In her article, “‘Tis the Season to be Sexualized,” HCND writer Megan Valley succinctly highlighted a problematic and persistent trend on Halloween: slut shaming. Yes, it is pointless for us to judge and malign our fellow women because of the amount of clothing their costume choices contain and women should feel free enough to wear whatever costumes they wish on Halloween. However….
Unfortunately, slut shaming and misogyny aren’t the only problems on Halloween. Every year, this holiday seems to bring out the worst and most culturally offensive incidences on the planet. From bad Native American accessories to ever-problematic blackface, racially based Halloween costumes are a trend that, sadly, the general public has yet to stop.
Michael Cera understands how I feel about this
I know many of the people who have worn these costumes have not done so out of any hatred or dislike of these cultures, but out of pure ignorance. I’m no saint in the matter and I’ll admit I once wore a Native American costume for Halloween when I was younger. I’m also not saying that the people who wear these costumes are bad people. More likely, they are simply unaware of the connotations these costumes have and believe that dressing as a Native American or Latino or a representation of any other culture is no different than dressing as a ghost or a witch; it’s all done in the name of harmless fun! However, these costumes perpetuate a pattern of racial and ethnic oppression in their usage and the nature of their intent still doesn’t change the fact that they are offensive and culturally demeaning.
So before you dole out $30 in a last ditch attempt to buy a Halloween costume before Friday, here are four reasons to rethink those racially based costumes at the local costume shop.
1. It isn’t funny
Isn’t that stereotypical Mexican sombrero hilarious? How about that totally inaccurate Native American jewelry? Or that cheap hijab?
No. They’re really not. You know how Halloween costumes are supposed to be either funny, sexy, or scary? Racially based halloween costumes don’t fall into any of these categories, but rather into their own seperate category: racist.
2. You’re likely trivializing an already underrepresented ethnicity
Feminist blogger Kat Lazo sums up this point really well when she asks, “Would you wear that costume around that group of people?”
Minorities make up only 21% of speaking roles in Hollywood films and remain largely underrepresented in elite colleges, business, STEM fields, etc. Basically, minorities really don’t get a lot of representation.
What’s worse than no media representation? Bad media representation.
Although those “sexy Native American princess,” “sexy geisha,” and “sexy Latina” costumes may seem “cute,” they’re playing off of outdated stereotypes and are cheap, tasteless caricatures of different cultures. These costumes hyper sexualize and ridicule different cultures and traditions. They further contribute to stereotypes about minority individuals.
When we wear these costumes, we are basically saying: “I think this costume is an accurate representation of your culture. I also think your culture is ridiculous.”
Some of these costumes go into pretty bad territory. A “sexy illegal alien” costume (who the heck thought this was a good idea?) grossly and inaccurately trivializes the problems faced by the millions of undocumented individuals in America. This and costumes such as “Arab terrorist” and “black thug” should be offensive to literally everyone.
Why do people do this?Why?
3. Those same minorities are telling you it’s wrong
Ohio State University students, for example, have formed STARS, a student group dedicated to educating the public on the nature and impact of culturally based costumes. Several people have written highly informative articles on the intersection of race and cultural appropriation, and there are hundreds of individuals advocating for greater education on the topic. Bottom line: minorities are loudly, collectively telling people to stop wearing inaccurate, racially charged costumes because they simply are not funny.
4. There are more than a billion other costumes you can try!
Ok maybe not a billion, but believe me, there’s no shortage of costume options. We live in an era where, if it’s a noun, some company is going to make some kind of ludicrous costume out of it. These days, you can dress up as anything; a zombie hot dog, a sexy ear of corn, even a hashtag!
See? Told you this existed!
Me? I’m just digging up my sonic screwdriver and going as the 11th Doctor (again).
Happy (Culturally Conscious) Halloween!
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