On Oct. 6, 2015, UCLA fraternity Sigma Phi Epsilon thought it would be a wonderful idea to throw a themed party. Knowing the reputation of the university’s Greek organizations, there was a 50-50 chance that it would be offensive. A “Kanye Western” party was the chosen theme and those in attendance showed up in costumes consisting of gold chains, braided hair, padded booties, baggy clothing, and black face. After a night of reveling in shameless racism with Instagram posts to prove it, the frat house and attendees awoke to find their celebration of racism making headline news.
After being met with justified spite from the media and hundreds of their own peers, the fraternity released an apology: “We realize that the theme showed a lack of judgment on our part and that some of the guests’ costumes were offensive to members of the Bruin community." While their apology was appreciated by many, it must be taken with a grain of salt. No matter how many times people hear about black face and how undeniably racist it is, and no matter how many times people get punished or shamed for doing so, they continue to do it. Sigma Phi Epsilon merely stated their mistake as lack of judgment. However, it goes far deeper than that. Though they may have had better intentions, they have not the slightest idea as to how offensive their “fun” and “bold” costumes were.
Cultures are not costumes. Plain and simple. Painting your skin brown, draping a couple of golden chains around your neck and carrying around a bucket of KFC is not a costume. It is the perpetuation of vilifying stereotypes and continuation of minstrelsy. Wearing an exquisite Native American headdress is not showing appreciation for the culture, but rather demonstrating your lack of knowledge on how headdresses are earned through leadership and selflessness. Think of it like this: the equivalent to a white American wearing a headdress would be a Native American sporting a Purple Heart for Halloween. Disrespectful. And isn’t it a little ironic that after years of being exterminated, stripped of citizenship, moved, removed, and the denied of basic rights, that we consider their culture beautiful and worth mimicking? And no, dressing as Disney’s version of Pocahontas is not any more correct or respectful since their account is altogether incorrect and sugar-coated for the kids.
If you’re feeling inspired to be a Chinese Geisha, you should stop while you’re ahead. Had you any real knowledge of Geisha, you would know that Geisha tradition is not practiced in China, but rather Japan. While you may think you look sexy and exotic prancing around in your $25 kimono, people around you are probably wondering why you thought dressing up as a young woman sold into a trade where her virginity is sold to the highest bidder was at all appealing. Maybe that brightly colored poncho and sombrero are bargain deals at the Halloween store, but slapping on a name tag that says “Pablo” and calling yourself an illegal immigrant will immediately label you racist. If you find yourself wanting to imitate these cultures for Halloween because they’re different, easy, or maybe even funny to you, question if your mockery of an oppressed minority culture is really all that considerate or appropriate.
Wearing a culture only portrays it as something disposable after a night of festivity, and something you were never educated about. Wearing a race only perpetuates harrowing tendencies of lumping races into a one-dimensional list of stereotypes. You can not paint yourself “Black” or "Asian" because race is a social construct that assigns characteristics to a specific group of people. Rendering these stereotypes as true for an entire group of people is simply outrageous and a huge problem that we continue to face as Americans today. You can dress up like Kanye West without dark foundation the same way a black person can be Macklemore for Halloween without smearing white paste all over their body.
It’s about time people realize that Halloween is meant to be a fun holiday where kids pretend they’re superheroes and mummies, and college kids get an excuse to party a little harder in outfits they’ll never wear again. Everyone is just out to have a good time, so don’t spoil it with a disrespectful and culturally or racially insensitive costume. While we can only hope the members of UCLA’s Sigma Phi Epsilon have learned their lesson, many others can learn from their mistake. There are thousands of other costumes and themes that do not involve racism or any form of cultural appropriation, and at the collegiate level, being creative is hardly a task. Skip the war bonnet and face paint, and just be a ghost.
