“It’s Halloween. You should be able to dress up as anything. Why do people have to be so sensitive?"

Seeing “Mexican” on a label for a costume is far too common, and I, as a Mexican-American, have every right to be sensitive when it comes to Halloween costumes.

The “Mexican” costume usually consists of a sombrero, poncho and mustache. I’ve seen students from my high school with this costume several times. They thought it would be fun to be a “Mexican for a day.”

I am a Mexican every day of my life. I can’t change that. Being a Mexican means people assume I don’t speak English, or that I wasn’t born in the U.S. It also means that I am called names and specifically targeted by bullies because of the color of my skin.

Does being “Mexican for a day” sound fun now?

The problem with putting on a costume of another culture is the idea of being in that culture for a single day. That is clearly not possible. You might like the hair or the clothes, but what about the racial discrimination that comes with it? You can’t pick and choose what parts of a culture you want as your costume.

The people who dress up as other cultures for Halloween are usually part of the dominant culture, the ones who have done the oppression. The victims are the minorities, the ones who have been oppressed.

Dressing up as a Native American, Mexican, or another race/ethnicity is disrespectful. The clothing of a specific culture has important meaning and history behind it and the people who put on these costumes usually don’t take the time to learn or truly appreciate it.

These costumes perpetuate stereotypes and are seen as something to laugh at, not appreciate.

Those people can then easily change out of their costume and go back to normal the next day. Others don’t have a choice.

We live in this skin every moment of our lives. Dealing with racism, ignorance, and stereotypes is an everyday reality for us.

There is no costume for that.