Video summary
The video explores the deep cultural significance of Caribbean Carnival, moving beyond superficial perceptions to highlight it as a profound act of self-love and historical reclamation. The speaker explains that while outsiders often view the event merely as a raucous party involving scantily clad participants, its roots lie in "pretty mass," a tradition born from mocking slave owners who excluded Black, Brown, and Chinese people from grand festivals. Over time, this practice evolved into a celebration of the oppressed, where participants proudly display their skin as the centerpiece of their outfit before adorning it with jewels and feathers. This transformation turns the event into a powerful statement against shame, inviting individuals to embrace their natural bodies and celebrate their heritage in an act of collective joy and liberation.
A central theme of the discussion is the importance of exposing children to this tradition from a young age to foster self-acceptance and dignity. The speaker recounts curating a special experience for her family, including her seventeen-year-old nephew, fifteen-year-old daughter, seventy-seven-year-old mother, and her husband, who was experiencing Carnival for the first time in Toronto or Los Angeles. She addresses common criticisms regarding "inappropriate" behavior by reframing movements like twerking not as lewd acts but as a way to connect with one's creative center and the rhythmic harmony of nature. By allowing her children to witness this celebration, she aims to teach them that all body types are worthy of love and that they can participate in their culture while maintaining respect and age-appropriate boundaries.
The narrative emphasizes that while the speaker's children do not currently attend the main parade, they will be invited to Kitty's Carnival in the future as they grow older. The video captures the unique atmosphere where participants feel like celebrities, surrounded by a community eager to capture their glory and essence, creating a healing and communal experience that is difficult to describe without living it. This shared moment of being the main character allows individuals to step into a different light, recognizing their own beauty and worth within a supportive environment. The speaker expresses immense pride in passing down this foundational principle of celebrating all kinds of bodies to her niece, nephew, and daughters, ensuring they understand the sacred nature of self-expression before adding other layers to their understanding as time goes on.
Ultimately, the video serves as both a personal testimony and an educational piece defending the integrity of Carnival against misconceptions. It illustrates how the event functions as a temporary sanctuary where cares are set aside for a day of complete jubilance and communal connection. Through this lens, the speaker argues that denying children access to such a rich cultural tradition would be a disservice, as it offers a rare opportunity to see beauty in diversity and freedom from societal constraints. The story concludes with a vision of future generations continuing this legacy, carrying forward the values of love, celebration, and the unapologetic joy that defines the spirit of Carnival.
Read the full video transcript
I'm stressed. We're not stressed yet.
Tribal carnival. This is just the
beginning. Ash Majesty 2020 season.
>> Why would you say this to me?
>> Are you ready?
>> Hey, come on.
>> I was judging them. Why does her
costume?
WHERE IS THE LOVE?
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for 10% off. Hi lovers. So, unless you
have been under a rock, you know by now
that myself and my sister Lauren
Morrison decided not just to participate
in Toronto Carnival, as we have been
doing for about 20 years, but to
actually curate the experience for a
select group of people who wanted to
play with us [music] under the costume
that we designed. The experience was
honestly [music] life-changing and so
special and monumental and so special
that we wanted to include our entire
families. Lauren's son, my nephew,
[music] he is 17 years old now. So, this
was his first carnival experience on the
road. Her daughter, who is 15 years old,
it was her first carnival [music]
experience on the road. And my mom
dressed up in a costume at 67 years old.
Not new to her, but true to her. Because
when you got a body like that, why not?
Plus, my children also took part.
Another big first that's really
important to note is this was the first
time that my husband Jared Brady,
American [music]
Jared Brady, got to experience carnival
of any kind. I have done carnival in a
couple of islands before, including
Trinidad, and so I've seen the gamut of
it. I've done it in uh Los Angeles as
well, too. And he has never done it in
LA nor Toronto. So, for him, this was
truly a first time experience. And you
could just see for yourself. The man had
a time.
>> So pretty.
[music and singing]
[music]
Z, are you ready?
[music]
>> I have to look happy.
>> Yes.
>> Looks amazing.
>> Stand at the camera all the time.
>> Why would you say this to me?
>> [music]
>> had it. You had it on like F56.
>> I don't know what I'm doing with this
camera. It's my birthday present.
>> Show me your pose.
>> My kids have been participating in
carnival before they were even one years
old. And year after year, I have to see
comments online from people who say that
it's disgraceful, that it is absolutely
lewd, inappropriate, awful, bad
parenting, etc. that I choose to expose
my kids to this cultural tradition. That
is because people view this cultural
tradition as a humping fest. A dry
humping fest at that where people have
no clothes on. They're scantily clad.
They're drunk. They're high. They're in
the streets. It's party. It's revalry.
And while don't get me wrong, of course,
any mass celebration is going to include
components of that. But that is not the
reason why I participate in carnival.
And it is certainly not the kind of
carnival that I expose my kids to. Now,
myself and my sister as curators this
year had a lot of opportunities that we
took up to not just participate in
carnival, but to learn the history of
it. And my favorite lesson of all came
from the understanding of how pretty
mass came into play or pretty mass,
which essentially is originally carnival
is about the jab jab. It's about
dressing up in these big lavish costumes
or covering your body in paint. It's
sort of this big grandiose expression of
self. And this actually came from
mocking slave owners who excluded black,
brown and Chinese people from
participating in any kind of big grand
festival. So they made up their own
private festival in which these masters
were mocked. Now over the years carnival
stopped becoming a way uh to make fun of
the oppressors but instead to celebrate
the oppressed. And that is where pretty
mass came in. Pretty Mass essentially
said, "We know that there are parts of
this world that tell you that your skin
is not beautiful, that your body is not
acceptable, that you must hide, that you
must feel shame. But on this day, we
want your skin to be the main piece of
your outfit. Be proud of the skin that
you were born in. Show it off, and then
decorate it with jewels, with feathers,
with glitter, with rhinestones. And it's
such a beautiful expression of black and
brown bodies coming together in an act
of self-love and collective love. One of
my favorite parts about carnival is the
fact that it's not just a day to
celebrate one, but to celebrate many. My
friend Naomi Cowan, who's a singer, put
this perfectly where she said,
>> "I always see around carnival time in
every country, and it's carnival is
woman."
>> Because what I do love about a good
carnival day is
>> the girls get a chance. It's like a
wedding day.
>> You get a chance to head to toe glam
because it's just like the girls just
get their moment.
>> They do get a moment.
>> But that's the thing. I do think
everybody should have a moment in their
lives that gives them that kind of glam.
>> And for some people it's carnival. For
some people it's your wedding.
>> Seeing yourself in a super different
light,
>> you know, and recognizing like whoa.
>> I don't know. It's just
>> absolutely
>> like every girl is a celebrity at
Carabano. Yeah. So, everyone is the main
character.
>> Good, good, good, good. And
>> one of the most fun kind of underrated
parts of Carnival is that while you're
walking, you're like Mickey Mouse.
Everybody is pulling you to have a
moment with you to capture you in your
glory and in your essence. And for
people who have never experienced that
type of praise before, it's such a
healing, beautiful, communal feeling.
And again to experience that not just in
uh by yourself but to experience that in
connection with so many others who are
dressed the same as you is genuinely an
experience that you can't describe until
you experience it. So why would I not
want my children to be a part of that?
To see the beauty of black and brown
bodies celebrated, to see them free up
themselves, to see the joy, the
liberation, letting all cares go to the
side for one single day of complete
jubilance, of complete communal
connection that yes, can include some
twerking. And why are we acting like
that's a bad thing? Our hips are our
greatest connector to our creative
center. And I'm not saying that in a woo
woo way. It's the literal truth, right?
Like that's where our reproductive
organs are. That's where our creativity
can come from. When we loose up our
hips, when we move them back and forth
or up and down or in a circle, we can
find our flow. We can connect with the
great rhythm and harmony of mother
nature. And I want for my kids to feel
comfortable exploring that. Those two
truths can exist at the exact same time.
And for some parents, I understand that
that's too complicated to hold or to try
to communicate to a child. I however
feel very equipped to offer my children
the opportunity to see these two
realities and to still be treated with
respect, age appropriately with dignity
and divinity while still celebrating
their culture and witnessing their mom
do the same. Now, do my kids attend the
parade? Absolutely not. Will they attend
Kitty's carnival someday? Absolutely.
And I can't wait till that day comes. I
got to just time up my travel to make
that make sense. But nonetheless, I'm
really proud of the ways in which I get
to connect with my culture through
carnival. And I'm really, really proud
that I get to pass on that tradition to
my niece and my nephew and also to my
daughters from a very young age so they
can understand the foundational
principle of self-acceptance, of love,
and of celebration of all kinds of
bodies. And then as time goes on, they
can add other layers to it. But for now,
that right there is so sacred and so
beautiful. How could I deny them of that
opportunity to see and experience that
[music]
I can't sleep
you [music] The other guest is cool.
[music]
>> [music]
[music]
>> We're going on the boat.
>> We're going on the boat. Right, Gyro?
>> We're going on a boat.
>> Have you done this yet?
>> Never.
>> All right.
I don't need to see anything.
We are in the middle
of Niagara Falls.
>> We're not going to die. OH,
[screaming]
>> YOU KNOW,
>> WE COMMITTED.
>> WE DID.
>> WE COMMITTED.
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