Halloween time in college is just as-if not more- exciting than Halloween when you were little. The costume possibilities are endless, the Pinterest boards are being filled, the trips to Party City with your friends are highly anticipated. Halloween is home to creativity, but where do you draw the line as being an appropriator of someone else’s culture?
Recently, the conversation about cultural appropriation has been loud and clear. From Miley Cyrus to Kylie Jenner and their blatant abuse of racial stereotypes for attention has become a “trending topic." Western culture has a history of mocking, dehumanizing, and fetishizing other cultures as a form of entertainment, and it’s about time that trend comes to a stop.
Cultural appropriation is the negative use of aspects of a culture that is not your own, in an insensitive and ignorant way. Examples include the use of Native American headdresses as a fashion statement, or the South East Asian Bindi as a trend. These are parts of a deeply rooted culture that has often been the victim of prejudice throughout history and deserve to be treated with respect–not as temporary as an accessory.
As Halloween approaches, be mindful of the costumes you choose to wear. It is problematic to assume wearing the culture of someone else as a “costume” is acceptable.
- If it seems to be stemming from racist/sexist/ethnic stereotypes- AVOID IT. For example, the Sexy Gypsy ,Sugar Skull/Day of The Dead, and Pleasing Geisha .All for about fifty to seventy dollars, you can look super ignorant!
- If you have to paint your skin a different color “for effect”, AVOID IT. ASU Frat Blackface Party
- Are you a part of that particular group of people or culture? If not, would you feel comfortable wearing your costume around them? If the answer is no to both those questions, AVOID IT.
- “Ghetto Gurl”, "Illegal Alien", “Indian warrior/princess” on your list of costumes? AVOID IT. You are strengthening the stereotypes of people who are in different socioeconomic situations as well as mocking minority cultures, and does that sound ‘fun’ to you?
The plain truth is that you are wearing the lives and history of people. The "Osama Bin Laden Terrorist" costume or the "Mexican Man" costume are just another way that racism has found its way to be snug and comfortable in our society. Dressing up as a culture does not make you “more aware” or “understanding” of that particular culture, it is a blatant disregard to the people whose lives are based around the stereotypes society places on them. The costumes marginalize groups of people and make it clear that society views them to look, act, and dress a certain way. Be mindful of what your costume represents and if it is something you want to stand for.
“I have a friend of [insert culture here], so it's fine!”
“ I’m wearing this to spread awareness about this culture!”
“It's Halloween, just relax its not that serious”
The list of excuses can go on and on, and these are just not enough. There is no justification for prejudice and racism.
You cannot “try on” or adapt a culture for a day, because a culture is an experience and representation of growth/struggle of people. If you are truly interested in a culture; learn about it, become a voice of their struggles, understand and respect their beliefs. Halloween is not the platform to advocate for minority rights, there are plenty of other outlets for you to learn and appreciate other cultures.
This Halloween, you are deserving of a costume that does not relay a message of ignorance and disrespect. Choose to be respectful, choose to be mindful, and choose to be appreciative of the diversity we are all so lucky to experience on our campus.
