, you can't turn out like Miley Cyrus or like Britney Spears.
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I mean, you only know what you know at the time, but it worked out.
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Well, and also like, I think growing up in the public eye is never easy.
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I got, I got into this world when I was an old man.
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But like the beauty of that is that you have such a specific and vibrant personality.
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Whereas I feel like I'm trying to find it in the eye of the public.
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Like you like have a voice and you're like, fuck it.
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You know, whereas I'm like, still moving through it.
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You know, when that came out too, when the movie actually came out, very exciting time
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Um, we were all very stoked, but I remember one of my friends sent me, um, the, to audition
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When I looked at it, it said like, you couldn't be taller than five, four.
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And I said, Hey girl, didn't read that first line.
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But let's, let's talk because did you see the videos of Moana's in the park?
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If you don't have the, the, the tan lines of the slippers, the Scots.
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Thank you to the Island of Oahu exclusively for making sure he won.
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Um, when he auditioned, I knew, well, I just knew he was Polynesian, but like when
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I knew he was from the North Shore specifically.
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No, it warmed my heart because I was like, those are the new khaki shorts with the new
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AAPI month passed, but we're keeping up the tension.
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Well, I'm really glad, too, with Moana as a whole, like, that they had someone like you.
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And obviously, you know, The Rock is like a classic figure in the Pacific Islander community.
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So I'm really happy that in the world, yeah, I always make that joke.
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I'm like, if you aren't familiar with someone, people like really as a whole, and then you
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mentioned The Rock, they're like, oh, yeah, yeah, because they conflate.
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I mean, I feel like I can tell based off, like, facial features.
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I feel like I always can tell, like, which Pacific Islander you are.
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See, like, me and Ali are both Pacific Islander, but we do not look the same.
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But my dad is also, like, Puerto Rican and Portuguese.
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So I'm about as white passing of a Hawaiian as you can get.
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Well, I think it's important that, like, you're also a local girl, but that you
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got so much, like, I guess, like, so much protection around you in launching a new
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movie like that, because that's scary to do a whole new movie, especially one that's
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supposed to be representative of so many different cultures.
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No, I was really grateful that it was only just voiceover.
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Like, I also did a lot of press for it because Dwayne was, I think, doing, like, Baywatch and
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So I did the majority of the press tour, which.
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Yes, which is where, like, thankfully, my career, like, kind of started because otherwise
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if I only did the voiceover portion without any press, that would know who I am.
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But that meant that I could still go to, like, KTA and buy beans, you know, like, no one
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I, you know, I'm not, I don't know if it's the same experience for you.
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But, like, I feel like when I'm in Hawaii now, like, nobody cares about me and I'm
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And they're so nice, but they don't, like, treat me any differently, which I do like.
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I was expecting, like, a little star treatment.
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Girl, I saw, you know, Tony had them on, like, welcoming him with a sign on the runway.
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When I pulled up to Daniel K. Inouye International Airport.
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I feel like when I go there, they don't care about me, and I'm cool with that.
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I feel like they come up, and they say hi, and they're so nice.
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But they just don't treat me any differently, which I love.
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I need someone who is going to be real with me.
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Like, someone will see you on the subway, and you're like...
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I go there all the time now for work, and everybody there...
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Like, super closed in my buildings and pavement is not my vibes.
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But I also felt like New York was very similar to Hawaii in that it's a melting pot.
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Food is so good in New York, too, because you can get anything at any time, always.
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I used to really hate it, but now, like, that I go a lot, it's growing on me a little bit.
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As far as my affinity to go there, like, on my own free time...
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Everything else is required of me if I have to go to New York.
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I mean, yeah, you'll see me there if there's money involved.
00:14:05.960
So, we were talking about representation earlier.
00:14:07.960
So, today on the show, I want to talk about Polynesian representation in media.
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Obviously, Ali is somewhat of an expert, if I do say so myself.
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It starts and ends with, like, you and me when it comes to women.
00:14:28.680
Yeah, it truly is, which is why it's so important that we have people like Ali starring in all
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kinds of different films, not just animated ones.
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But, I want to talk about today, for those of you who don't know, what we do here on the
00:14:42.520
comment section, is we bring videos that I was tagged in, that are applicable to our
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topic for today, and then we're going to laugh, kiki, talk about them, dissect them, whatever
00:14:50.420
So, this first video, I just give quick summaries of them.
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This one is, in this video, the filmmaker, oh, it's Taika Waititi, is speaking at an event,
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and he talks about how instead of studios making projects where they just add in token
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Polynesian characters or token POC characters, when it doesn't make sense to the story and
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calling it diversity, he would rather see shows and films made by Polynesian directors and
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showrunners that center around Polynesian characters and stories, right?
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I also, I sometimes find that when I watch shows that, for some reason, indigenous characters
00:15:30.980
are sometimes the punchline or, like, the butt of the joke or, like, the dumb character.
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And if that's the representation we get, we don't want it.
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But it's also, I saw, I think I know, like, the clips of where he's talking about this
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because I've been seeing it a lot lately on my social media.
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But he's also talking about how, like, if you have, like, a story that centers Polynesian
00:16:02.500
characters and you cast, like, all Polynesian roles, okay, great.
00:16:07.180
But then it should go beyond that and you should have Polynesian showrunners and, like, diversity
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No, that's so massive because otherwise you also get, how do I say this?
00:16:22.600
Like, you just, you kind of, you get boxed in of how much you can actually talk about
00:16:33.220
You know, if you're going to tell me that I can, like, wear a hula skirt but it can only
00:16:39.320
be made out of, like, raffia, which is, like, it's, like, plastic.
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Like, you know, one of those hula dolls and stuff, it's like, mm, this is the whitewashed
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Like, his tone and his directorial style, his writing is so unique.
00:17:11.880
He has, like, such a unique voice and, and we're hoping to see more of that on screen and
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Like, if you don't, if you don't allow this space, you're never going to get these rich,
00:17:25.300
And I saw him say, too, like, the reason why it's important is because, like, you
00:17:29.660
have, you have these Polynesian people who want to tell this Polynesian story, but then
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if you have a white showrunner, like, they're telling you how they acted in that story, which,
00:17:47.320
Because they're not going to get the jokes about the Scots.
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They're not going to get the rainbow drive-in joke.
00:17:52.880
You're not going to understand that the best chicken comes from Foodland and that the
00:18:06.540
So, some of the comments on this video, this one says,
00:18:09.640
In a world that's run by white people and where media is 80% white, no one will watch
00:18:18.660
Well, things are getting canceled left and right.
00:18:21.240
So, tell that to your favorite streaming service.
00:18:25.860
There's a lot of factors that go into stuff like that.
00:18:32.040
Like, for example, I can watch the movie Encanto.
00:18:39.380
But did I play it on a loop every day all of January last year?
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Like, it's one of those things where it's like, well, if it doesn't include me, I can't
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You only watch films and movies that you personally feel represented in?
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Making something specific that, like, a community feels seen about.
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There is Aotearoa, aka New Zealand, which they're still fighting to bring back their native
00:19:46.780
It's just like their exposure to it doesn't go past, like, they watched Lilo and Stitch
00:19:54.020
in the dentist's office one time and they're like, I've seen it all.
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Like, okay, that movie was about native Hawaiian people who inherit an alien.
00:20:09.400
But I watched it and I was like, this movie's hilarious.
00:20:21.660
That's literally me begging for representation.
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Then when Moana came out, that was our next move.
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The rock just existing was representation in and of itself.
00:20:32.700
I read a statistic that he's like, he makes up something like 80% of all Pacific Island
00:20:39.920
But I would also like to say that he owns the production company.
00:20:48.560
We need to make the production companies and cast ourselves is what I'm hearing.
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Imagine like you in like Tooth Fairy or in Baywatch.
00:21:41.980
But then that means I look older than The Rock and that's mean.
00:21:57.800
I'm just trying to keep up with the Fast and Furious.
00:22:00.660
Yeah, it's a spinoff of Fast and Furious to my knowledge.
00:22:10.660
But he is in a spinoff of it and then he goes back to Samoa.
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The shirt came off, the shirt came back on, where it came from, where it went, we don't know.
00:22:24.080
Yeah, when his mom was like, I replaced all the guns with spears.
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I remember when I watched it, they're like, who else can we think of?
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They don't need to look alike or be the same age.
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Yeah, there's a whole scene where he goes back to Samoa when really it's in Hawaii, I think.
00:23:09.920
That's about the same amount of times that I've met him.
00:23:17.500
So I only met him for a press day and then at the premiere.
00:23:29.220
Sometimes when I, in my interactions with him that I've posted pictures and videos and
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stuff, people are like, oh, I know you said you were big, but now I feel like you really
00:23:39.560
are because they saw me standing next to him and he looks normal size.
00:23:43.180
And I was like, well, that's, well, that's kind of mean, but it's okay.
00:23:54.340
Listen, you watch your favorite sports, your, your, your football, watch rugby.
00:24:03.300
And then you'll see that every one of us is enormous and that's okay.
00:24:10.600
Taika Waititi is directing a movie based off a Samoan soccer team, which is extra representative
00:24:16.280
for me because I did play soccer my whole life.
00:24:31.700
And I'm like, that's the most represented, representative, wait, represented I've ever felt looking at
00:24:39.900
But you really are like representation for a lot of women.
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Did people try to guess what you were when they, when you first came onto the scene?
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Cause they've guessed about me and I'm like, you're so wrong.
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I just get racially ambiguous, which sends me into like a spiral.
00:25:04.060
Um, because I am, so I'm like a mixed plate, right?
00:25:06.600
Like I'm Hawaiian, um, Irish, Chinese, Puerto Rican and Portuguese, which comes from the sugarcane
00:25:15.100
plantations and how a lot of people went to Hawaii and found cheap labor.
00:25:19.120
Um, but yeah, I, I really do feel like representation is so incredibly important.
00:25:25.600
Like I think that it changes lives and saves lives.
00:25:29.020
Um, so I, I just have to like recognize that my identity is Hawaiian.
00:25:35.720
Um, but I will almost have to convince people that I, I know my shit for forever.
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I, I feel like it's such a, it's such a weirdly invasive thing to have to like validate your
00:25:55.140
It's such a, such a strange and uncomfortable feeling.
00:25:58.680
It's something that I feel like people shouldn't have to do.
00:26:01.260
Does, do people just constantly tell you about their trips to Hawaii?
00:26:06.060
Girl, when Juana came out, look, this is me collecting my, my reparations.
00:26:19.340
When, when they see us too, like, cause my family is very like clearly someone, I think,
00:26:25.060
I think my sister and my mom are a little more, a little more ambiguous, but like they
00:26:37.560
But even now I feel like my dad looks extremely someone like super.
00:26:43.480
Um, I feel like mine's like that kind of, my brother's super.
00:26:47.240
So when they see us as a family, they're like, Oh, look at you guys.
00:26:56.460
And I've said on the show before that how like Polynesian people love long hair on men,
00:27:00.480
especially long hair on everyone, but especially men.
00:27:03.120
And, uh, my, my boyfriend has really long hair.
00:27:16.380
Listen, we're lucky to have full full heads of hair.
00:27:21.340
That's why when I make fun of shitty men's hairlines, the thinning, I'm allowed to.
00:28:10.160
So only unless you want to make movies catered to yourself, which would make very little money.
00:28:20.180
Like, why am I watching two men beat each other up?
00:28:43.740
So I think we can always find something that's entertaining and informative that, I don't know, we see brown people in more than one, preferably.
00:28:53.520
Just like, I just think it's crazy when you, when people are like, you know what?
00:29:05.800
And everyone's like, what about the rest of us?
00:29:14.120
Close your eyes and go through a Rolodex and you'll find one of someone who looks like you.
00:29:19.040
I remember when I worked with Ron and John, who, Ron Clements and John Musker, who made Little Mermaid.
00:29:28.720
Like, from branding, they were like, we're never going to be able to sell enough redhead dolls because people aren't going to see themselves.
00:29:37.600
It has taken us so long to see, like, these baby steps.
00:29:43.740
But this is also the good thing about us being part of, like, a younger generation.
00:29:52.380
And, like, it's true that AAPI month just passed, but it's also keeping up that energy throughout the rest of the year.
00:29:58.460
And, yes, creating our own production companies like Dwayne does to make sure that we stay in the forefront.
00:30:04.880
Otherwise, we are trying to, I think, change people's minds.
00:30:09.620
Like, no, I could play this character that you perceive to be white, like, in your head.
00:30:14.080
Because you will pretty consistently casting will see themselves in these roles.
00:30:22.480
And that's also, T, about the part about the redhead because they just never say the quiet part out loud, which is that white people aren't going to like this.
00:30:35.380
They deem what's popular because they control what's popular.
00:30:38.420
And so they just don't say the quiet part out loud, which is why now when you see so much representation, or at least, like, a sliver more than you ever have in the last, like, 20 years, people are like, oh, it's just everywhere.
00:30:54.580
And it's, like, it's not even scratching the surface of how much media comes out every single year.
00:30:59.820
And it doesn't include POC representation whatsoever.
00:31:02.800
But it's true that they just, like, like, argh.
00:31:08.540
And it's, like, your entire worldview, if you only ever see white people all the time, cis, straight, white people all the time, everywhere you go, that's a problem.
00:31:19.760
That's not a good thing, that you have no idea what life looks like outside of a white lens.
00:31:27.860
And as an adult, there's no way that you shouldn't be consuming media from different cultures, to some extent, at this point.
00:31:41.080
Like, literally any form of media at your fingertips.
00:31:44.660
It's a conscious choice you're making if you're actively choosing to only watch things that represent white people.
00:31:53.940
I think I should make it my mission so that you can't.
00:31:56.680
Like, you're going to see me everywhere from now on.
00:32:06.560
I'm going to spread to every single platform so you never, ever, ever escape me.
00:32:16.640
And I think, too, like, even when you talk about Iyamtongi, like, a lot of people, that was like their first exposure ever that Polynesian people can sing.
00:32:26.000
Which is crazy because Ali's been in the game for a minute.
00:32:28.460
And she can sing, but a lot of you bitches don't know.
00:32:32.780
Literally go to any high school in any of the Polynesian islands and you will hear the most incredible voices.
00:32:44.280
Like, in the arts, like, as a whole, dance, singing, all of that.
00:32:49.180
And I didn't get the singing gene, unfortunately.
00:33:12.460
And that's the, I'm the version they're forced to see.
00:33:23.900
In this video, a man is commenting on, oh, look, American Idol Polynesian contestant
00:33:35.900
Basically saying that he thinks E.M.'s voice isn't that strong and that he'll most likely
00:33:48.900
And clearly he was talented enough to win the entire thing.
00:33:54.400
I'm so tired of having to convince people that talent exists and that it doesn't matter
00:34:05.800
Well, just because you personally don't like it doesn't mean that that person isn't talented
00:34:10.760
It just means it's not your preference, which is like a different thing.
00:34:18.120
One thing that E.M. did was like in just an incredible way is he played songs that are
00:34:25.560
close to our culture, playing like Kolohe Kai, like Island Reggae.
00:34:30.120
When he played Cool Down, like that song we grew up with, a lot of you bitches have never
00:34:40.420
But you think about songs like that and when he sang a Spawn Breezy song, those are just
00:34:46.280
songs that are so close to us that to see that on the big screen on a national television
00:34:57.280
But he chose songs that represent him, that represent his culture.
00:35:05.220
And when I see like people talk about singing, like I see sometimes they describe some voices
00:35:12.100
So they're voices that, although technically may not be like the craziest voice you've ever
00:35:20.200
But they tell a story, they move you, they make you feel something, which is the whole
00:35:27.600
So they're saying storyteller voices are just as important as ones that are like one of
00:35:34.920
But like, you know, whenever they think about someone who can sing crazy, crazy talented,
00:35:39.380
they reference people like Mariah Carey or like Michael Jackson or something like that,
00:35:45.380
I just think it's just like apples and oranges.
00:35:46.920
You can't really compare them because they're different lanes.
00:35:57.560
I have such a hard time convincing people that to just watch things that are out of their
00:36:07.160
Well, it's also like it feels telling when they look a certain way, because here's the real
00:36:17.000
There are many artists who are their voices are OK.
00:36:22.620
They're they're solid, but they're much more marketable.
00:36:27.160
What that means is they're palatable like people.
00:36:32.940
There are plenty of people like that who have careers.
00:36:35.960
But then you see someone like I am and you're like, well, who am I going to market that
00:36:44.960
And whatever else, whatever other kind of internalized biases you got going on in here.
00:36:50.880
You're not being honest with yourself when you judge him so harshly like that instead
00:36:58.240
There's plenty of examples of people who are mediocre and still have singing careers.
00:37:05.020
I don't even know who I'm talking about, but I'm sure you thought of a name.
00:37:09.180
And some of these comments prove that because like this one says, bro, you're exactly right.
00:37:15.820
He's not marketable unless he becomes like a Jimmy Buffett 2.0.
00:37:40.280
It's like, I wonder why you like Jimmy Buffett and not Ian.
00:37:45.520
I'm only going to scratch my head about that one.
00:37:48.420
Jimmy Buffett of all the people you could compare him to?
00:37:58.320
Do you remember the Jimmy Buffetts that used to be in Waikiki?
00:38:06.760
My friend used to serve there and she used to give us nachos for free, even though she
00:38:15.880
I can't say her name, but you know who you are, girl.
00:38:28.280
I think it's just like, I think that sometimes people aren't, they just aren't being honest
00:38:37.140
Because if, I have this like theory that like, if everyone was truly honest about why they
00:38:43.620
don't like certain people in the public sphere, so like whether they're actors, singers, whatever
00:38:47.640
it may be, if you were actually 100% honest with yourself, a lot of times you would find
00:39:00.460
But sometimes when you think, I really don't like that guy, I can't think of why.
00:39:20.660
Because I love her content because I feel like you give voice to like my inner demons,
00:39:26.620
But you've actually like gone through the whole thing of the thought process.
00:39:32.520
Well, I think self-reflection is important, especially as an adult, as like a contributing
00:39:38.580
It's important that you stay in tune in here and be honest with yourself.
00:39:42.640
So sometimes, especially when you talk about internalized misogyny.
00:39:47.820
So like naturally, if you're someone who identifies as a woman and you're raised in a patriarchal
00:39:52.760
society, your natural inclination is to demonize women.
00:39:55.840
Like is to compete with them, is to feel like, you know, this kind of nagging, almost
00:40:03.600
irritation or annoyance with them, depending on who it is, especially if it's someone that
00:40:07.380
you feel like is of equal or higher value than you.
00:40:10.940
But that's like a patriarchal, that's internalized misogyny.
00:40:14.080
Like you comparing yourself to other women and being judgmental of other women.
00:40:17.440
Because we don't have that same scale for men, which is true because they don't, you know,
00:40:22.840
theirs is like fostered as like a, oh, that's a great thing.
00:40:27.340
For women, it's like there can only be one of us.
00:40:30.320
So when I've unlearned and undid a lot of my own internalized misogyny, like sometimes
00:40:36.200
if I felt like I was having like private beef with another girl, if I sat with myself, I'm
00:40:51.480
Yeah, I've also had that crabs in a barrel mentality.
00:40:55.860
Where like, which I've had specifically coming from like the islands as well, where like
00:41:01.700
you're going to, you're making it, you're trying so hard and someone's going to pull
00:41:05.600
And if I, if I do that to other women, I'm not surprised that other people would do that
00:41:13.060
Like even in a, like a Polynesian representation kind of way of like, oh, you already have like
00:41:20.940
And that's, that's another thing too, that you have to tie it back to representation
00:41:25.300
is like, I think where we kind of eat our, we, we kind of eat ourselves up like that.
00:41:32.120
If we're like, oh, like for example, if you hear like the rock gets 80% of Polynesian
00:41:37.280
rolls, which again is because there's like two and he gets one of them, you know what I'm
00:41:41.940
And there's nobody else who can, who can fill in the other slot, um, which is not his fault.
00:41:49.340
So maybe sometimes Polynesian people would be like, I'm sick of seeing him.
00:41:53.180
I'm sick of seeing him play every Polynesian role.
00:41:57.220
But it's also like, it turns us against each other.
00:42:00.280
Instead of focusing on the real problem, which is why is there nobody else?
00:42:03.600
And why are there only two roles every three, four or five, six years?
00:42:09.180
And I, I took it back on that comment that was saying like, we should make our own system.
00:42:16.940
As much as I would love to make our own like BET channel, but like call it P-E-T.
00:42:37.320
Like we're just bleeding into all different forms and.
00:42:41.760
Until we can all make our own seven bucks productions and cast ourselves into our own stuff.
00:42:48.280
Okay, this next comment says, be honest, I heard him sing and said that's below average.
00:42:59.180
I'm at a, I don't know what that word is supposed to say.
00:43:05.140
It's like a Samoan like, like a community house.
00:43:08.440
Again, there are so many fucking talented people coming out of Polynesia.
00:43:25.860
But we have like so many beautiful like choirs.
00:43:28.580
And I think it comes from also a lot of our storytelling and our history is through, is, is only verbal.
00:43:36.740
Like we don't have a written, we didn't have a written language.
00:43:45.980
Mo'oku oh ho is like our genealogy from generations back.
00:43:54.580
And it was one of the only ways we kept culture alive while being colonized.
00:44:03.040
And any other kind of cultural practice like in Samoan culture.
00:44:06.360
It's like the, like the tribal tattoo is another way that we preserve cultural practice.
00:44:12.580
I remember when I first started like growing a platform and people were like curious what I was.
00:44:24.700
And specifically they would say like, I'm not Samoan, but is it cool if I get a tribal?
00:44:35.360
There's, well, there's meaning behind every inch of it.
00:44:44.720
Mine is just the gun, but I'm looking forward to getting, we call it cacao where, yeah,
00:44:53.260
But the, the artist that I, I want to see, like you also can't control where it goes on
00:45:00.240
Like you, you taught in the process of getting a tattoo is also completely different from like a,
00:45:05.100
a different, a Western mentality where you describe what you've been through.
00:45:10.160
You describe your family name, where you come from and where you're going.
00:45:13.300
Like I have a lot of, um, like seafaring birds because I always want to find my way back
00:45:19.660
And then I have the kukia imauna symbol, which is, uh, we're like still fighting to have like
00:45:27.760
Like, and, and so I have that symbol embedded in it.
00:45:31.320
I have like, I, I understand every inch of it and it also fits like the, the placement
00:45:38.120
And, and like the little, you used to have little manu, little teeth.
00:45:41.160
Like, I know I have like, I've, I've talked about this before cause some people are like
00:45:46.140
really racist about my tattoo, but this is like Samoan tribal.
00:45:49.600
This is, um, malu on the hand, which is typically given on the, the thighs for women.
00:45:56.220
Um, but it's for chiefly women of chiefly bloodlines and my mom's bloodline is chiefly.
00:46:03.780
I believe my dad might have chief in his bloodline too, but I know for a fact, my mom's maiden
00:46:09.660
So it's like holds a lot of power and last names are really important in our cultures,
00:46:13.220
which is why when people botch my last name, that's you being racist, bitch.
00:46:18.540
So our last names hold a lot of power, which is why I'm really proud of my last name and
00:46:25.600
And your first name, your first name is also Hawaiian, which I love.
00:46:29.060
I thought for a while of just going by Auli'i or taking my mom's, mom's maiden name of Ke'ana'aina.
00:46:36.000
But I also like, there's also something to be said about representation for like mixed kids.
00:46:43.120
That's the, it's the world that we're living in.
00:46:51.080
And like, it's true that it, they just have so much more meaning, you know, like, like
00:46:59.400
And it's like, it's fun that we also know that, like we know our history.
00:47:03.560
We've learned it from when we were really young.
00:47:07.300
And it's passed down through like stories and everything too, which is why I always tell
00:47:13.560
people, if you have to ask me, the answer is no.
00:47:22.160
You can tattoo a literal dick on your arm if you want it.
00:47:25.140
Like you could tattoo any, you could write shit on your arm if you really wanted to.
00:47:31.100
You don't have to get something that belongs to us.
00:47:36.960
If you have to, if you have to gut check with me, the answer is probably no.
00:47:41.600
I've said it many, many times, which is so funny.
00:47:44.400
Um, I, back to the, the colonization part of like passing down culture.
00:47:47.960
Um, one of my cousins was telling me recently, um, and obviously he's someone too, that,
00:47:52.660
uh, there are a lot of someone that are Mormon, right?
00:47:57.340
But, um, they said a lot of them were Mormon because Mormon was one of the few religions
00:48:08.300
They let them still make food the way they wanted and speak in their language.
00:48:12.700
Whereas, cause someone's a dying language, just like I think Hawaiian's a dying language
00:48:18.920
Um, so Mormonism was one of the only religions that let them keep that.
00:48:24.160
So there's many more Mormons than anything, but like, yeah, there are some Christians and
00:48:32.180
Like translating our hymns into our native language.
00:48:36.440
Which is crazy to think about because even then they were like, well, can I still do my
00:48:46.720
They let us still dress the way we wanted and stuff like that, which is crazy to think
00:48:51.580
Like that's another thing that we had to like endure and overcome and are still dealing
00:48:59.240
Because with colonization comes white supremacy.
00:49:01.040
And that's another reason why a lot of biases have been passed down in generations
00:49:05.620
Because like I've told people before, gender is not real.
00:49:11.380
But especially if you look at indigenous cultures like ours, we never had a gender binary.
00:49:17.380
And that's why I said when some people want to have this conversation with me, I'm like,
00:49:19.720
some of you bitches are not smart enough to have this conversation with me.
00:49:23.640
I was like, that's what my culture, my culture did not adhere to a strict gender binary.
00:49:30.420
Everything all goes back to the same center point.
00:49:32.700
So when you ask me a superficial question, like, can I get tribal on me?
00:49:41.880
It's like a whole list of why that's so harmful and problematic.
00:49:53.240
When I tell you that when I got this, like after an hour long consultation and the pain
00:49:58.080
of getting it, I was like, oh, I feel like a little more complete.
00:50:01.620
Like, no matter, even if I live in Los Angeles, which is not too far away from Hawaii, but
00:50:06.660
also leagues away culturally, I'm like, oh, at least like I know who I am.
00:50:12.020
And if it's not outwardly presenting, like I still feel, I still like feel the, the importance
00:50:19.940
Like that is how important these tatau, kakao are for us.
00:50:24.260
It's, it's so, it plays such a, it's plays such a strong and vibrant role in our lives
00:50:31.240
So when someone's just like, well, that looks cool.
00:50:37.440
Well, a lot of things look cool and you don't see me getting it.
00:50:43.860
Not everything in this life is for everyone, but that's why I think that's just an entitlement
00:50:49.120
They're like, well, I feel entitled to literally everything.
00:50:54.540
So how do we tackle everyone telling us about their vacations to Hawaii?
00:51:08.760
Like, I'm just going to start saying that's offensive.
00:51:17.180
I, I've dealt with that before where they're like, where are you guys from?
00:51:25.520
So I'm always like, not far from here, honestly.
00:51:42.280
I was saying that I went on a road trip from Tennessee here to LA with my dad.
00:51:48.580
But my dad grew up, born and raised on Big Island.
00:51:51.520
So like, he has a thick accent that he has to work really hard to not put on.
00:51:58.780
Like, you know, like fully talking in like pigeon to him.
00:52:16.820
Like, it's a different, it's a different sound.
00:52:19.920
And I'll do that when someone passes me and I go, oh, what language is that?
00:52:24.440
But asking if you can get something tattooed on your body is a little different.
00:52:34.920
This last comment on this video of EM is, it's for the views.
00:52:46.600
Um, I would say for stuff like that, I mean, well, first of all, everyone loves a good
00:52:55.700
Um, but that's not what got him through the competition.
00:52:58.660
And that's also like specifically produced by the show.
00:53:04.640
You, and that has nothing to do with his talent.
00:53:12.520
Well, especially if the show is like, once you get to a certain point in it, like it's
00:53:21.440
So you're not telling the story over and over again.
00:53:25.720
And you just watch me every week, like sing and perform.
00:53:34.420
If you're, if he's not your cup of tea, that's fine.
00:53:37.080
Like, uh, Islander, you know, voices and songs and stories, I guess if they're not
00:53:45.620
But at the same time, I feel like, who are you to judge how someone else sings?
00:53:53.020
Like, I know for a fact, like when I watch the Great British Baking Show, not my culture,
00:54:00.140
I don't know how to do anything in the oven, but I watch it and I'm like, wow, she made
00:54:05.000
a huge mistake and I keep it in here because I know I have no right to judge how someone
00:54:11.780
else does something that I physically cannot do.
00:54:19.880
I'm constantly judging America's Got Talent, American Idol, all of them.
00:54:29.680
I tell people like, I want to be on The Voice so bad, but I cannot sing.
00:55:00.120
I don't know that I have the qualifications, but.
00:55:08.880
I mean, you can sing and you know, technically, I'm sure.
00:55:14.260
You know, like technical terms for all singing and all that.
00:55:25.300
I don't know what that means at all, but it sounds legit to me.
00:55:48.380
That's new information that just trickled into my brain.
00:56:19.240
I guess at the end of the day, all these people are racist and you can eat shit in this second
00:56:26.300
I just think if I can't do it and I have a problem with someone who can, I'm probably
00:56:37.500
I think there's power to an admitting that you're being a hater.
00:56:42.020
I'm like, am I just like the biggest fucking hater or is this person annoying?
00:56:49.520
I highly encourage everyone to do it of all ethnicities, ages, gender identities.
00:56:55.500
Just to ask yourself, am I the biggest fucking hater in the world or is this person actually
00:57:01.340
No, Drew, because you have to realize I am like in this industry day in, day out.
00:57:05.020
I know who like, who gets like a few steps ahead of me and I'm like, fuck, you know,
00:57:17.360
When it's women pitting women against each other.
00:57:19.520
The beautiful part about that though is diagnosing it and then understanding it.
00:57:39.660
So we're at the end of the show now, but what would you, what kind of like words of
00:57:45.500
wisdom or advice would you want to give to maybe Polynesian people who want to break
00:57:50.320
into this industry, whether it's like an actor or a singer or an artist in some fashion,
00:57:54.920
like what would you say is like your best piece of advice for them if they're feeling a little
00:58:03.260
Um, I think that there are so many ways that you can get into this industry if this industry
00:58:11.820
Otherwise, like you could continue putting videos up on, on the YouTube, on the social
00:58:18.880
That is really increasing traction and allowing our voices to be heard.
00:58:23.380
But also not, um, don't let other people tell you what your representation should look
00:58:32.380
We look very different, but we're, we're making waves and changing the industry from
00:58:37.720
And speaking of that, I want to see Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders.
00:58:41.980
And yes, I will group us together because honestly, if I see two people of color as leads,
00:58:48.900
So they're grouping us together in a, in a, in a month.
00:58:52.680
Uh, I want to see more Asian American and Pacific Islanders like behind the cameras,
00:58:57.380
like as the show runners in the writers rooms, you know, producer, director, like gaffer
00:59:04.160
working on podcasts, like working on in sound, like figuring it all out because it's truly
00:59:11.420
Like people are playing golf on the weekends, talking about how they can get their son's
00:59:19.380
Anyway, like, like random people into the industry and we don't have that kind of community
00:59:28.900
And then, and then it's just telling your story as uniquely and authentically as possible.
00:59:36.960
I think too, like just being proud of being Pacific Islander in any fashion, it's a good
00:59:46.660
If you haven't noticed, I think, uh, sticking to it and being proud of it and talking about
00:59:52.840
it a lot is another way that we get each other in the door because we stick together and we
00:59:57.860
uplift each other and we put each, put each other in the rooms where necessary and where
01:00:03.120
possible and where we can, which is what I always try to do.
01:00:07.140
That's why I've always like tried to platform Pacific Islanders.
01:00:09.920
Some people are like, I've had, I've had two someone people already on the show, but some
01:00:13.860
people are like, we need more Pacific Islanders.
01:00:16.140
I was like, girl, I'm looking, let me know if you find any, let me know if you find any.
01:00:21.260
Ali's obviously added now too, thankfully, but like, I, I need more.
01:00:28.340
So, um, yeah, I'm just, I'm really grateful that you got to come on the show.
01:00:32.840
I'm grateful we got to talk about representation, but mostly bitch, I'm grateful for your presence
01:00:44.200
I'll play an inanimate object if that's what it takes.
01:00:47.080
Oh, and I mean this, by the way, I am, I am not playing Moana.
01:00:57.680
I love Moana for the fact that she is a dark skinned Polynesian girl with brinky hair, down
01:01:06.240
And I'm very happy to see that role in a live action sense, go to someone who looks like
01:01:15.180
I highly, highly encourage all my Pacific Islander brothers and sisters to apply for
01:01:29.740
But you saw like Ali, you talked about how like hers came on a coincidence, like a random
01:01:37.360
And some people, someone I tweeted about, uh, when you had announced that you're, you're
01:01:43.440
So everyone was really happy about that, which is so sick.
01:01:46.560
I'm so happy that you, um, said that publicly, which is so strong and powerful.
01:01:51.960
But when I was, uh, I retweeted it and I was like basically saying like, I'll play literally
01:02:11.100
Some people were like, oh, you should play Moana.
01:02:25.140
But I did say that I really want to see that role go to someone else.
01:02:31.320
I really want to see it go to someone like I, again, I, I can't even sing either on top
01:02:36.560
So I'm, I'm not qualified, but I'm so excited to see who it goes to and who comes up next.
01:02:44.500
It's going to be a big, wide open door for all of us to run through, which is like, this
01:02:49.520
We start in these little batches and we'll work our way up to bigger stuff.
01:02:53.760
And then I step on the mouse's toes and I go, no, representation, mean it when you
01:03:00.260
Well, and that's another thing that we just talked about.
01:03:02.560
You being in a, in a producer role is just as important.
01:03:05.800
It's in inclusivity in all aspects on all sides of the camera is important.
01:03:17.660
Thank you all so much for joining us on this episode of the comment section show.
01:03:23.140
Thank you so much to Ali for being amazing, wonderful icon, living legend.
01:03:34.100
I think I only have Instagram right now and TikTok.
01:03:47.540
Um, Mean Girls, the musical, the movie is coming out soon.
01:03:52.040
And then, uh, Haley's On It is a Disney channel show that is also available on Disney plus.
01:04:03.620
And make sure y'all support Ali in everything she does because she is so incredibly talented,
01:04:08.460
but also very important for representation, which is huge and the main point of our episode today.
01:04:15.380
Remember, new episodes of the comment section show drop every Wednesday and make sure you stream it exclusively on Spotify.
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