Chief Tui Makes Way: Moana, Misogyny, and the Possibility of a Profeminist Ethic

Abstract

Much has been made of Moana as a different kind of Disney princess. This essay suggests that Chief Tui is a different kind of Disney father. While Chief Tui exhibits misogynist behavior through the majority of Disney’s Moana, he learns at the film’s conclusion to “make way” for Moana’s skillful sea voyaging leadership. Philosopher Kate Manne’s account of the “logic of misogyny” supplies criteria for moral judgment of Chief Tui’s early misogynist behavior and later conversion to a profeminist masculinity. The essay proposes aspects of a profeminist ethic of making way and explores connections between gender and other social forces of oppression in Moana. It highlights the profeminist ethical imperative and political opportunity that Chief Tui represents where powerful men learn to make way for feminist women.