http://www.midweek.com/content/story/midweek_coverstory/natasha_kai/
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About a week later, a very lame letter was published in Midweek, complaining about Kai's tattoos.
http://www.midweek.com/content/columns/lte_article/letters_to_the_editor863/
(see 2nd letter from top)
Auwe to tats
Natasha Kai is obviously a very talented soccer player. But with all of those tattoos defacing her body, auwe, what a terrible example for young girls who looks up to her.
Helen Yu
Kaimuki
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I thought Helen Yu's letter was such a lame personal attack, displaying cultural ignorance, shallowness and pettiness
Here's what I sent to Midweek
http://www.midweek.com/content/columns/lte_article/letters_to_the_editor864/
Natasha’s tats
This is in response to Helen Yu’s letter complaining about Team USA soccer player Natasha Kai’s tattoos. Helen Yu complains that those tattoos are “defacing her body” and that they are a “terrible example for young girls who look up to her.”
Helen Yu, where do you think you are? (this was edited out of Midweek's published version of my letter)
Ms. Yu is in Hawaii, which is a part of Polynesia. It is a traditional Polynesian custom to have tattoos in various parts of the body. The tattoos on Natasha Kai are Polynesian-designed tattoos.
Hawaii is also a part of the United States of America, a nation that prizes individual freedom. People can choose if they want to decorate their bodies with tattoos.
If you don’t like tattoos, then don’t get one.
I don’t have any tattoos, nor am I connected to the tattoo industry in any way. I am just tired of people who have a hateful attitude toward things they don’t understand
PabloWegesend Honolulu
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And here's another letter, making another good ignored by the Helen Yu's of the world - tattoos doesn't make you a bad person
A good example
I don’t see how you can say that Natasha Kai is a “terrible example” due to her tattoos. With all the different ways that people can set bad examples (smoking, drugs, violence, gambling, etc.), I fail to see how having tattoos makes her a “terrible example.”
If you’ve read the article, you would have seen that Kai shows great focus as well as perseverance as shown as how, after having “everything go wrong,” she didn’t stay frustrated and give up on soccer. Instead, as she put it, “pulled her head out of her butt and realized she’s not going to waste her talent.”
Having dedication, focus and perseverance? What a terrible example to set for young girls. Just disgusting!
The article also shows that she has strong family ties. She has tattoos of her siblings’ names, as well as two nephews. She also has tattoos of her parents’ names. This also shows that her tattoos have a deep meaning to her.
Closeness with her family? Just horrible. We can’t have our young girls following her example.
If I ever have a daughter, and tattoos are the worst of my worries, I would be a very happy father.
Jared T. Hanaoka Honolulu
