Part of the magic of Halloween is the opportunity we have to step out of ourselves and become someone new. Personally, I get so much joy from assembling a costume that I know I put a lot of effort into just to sit on the couch and watch Halloween movies all night.
And every year without fail, that joy quickly fades as I scroll through social media and see people dressed up in costumes that represent cultures that are not their own. Cultural appropriation kills the fun of Halloween for people of color when they have to see themselves misrepresented for the sake of a “quirky” costume.
Cultural appropriation is when members of a dominant culture adopt the customs, practices, and aesthetics of a minority ethnic group without acknowledgment. The last part is the most important because that is what distinguishes appropriation from appreciation. When important cultural symbols or practices become part of a culturally appropriative costume, they become oversexualized, a victim of mockery and stereotyping, or simply misunderstood.
Take the example of the Japanese geisha: the traditional kimono worn by these women goes down to their ankles and has beautiful, long sleeves. However, the version most commonly seen on Halloween typically makes the kimono shorter and tighter, reducing a popular cultural icon down a “sexy” costume. This oversexualizes and damages the figure of the geisha, and it shouldn’t be as popular as it currently is.
Another grossly popular costume is of a Native American in their traditional garb. People will put on a headdress, paint their faces and do what is commonly referred to in western culture as a “war whoop”. All this does is mock the sacredness of this way of dressing, which is usually reserved for important celebrations and ceremonies in many Native American tribes. This so-called costume is a clear caricature of a Native American, and there is no way to excuse it as anything less than an overexaggerated stereotype.
Lastly, the Mexican Catrina is an example of how ignorance plays a role in cultural appropriation. “La Catrina” is a woman skeleton who is an extremely popular cultural symbol during Día de Los Muertos celebrations. Many people are simply unaware of her background and cultural significance, and they paint their faces in her image because it’s cute. While this can be a very beautiful way to honor and respect this important Latino holiday, most of the time, this costume isn’t worn in this respect. It simplifies the role the Catrina plays and therefore shows a lack of respect for Mexican culture.
There are so many obvious examples of culturally appropriative or downright offensive costumes that are popular during Halloween. Choosing to wear these types of costumes is incredibly harmful to the communities being portrayed because it reduces their culture down to stereotypes and ridicules their meaningful and sacred traditions.
People of color are begging everyone to dress up as literally anything else outside of our cultures. We just want our cultures to be taken seriously. In a world of endless possibilities and inspiration, I promise it isn’t hard to find a costume you’ll love that isn’t cultural appropriation.