It is finally October! Time to start thinking about your Halloween costume, whether you are going to a party or trick-or-treating. However, there are some things you should be aware of before you hand your credit card over to the cashier. A lot of adult costumes cater to white patriarchal values. Costumes are made for the pleasure of men, even when they are not necessarily made for men.
For example, a lot of Halloween costumes are extremely sexist. Often, for the same kind of costume (such as ninja, animals, cops, etc), there are two versions: the one the man is supposed to wear, and one for women. I’m sure you’ve seen it before. A male targeted cop uniform will look like what we all think cop uniforms are supposed to look like. The female-targeted cop uniform will be a short skirt, tight shirt that shows a lot of cleavage, probably some kind of tights, stockings, or arm warmers, and heels. It’ll be the same with pretty much anything. A male pirate costume will cover him from head to toe; a woman’s will show off skin and include heels. A male animal costume will completely cover the body and usually just be some kind of one-piece suit; a female animal costume will be a cutesy, ridiculously short dress with a tail, headpiece, and other obnoxious parts that make no sense.
I’m not trying to tell you that you can’t be a sexy nurse if you want to be; I want you to be aware of the blatant sexism that takes place in the costume industry. Why is it like this? Why are almost all the female’s outfits skimpy, sexified, revealing when the men’s are the opposite? Why does the costume industry insist that women treat their bodies as objects meant for catching the attention of the male population? Surely not all women want to wear costumes such as these. Some probably want to dress as an actual firewoman, or doctor, or tiger without any sexual connotations, without the bows and fitted skirts and four-inch heels. Right?
Culture Appropriation
Thinking about dressing up as an Indian? Or painting a sugar skull on your face for a Day of the Dead look? Think twice about what you’re doing. Culture appropriation is when one person from one culture takes elements from another culture. Sure, costumes such as these are fun. But, by wearing them, you are also saying that someone’s culture, someone’s heritage and traditions, are a costume. You are saying that these bits and parts of cultures that are not yours and that you do not know about are something for you to take and make light of. Putting a feathered headdress from Native American culture, for example, and prancing around in it is the same as painting your face black and saying “I’m a Negro!” Feathered headdresses are an important and sacred symbol in Native American culture; they don’t exist so you can have a cool costume on Halloween. The Day of the Dead is a Mexican holiday meant to honor and remember the deceased; it’s not for you to dress up as while you chug a beer and grind on strangers. If you are considering wearing a costume such as this, think about what it means, where it comes from, its history. Respect the culture of others, and don’t wear it as a costume.
The same goes for religious costumes.
While some people may scoff at religion, it is an important and sacred part of many peoples' lives. The whole reason nuns and priests and other religions dress the way they do is because there is a meaning. Not believing in what they believe is no excuse to disrespect them. Please don't wear comedic priest or sexy nun costumes. One, it's another kind of culture appropriation. Two, most of those costumes look like they come from an underfunded anime. Just don't do it, or at least think about the repercussions of your choice before you buy.
