Tokyo Disneyland apologizes for Minnie Mouse skirt-lifting incident

… declined to answer whether the move was choreographed or improvised.

Instead of a choreographed movement, the skirt-lifting was likely a costumed young performer attempting to be playful with another costumed performer with whom a consensual playful relationship exists outside the costume. 

However, these performers must remain aware of the roles they are playing. Some unfamiliar character lifting up Minnie’s skirt is akin to Mickey having his trousers ripped down by a stranger. Both behaviors are not acceptable.

But let’s realize this performer’s behavior for what it likely was: a young person making a mistake.

Some people felt sexually harassed by a reindeer lifting the skirt off a mouse? That's cultural insensitivity - don't they know that that's how they greet each other in the mice culture? Why do they presume that mice have the same customs as human?!

Perhaps they need instead to chill the f..k down, especially at Disney land.

Yeah, it’s what it symbolises though isn’t it? That it’s okay to do that. Forget the fact that it’s someone in a daft costume.

Both behaviors are not acceptable.But let’s realize this performer’s behavior for what it likely was: a young person making a mistake.

Nah, what it is a a modern media conglomerate managing it's IP with granular detail, treading that fine line of family-friendly and wholesome titillation,triangulating amongst the different interest groups and demographics that consume its content.

@Aurelius

Either way it's inappropriate and unacceptable

Yes, that’s what I wrote. “Both behaviors are not acceptable.”

ebisen, excellent post mate!

Could have been Pluto doing what dogs are wont to do.

Bad taste Disney. Think of your market and values.

Back in the old days, this is how young boys and girls used to flirt. Chilllllll. Glad I'm not growing up in this era.

Disney, more and more chaotic and pathetic..

So the reindeer wanted Disney to be the "happiest place on Earth" for 1 second.

Disney is not exactly the golden standard for moral behavior so why the shock?

owzerToday 09:17 am JST

Disney is not exactly the golden standard for moral behavior so why the shock?

What is that supposed to mean? A hundred year old company is going to have a lot of interesting things in its past.

Some real action at BoringLand for a change!

the skirt-lifting was likely a costumed young performer attempting to be playful with another costumed performer with whom a consensual playful relationship exists outside the costume. 

Be playful in private, then. Not in front of an audience of who knows how many people, many of whom are (presumably, given this is Disneyland) children.

But let’s realize this performer’s behavior for what it likely was: a young person making a mistake.

And it shouldn't go unpunished. We all make mistakes (I certainly have), but that doesn't mean there shouldn't be corrective consequences.

To increase the likelihood of this "mistake" not being repeated, either by the young person in question or by anyone else in the future, this one hopefully resulted in some sort of disciplinary action.

SpeedToday 08:48 am JST

Back in the old days, this is how young boys and girls used to flirt. Chilllllll. Glad I'm not growing up in this era.

When I was young, yes, a lot of boys did this. And guess what? It wasn't funny. It was horrible, maddening, and made me upset and sometimes even cry. And the boys who did it laughed, because they weren't taught to have empathy or to treat girls with respect.

And guess what? Even now that I'm older, some men still try to do this to me when I'm wearing a skirt. It's still not funny, it's still maddening, and it seems that some men never grow up and never learn to respect women.

theFuToday 08:54 am JST

So the reindeer wanted Disney to be the "happiest place on Earth" for 1 second.

Are you implying that being able to see a woman's underwear for a second after non-consensually pulling up her skirt makes people happy?

Who does it make happy, exactly? Because it's not the victim, or the other women are watching, as they can see themselves in the victim's place and know how it feels.

Oh wait. Men. You think it makes men happy.

I hope the other men here reading this will disabuse you of this notion, because it is only a small subset of men who would find this a turn-on, of which you seem to be a member.

Probably shocked some people because of the frequency of up-skirt voyeurs, panty thieves, and chikans here. Might not be such a big deal in other countries.

@victim_in_tokyo It's not always what you assume it to be. Could have been done in a cute way, but somebody just got overly sensitive about it (was it you?) and couldn't help but to complain about it.

The same can be said about Minnie blowing kisses to Mickey - or towards the fans. That can very well offend some people who do not appreciate that sort of advance with obvious sexual overtones from women - or mice - to whom they are not attracted.

Happens in Japanese schools all the time. Children, er... some groups of boys find it funny. Someone in Disneyland needs to grow up and smell the coffee.

Some people gets their pants twisted in a knot at the slightest little thing. Minnie probably isn't a "she" anymore anyway.

And guess what? Even now that I'm older, some men still try to do this to me when I'm wearing a skirt.

I am not intending to be impolite, but I question the truthfulness this statement. If @girl_in_tokyo Is not an outlier, we’d see skirt-lifting happening occasionally in everyday society. And we don’t.

There's only one reason female's or those pretending to be female's wear short skirts

Because they like the fashion or their work/school dress mandates they do. Clearly. Excellent that you see this. Does anyone think Minnie had any choice in the character costume?

We don't know that circumstances are around the incident. Certainly women know that they've asked men to do things. We don't know who instigated it and will never know. There are all sorts of women in the world. Many enjoy shocking other people, I won't even guess how many, even if that is inconvenient for the she's-a-victim crowd.

1 woman cannot speak for all women and we don't know the history of the people posting here or in the article.

Blindly grouping people together is offensive.

I jumped to a conclusion that the "reindeer" would be made happy by lifting Minnie's skirt. That may be true or not. Most characters are exhibitionists when they put on the suits. None of the public watching knows who they are. It can be freeing. The person inside the Minnie costume may have asked for something memorable to happen or for this specific action. We don't know.

…others defended the move by saying the production should have the right to decide what to do with the choreography.

Groomers always defend grooming.

Typical Japanese incident

If these characters really were the animals portrayed, just imagine how Goofy and Pluto would greet each other, mutually sniffing each other !

KazukoHarmonyDec. 9 09:05 pm JST

I am not intending to be impolite, but I question the truthfulness this statement. If @girl_in_tokyo Is not an outlier, we’d see skirt-lifting happening occasionally in everyday society. And we don’t.

One word: chikan.

How can you not know this happens?

owzerDec. 9 02:55 pm JST

@victim_in_tokyo It's not always what you assume it to be. Could have been done in a cute way, but somebody just got overly sensitive about it (was it you?) and couldn't help but to complain about it.

Yeah, cause cartoon characters mimicking sexual assault is oh so funny, and anyone in the audience who protested was too sensitive.

The same can be said about Minnie blowing kisses to Mickey - or towards the fans. That can very well offend some people who do not appreciate that sort of advance with obvious sexual overtones from women - or mice - to whom they are not attracted.A

Right, cause cartoon characters blowing kisses from floats is exactly the same as a cartoon character mimicking sexual assault, amirite?

Right, cause cartoon characters blowing kisses from floats is exactly the same as a cartoon character mimicking sexual assault, amirite?

That's exactly right. If I blew kisses to random women at work, it could easily be taken as sexual assault.

owzerToday 10:17 am JST

That's exactly right. If I blew kisses to random women at work, it could easily be taken as sexual assault.

Sure, because a random male co-worker whom I don't even know blowing kisses at me during work hours when I'm trying to get work done, is exactly the same connotation and context as a cartoon character on a float in a parade waving and blowing kisses to a crowd of fans as they wave back. Hmmmm?

Sure, because a random male co-worker whom I don't even know blowing kisses at me during work hours when I'm trying to get work done, is exactly the same connotation and context as a cartoon character on a float in a parade waving and blowing kisses to a crowd of fans as they wave back. Hmmmm?

Didn't you know? Today, offense is found only by those who take it, not by those who give it. It's the same with the skirt-flipping.

owzerDec. 10 04:30 pm JST

Didn't you know? Today, offense is found only by those who take it, not by those who give it. It's the same with the skirt-flipping.

Not only today. This kind of sexism has always offended people. The only difference is that these days people don't just smile and tolerate it like they used to.

If that offends, you well ....

Sad to see so many people overreacting about this, much more than Tokyo Disneyland.

Something inappropriate was shown in a parade, people complained and the company apologized because those complaining were right, it is not something that should be trivialized or put in a positive funny light.

But some of the comments here react as if people were arrested and sentenced to years in prison for the incident, that is obviously not the case, compared with what still happens frequently to women in Tokyo when they have to board a packed train this is a much milder thing, but still something that is better avoided, so it was dealt with a public apology, which is also a much milder measure compared with those that abuse women.

If that offends, you well ....

You seem to have missed the point. Offense is only taken - if you chose to take it. In other words, sometimes people just choose to be a "victim."