Lisa Taouma Photo: Supplied
We’re all familiar with the image of the Pacific woman on postcards and in tourism marketing; warm and welcoming, light-skinned, with a slim build and long wavy hair. But what happens for young women when that’s the only image perpetuated for generations?
A new documentary, Myths and Maidens, available on the Coconet from 19 November, explores this concept of the ‘dusky maiden’. Since the 1800s, that image which has been used to sell the Pacific to the western world, hasn’t changed. Alongside ideal beauty standards, also have come expectations of certain behaviour; peaceful, happy and non-resistant. Land in the Pacific became a commodity and so did women.
Producer and director Lisa Taouma spoke to Culture 101’s Perlina Lau about bringing to life on the screen her 1998 University of Auckland thesis and experiences from her own upbringing.
Featured in the documentary is a diverse group of Pasifika women from varying backgrounds and ethnicities including Samoan, Tahitian, Fijian, Melanesian, Hawaiian and from New Zealand, Australia and around the Pacific. We hear from broadcasters, politicians and academics.
Despite the broad backgrounds and upbringings, there’s a similar story and it goes beyond grappling with unrealistic beauty standards. The women discuss how it brings into question what it means to be a Pasifika woman, understanding your worth and how that affects relationships, workplaces and how you present yourself to the world. It can dictate whether they feel they belong, and deserve to be seen and heard.
