The spirit of Halloween is about dressing up in elaborate costumes, stuffing your face with candy, carving pumpkins, going to haunted houses, and having a good time. Every year during the Halloween season, a debate arises about which costumes are appropriate and which costumes are offensive. Thus, we need to be more aware about the issue of culturally appropriated costumes.
According to the Cambridge Dictionary, cultural appropriation is "the act of taking or using things from a culture that is not your own, especially without showing that you understand or respect this culture." The key point in this definition is the lack of respect and understanding. With our world being so diverse, it is important to realize that we need to be cognizant of with how to appreciate culture rather than appropriate it. Costumes based on race, ethnicity, culture, or religion are exploitative and belittle experiences of minorities.
Time and time again, we have seen celebrities wearing culturally appropriated outfits for music videos and fashion shows — Iggy Azalea's Indian themed music video, Katy Perry's Geisha performance during the AMA's, Karlie Kloss' Native American themed outfit during the Victoria's Secret Fashion Show, and the list goes on and on. The fact of the matter is that cultural appropriation is pervasive in pop culture and the media, and it acts as a negative influence on young teens.
Each Halloween, there are some people who either intentionally or unintentionally wear culturally appropriated costumes. The following list only contains a few of the many disrespectful costumes.
1. Native American Princess
It may seem harmless to dress up as Pocahontas, after all, she is a "Disney Princess," right? But, Pocahontas was a real historical figure for Native American who have faced a dark history of genocide in the U.S. By wearing costumes that mock indigenous rituals and customs, it promotes disregards how much Native Americans have struggled to keep their culture intact.
2. "Mexican" Costumes
With the current state of affairs, Hispanics already face enough racism and prejudice as is. Stereotypical costumes, like the one above, should not be worn because it simply ridicules a minority. This sombrero-poncho-fake mustache-donkey get-up is completely degrading.
3. Geisha
This "Geisha" costume hyper-sexualizes East Asian women by reinforcing the negative impression that East Asian women are submissive. This costume objectifies women and promotes misogyny.
4. Egyptian Princess
The Egyptian culture dates back to 3,500 years ago, and by condensing their rich culture into shiny costumes with headpieces, and fake gold jewelry is inaccurate and does not do justice to their culture.
5. Bollywood Dancer
Saris and bindis are a beautiful part of South Asian culture. When people "exotify" the traditional attires of a culture, they find a foreign culture alluring, but in reality, they're being ignorant of the cultural significance of traditional South Asian garb.
7. Arabian Sheik
This "Arabian Sheikh" costume is extremely stereotypical. The fake goatee, thawab robe, and keffiyeh headdress inappropriately mock Middle Eastern culture.
8. Sugar Skull Costume
The Day of The Dead is a Mexican holiday in honor of the deceased. Sugar skull makeup and attire is a part of Mexican culture and identity, and passing it off as a Halloween costume is cultural appropriation.
9. Burkha Costume
The burqa is worn by some Muslim woman and goes along with modest, covered up attire. This costume makes fun of a whole religion and misrepresents a religious symbol through revealing clothing and mockery.
10. "Chinaman"
This stereotypes Oriental culture through the fake beard, braid, and silk garment. The model pictured above is sarcastically imitating a hand position of Tai Chi, Chinese Martial Arts.
This Halloween, don't wear a culture as a costume. Consider the cultural significance of a costume, and make the right choice.
