Kevin and Eniko Hart are facing criticism for their 1-year-old son Kenzo's birthday party theme.
Kenzo just turned 1 on November 21, a day before Thanksgiving. In the spirit of the Thanksgiving tradition, Kevin and Eniko threw him a "cowboys and Indians" themed party. The theme came across as culturally insensitive to many folks, who have voiced criticism on social media.
At the party, Kenzo wore an unbelievably cute cowboy costume, while guests wore Native-inspired costumes and hung out in tepees. Kenzo's cake was also covered in tepees.
Eniko posted several photos of the party on Instagram.
"Zos cowboys & indians party was nothing but amazing!" she captioned one group photo.
In response, many commenters explained why dressing up as a Native American person isn't the most respectful thing to do in 2018, especially on Thanksgiving.
"Culture isn't a costume," wrote one woman on Twitter.
"I guess if you have money it's alright to be stupid and offensive," one commenter wrote on Eniko's Instagram.
Others have spoken up in the Harts' defense, writing that people shouldn't be so "sensitive" over a party theme.
Kevin Hart and his wife, Eniko, have an extremely adorable baby together, Kenzo.
Kenzo just celebrated his first birthday on the day before Thanksgiving. So perhaps it's not surprising that the Harts decided to throw him a birthday party with a "cowboys and Indians" theme.
However, many people view the party's theme as offensive and culturally insensitive — not so much because of the "cowboy" half of the theme, but because of the "Indian" half.
Some guests at the party dressed up as Native Americans, and the party decor included tepees and Native-inspired blankets.
Dressing up as a Native person is already problematic to many folks, who pointed out to Eniko and Kevin that "culture isn't a costume."
But dressing up as Native on Thanksgiving — a painful holiday for many Native people — is like salt in the wound.
Eniko posted photos of the party on Instagram, where her comments soon filled with people who took issue with the party's theme.
"Zos cowboys & indians party was nothing but amazing!" Eniko captioned one shot.
As one commenter wrote, the Harts might not have realized that the theme would offend anyone — but it did.
Some people compared the Native American costumes to dressing up in blackface or yellowface, or dressing up as "Nazis and Jews."
"Shame on you… culture isn't a costume," a Native woman tweeted.
Another called the celebrity couple "socially ignorant."
And many were simply disappointed that Kevin and Eniko didn't know better, since they're marginalized people themselves.
On the other hand, some people took the polar opposite approach to the issue. They defended Kevin and Eniko from the critics, whom they deemed to be "oversensitive."
Some people compared dressing up as Native Americans to dressing up as ancient Romans or Pilgrims (although those groups of people don't actually exist anymore). They feel that costumes can be a way to promote cultural differences.
And many others just feel like a children's birthday party isn't that big of a deal. The "cowboys and Indians" theme has been a thing for many American kids for a long time.
"Had a party like this when I was younger," one woman wrote. "Geez it's a kids party.. get over it people."
Eniko and Kevin have yet to comment on the debacle.
