Sick Of People Calling Maui From Moana Obese, Tumblr User Explains What Male Strength Really Looks Like
On the initial release of the Disney film Moana back in 2016, a firestorm of criticism emerged. It wasn’t the movie, story or plot, but rather the depiction of a Polynesian character named Maui that received backlash.
One New Zealand MP said portraying Maui as obese was “not acceptable.” Others claimed he looked like “half pig, half hippo,” while some even claimed that children might get the wrong message about their bodies after seeing the film.
Fast forward to today, and the debate has reemerged. But this time, people are on the side of Maui, saying just because we’re not used to seeing bodies like his, it doesn’t mean he is “fat.” Someone has also penned an eye-opening post debunking our perception of the male body that’s shown as strong on the screen.
According to them, Maui is a great example of function vs form that gives him power and strength. Let’s see the whole post right below and be sure to share your thoughts in the comments!
Disney’s portrayal of the character Maui in Moana has received criticism from people claiming he looks obese and spreads the wrong message
Image credits: Eliota Fuimaono-Sapolu
Image credits: Eliota_Sapolu
Bored Panda reached out to Michel Mulipola, a Samoan comic book artist and professional wrestler from Auckland, New Zealand who shared some insights on the debate and confirmed that Maui’s critics are fed by unattainable beauty standards we often see in movies.
“The critics calling Maui obese and unhealthy have been fed the impossible beauty standards that are portrayed in the media. For women – it’s the thin, lithe supermodel figure. For men – it’s the muscle definition and figure of a bodybuilder.”
“What they don’t understand is that the bodybuilder figure is built for show,” Michel said and continued, “while strong in lifting weights, it’s usually not functional for overall movement and regular lifting.”
Image credits: RomonosNZ
Image credits: APFML27
Image credits: Mikearice
Michel, who’s a professional Samoan wrestler himself, suggested taking a look at the World’s Strongest Man competitions. “All the competitors are barrel-chested, have a bit of a gut but can lift a tonne of various-shaped items.”
Therefore, “Maui reflects the powerlifting/World’s Strongest Man body type rather than that of a bodybuilder,” he said and added that “Ridiculous body standards perpetuated by the media affect both men and women.”
“In terms of exhibiting functional strength, Moana’s Maui represents a more modern version of a Polynesian male which I believe is where a lot of the inspiration for his design comes from, particularly Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson’s grandfather, ‘The High Chief’ Fānene Peter Maivia.”
But someone has penned this illuminating post to defend Maui and explain why he is indeed a very strong and powerful character
However, Michel explained that in the pre-colonial days, Polynesian men weren’t built like Moana’s Maui (apart from the odd outlier) and said that he can understand the criticism from Polynesian people.
“With obesity, diabetes, and other associated health problems so prevalent in Polynesian communities today, I also understand Polynesians’ concerns with negative stereotypes and portrayals of our people,” he said.
The author explained that essentially, there’s a difference in body types that are built for form and function
Image credits: rosworms
As for Michel himself, the only issue he has with Maui’s design isn’t his body shape, it is in fact, his nose. “I hate the shape and design of it. It just doesn’t look quite right in my eyes,” he said.
“At the end of the day, Maui, Moana et al is an art and as an artist, I understand that once you put your art out into the world, it is no longer within your power on how people will perceive your art. People are gonna love/hate what they’re gonna love/hate,” Michel concluded.
And this is what people had to comment on the debate
Most depictions of male 'fitness' in Hollywood rely on men dehydrating themselves and starving themselves for a day or so to increase muscle definition. Bodybuilders and men who look like that on film don't actually look like that because they would literally start dying if they kept it up for more than a few days. And you can't pull islands up from the seafloor if you're hungry and dehydrated.
Hugh Jackman as Wolverine is a great study in how f-ed up this is. First of all, compare him in the first X-men to the last Wolverine movie (not Logan) - even though he's muscular in the first film, he looks tiny compared to the ridiculously ripped and shredded 'comic book come to life' of the last one. Plus, when shooting his shirtless scenes for the later ones, he didn't drink water for 36 hours prior to shooting - a DAY AND A HALF without water. That's not 'unhealthy' in a general sense, it's 'unhealthy' in a very acute sense of 'you could actually damage yourself doing that.'
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How do people look at him and see 'fat'? All I see, is honestly muscle and tattoos. The only difference is he doesn't have a 6 pack!
Really? All I see is a physically improbably body type...I guess it's fitting since this is a CARTOON representation of an IMAGINARY being.
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Personal opinion, but if I see a guy who looks like Maui, not only do I know he'll work out (and maybe spar!) with me, but he'll split nachos with me later. A guy who looks like Wolverine might work out with me, but probably can't go three rounds and defiantly won't eat nachos. Also Maui types are better for cuddling
Anyone who's ever seen a Strong Man competition knows that dry obvious muscles are not the same as physical fitness. I mean, look at The Mountain - the guy is all muscle but not in the 'conventional' way.
First time watching the movie the term "built like a brick shithouse" came to mind. Which was awesome because he's a demigod and should be able to withstand lavaflows and hurricanes. Also we're fighting so hard to get different body types accepted and Maui happens and everyone shits all ovr him because he doesn't look like Hercules. Jesus Christ that is frustrating.
It is taken for granted that people can be different heights . . . but never consider they can also be different widths. No one bats an eye at big feet or longer legs. Health should be the issue for a person's build . . . swimmer? distance runner? weight lifting? dancer? Opera singers are notoriously portrayed as fuller figures. Hollywood has everyone blind folded to the person, only holding up a manufactured body image. WAKE UP!
I never once thought that Maui was obese. He was just a big, strong guy in the that most big strong guys look. So weird to think that that means he's obese.
I've read that size and bulk were highly valued in traditionally Polynesian culture, that the ideal body type was very big. Not obese, but big-boned, tall, solid with muscle, with a bit of fat over the muscle, because a warrior or aristocrat was expected to eat well to keep up his strength. The ideal was a massive, big, beefy, brawny, testosterone-fueled MAN, and that's what they put in the movie! I also appreciated that while Moana herself was slim, she wasn't as slight as most Disney heroines. Polynesians of that era didn't go for willowy gals, she had big solid bones and more flesh than the typical Disney heroine. Not a lot more, but I appreciate the effort.
i love a guy who's honestly strong... and i think veins bulging out is gross. a little pot belly never hurts either lol! gotta have a pillow to lay my head on!
I still remember seeing Gladiator with Russel Crowe and thinking, who is that incredible looking guy and what makes him different? Turns out that hard work on his farm built that body instead of a gym, and all I could think was "thank you, fence posts". He looked strong and real, not manufactured.
ive got this body type. doesnt matter how many situps, reps or miles i do. i can also bench 400 pounds.
My husband, too - lifelong farmer, built like an outhouse, can lift crazy amounts, works like a demon but has a 46 inch waist. He loves his grub, bless him.
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The current battering ram of Australian International Rugby is Taniela Tupou who has a physique that is pretty much identical to Maui. https://www.canberratimes.com.au/story/7335138/wallabies-set-to-unleash-tongan-thor/ He is not fat-far from it-one of the few really big guys who plays the full 80 minutes at full pace. Really strong guys don't always look like the final 4 of Mr Olympia
I always remember once I was working with a group of guys, mostly skinny and one bodybuilder. I'm on the bigger side, no lies to tell there lol, and we had to move some really heavy concrete pillars and the bodybuilder was doing well but the biggest shock came when I was able to comfortably move it too. Some of the guys were like, "we didn't expect you to be strong we thought it was just fat". Lol
I once read an appropriate description of a professional body builder's "prowess;" when asked if she wouldn't like to have sex with a certain "handsome" body builder, a beautiful young woman said "No, I wouldn't. I've never liked sleeping (on a) lumpy mattress."
I'm pretty sure Maui has more muscle in his left tit than I have in my entire body.
Why anyone listen those offended snowflakes at all? Just because some dumb idiot posted something on a Twitter? And modern degraded US moral doesn't allow to call them dumb? Anyone who has a half a brain never call Maui fat. People with brains just watch (and idk how they never sow them before) heavy lifters. Or Scotland national games of throwing logs or carrying heavy stones. Man there - are huge, with big bellies, and never looks like bodybuilders. But it looks like USA teens now watch only stupid TikTok.
I always love seeing disney characters with normal proportions! I'd like to see a plus-sized disney princess! I'm sure she'd be beautiful <3
Polynesians also have more muscle mass than non Polynesians. At higher BMI levels, Polynesians were significantly leaner than Europeans, implying the need for separate BMI definitions of overweight and obesity for Polynesians. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/10578208/
the bmi should be thrown in the trash where it belongs
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Just so not everyone is bashing on bodybuilders... they are strong. Not necessarily strongman levels of strong, but they still lift, move and work with significant amounts of weight. Through most of they year as they are building muscles, they also look big and bulked out... and they go through months of cutting, dieting and dehydration to achieve that cut look. During competition periods though, bodybuilders are at their weakest.
It's a cartoon. Do people really not have more important things to care about?
Nobody is saying otherwise... what point are you trying to make?
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This is a thing. This is actually a thing people are talking about. Moving to the moon
What are the health risks of having too many muscles outside of bodybulding ?
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Look again. He has nipples. They are just not super dark and under his tats
Load More Replies...
Most depictions of male 'fitness' in Hollywood rely on men dehydrating themselves and starving themselves for a day or so to increase muscle definition. Bodybuilders and men who look like that on film don't actually look like that because they would literally start dying if they kept it up for more than a few days. And you can't pull islands up from the seafloor if you're hungry and dehydrated.
Hugh Jackman as Wolverine is a great study in how f-ed up this is. First of all, compare him in the first X-men to the last Wolverine movie (not Logan) - even though he's muscular in the first film, he looks tiny compared to the ridiculously ripped and shredded 'comic book come to life' of the last one. Plus, when shooting his shirtless scenes for the later ones, he didn't drink water for 36 hours prior to shooting - a DAY AND A HALF without water. That's not 'unhealthy' in a general sense, it's 'unhealthy' in a very acute sense of 'you could actually damage yourself doing that.'
Load More Replies... How do people look at him and see 'fat'? All I see, is honestly muscle and tattoos. The only difference is he doesn't have a 6 pack!
Really? All I see is a physically improbably body type...I guess it's fitting since this is a CARTOON representation of an IMAGINARY being.
Load More Replies... Personal opinion, but if I see a guy who looks like Maui, not only do I know he'll work out (and maybe spar!) with me, but he'll split nachos with me later. A guy who looks like Wolverine might work out with me, but probably can't go three rounds and defiantly won't eat nachos. Also Maui types are better for cuddling
Anyone who's ever seen a Strong Man competition knows that dry obvious muscles are not the same as physical fitness. I mean, look at The Mountain - the guy is all muscle but not in the 'conventional' way.
First time watching the movie the term "built like a brick shithouse" came to mind. Which was awesome because he's a demigod and should be able to withstand lavaflows and hurricanes. Also we're fighting so hard to get different body types accepted and Maui happens and everyone shits all ovr him because he doesn't look like Hercules. Jesus Christ that is frustrating.
It is taken for granted that people can be different heights . . . but never consider they can also be different widths. No one bats an eye at big feet or longer legs. Health should be the issue for a person's build . . . swimmer? distance runner? weight lifting? dancer? Opera singers are notoriously portrayed as fuller figures. Hollywood has everyone blind folded to the person, only holding up a manufactured body image. WAKE UP!
I never once thought that Maui was obese. He was just a big, strong guy in the that most big strong guys look. So weird to think that that means he's obese.
I've read that size and bulk were highly valued in traditionally Polynesian culture, that the ideal body type was very big. Not obese, but big-boned, tall, solid with muscle, with a bit of fat over the muscle, because a warrior or aristocrat was expected to eat well to keep up his strength. The ideal was a massive, big, beefy, brawny, testosterone-fueled MAN, and that's what they put in the movie! I also appreciated that while Moana herself was slim, she wasn't as slight as most Disney heroines. Polynesians of that era didn't go for willowy gals, she had big solid bones and more flesh than the typical Disney heroine. Not a lot more, but I appreciate the effort.
i love a guy who's honestly strong... and i think veins bulging out is gross. a little pot belly never hurts either lol! gotta have a pillow to lay my head on!
I still remember seeing Gladiator with Russel Crowe and thinking, who is that incredible looking guy and what makes him different? Turns out that hard work on his farm built that body instead of a gym, and all I could think was "thank you, fence posts". He looked strong and real, not manufactured.
ive got this body type. doesnt matter how many situps, reps or miles i do. i can also bench 400 pounds.
My husband, too - lifelong farmer, built like an outhouse, can lift crazy amounts, works like a demon but has a 46 inch waist. He loves his grub, bless him.
Load More Replies... The current battering ram of Australian International Rugby is Taniela Tupou who has a physique that is pretty much identical to Maui. https://www.canberratimes.com.au/story/7335138/wallabies-set-to-unleash-tongan-thor/ He is not fat-far from it-one of the few really big guys who plays the full 80 minutes at full pace. Really strong guys don't always look like the final 4 of Mr Olympia
I always remember once I was working with a group of guys, mostly skinny and one bodybuilder. I'm on the bigger side, no lies to tell there lol, and we had to move some really heavy concrete pillars and the bodybuilder was doing well but the biggest shock came when I was able to comfortably move it too. Some of the guys were like, "we didn't expect you to be strong we thought it was just fat". Lol
I once read an appropriate description of a professional body builder's "prowess;" when asked if she wouldn't like to have sex with a certain "handsome" body builder, a beautiful young woman said "No, I wouldn't. I've never liked sleeping (on a) lumpy mattress."
I'm pretty sure Maui has more muscle in his left tit than I have in my entire body.
Why anyone listen those offended snowflakes at all? Just because some dumb idiot posted something on a Twitter? And modern degraded US moral doesn't allow to call them dumb? Anyone who has a half a brain never call Maui fat. People with brains just watch (and idk how they never sow them before) heavy lifters. Or Scotland national games of throwing logs or carrying heavy stones. Man there - are huge, with big bellies, and never looks like bodybuilders. But it looks like USA teens now watch only stupid TikTok.
I always love seeing disney characters with normal proportions! I'd like to see a plus-sized disney princess! I'm sure she'd be beautiful <3
Polynesians also have more muscle mass than non Polynesians. At higher BMI levels, Polynesians were significantly leaner than Europeans, implying the need for separate BMI definitions of overweight and obesity for Polynesians. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/10578208/
the bmi should be thrown in the trash where it belongs
Load More Replies... Just so not everyone is bashing on bodybuilders... they are strong. Not necessarily strongman levels of strong, but they still lift, move and work with significant amounts of weight. Through most of they year as they are building muscles, they also look big and bulked out... and they go through months of cutting, dieting and dehydration to achieve that cut look. During competition periods though, bodybuilders are at their weakest.
It's a cartoon. Do people really not have more important things to care about?
Nobody is saying otherwise... what point are you trying to make?
Load More Replies... This is a thing. This is actually a thing people are talking about. Moving to the moon
What are the health risks of having too many muscles outside of bodybulding ?
Load More Replies... Look again. He has nipples. They are just not super dark and under his tats
Load More Replies... 
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