Halloween rolls around every year and without fail, there are articles upon articles of what not to do for Halloween. Yet, people still manage to somehow find a way to appropriate cultures that are simply not theirs.
To be fair, we’ve all probably been in a situation where we either were very ignorant towards the implications of the costume that we wore, or weren’t really sure if it was appropriating a culture to begin with. We’re humans, we make mistakes but it’s important to learn from those mistakes and not take it lightly.
This Halloween, I think we should all strive to serve the best looks we can and do it without using someone else’s culture and turning it into a costume or a fashion statement. Let’s be honest here, it’s really not that hard. So, I thought it would just be useful to gather up some ideas that you could use for your own personal benefit this Halloween.
I decided to start personal, I love talking about myself so I’ll take the opportunity every chance that I get.
Last Halloween was essentially a very epic one for me. I was able to go to the hotspot of wicca and witches, Salem, Massachusetts. If you’ve never been, I highly recommend it. There’s this energy there that is amplified every Halloween. Although it can get creepy at times, it was one of the best experiences of my life.
Enough of that though and onto the important part. My costume!
That’s me and my friends as the Bob’s Burger’s crew. I’m in the middle, and if you couldn’t tell, I’m dressed as Tina — the eldest of the siblings who’s very awkward and really likes butts. So essentially, I dressed up as myself.
Jokes, it was all really fantastic though. We looked good, like really, really good and it was fun! That’s what Halloween is all about anyway. Dressing up as television show characters is always a really good way to go about your costume. Be smart about it!
Rick and Morty is super popular right now, so you might opt for that this Halloween. I guarantee people will love it, and you can scream “pickle riiiiccckkk” randomly without people questioning you.
This look could be so fun, and super cheap too! Morty’s overall look is super simple; jeans, yellow shirt, the laser gun if you want and this pair even went the extra step and added the eyepatch to make him evil Morty (something I’m obsessed with) For Rick, all you really need is a blue shirt, lab coat, a flask and the wig. If you really don’t want to spend any money, you could even attempt to style your hair, get creative! The world is your oyster.
Other really great costumes could be Fairies, Vikings, Witches, anything mystical that doesn’t even stem from another person’s culture could all be done in such cool ways. Even beyond that, there’s the classic Rosie The Riveter costume, a nerd, mummies, cats, mimes, vampires. It doesn’t sound all that original, but you can make it your own and it can be cool. Something as simple as wanting to dress up as a cat but not wanting to be That Person could lead to possibly dressing up as a cat’s scratching post. Kind of like this guy:
The gist of this entire article is that it’s really not difficult to find a costume that doesn’t personally hurt anyone. The internet is a huge place and there are so many ideas that you can play with.
I will say that if you read this, or even if you skimmed, the big take away is that if you plan on being offensive this Halloween and you plan on appropriating someone’s culture, than be prepared to talk about it. If someone comes to you with concern that you’re insulting them or they think you’re appropriating their culture or someone else’s, I really hope you listen. There’s really no excuse as to why anyone needs to be insensitive this Halloween. It’s supposed to be fun. Wearing a Native American headdress because you think it’s pretty and looks good on you won’t make up for the fact that Europeans stumbled upon this country because they were lost and then colonized it. Further proceeding to commit mass genocide against Native Americans for simply living on the land that was theirs to begin with.
Just some stuff to keep in mind. I hope everyone has a fantastic Halloween and does so in a fun and artistic way! If you’re unsure about a costume, your best bet is to always ask! Have fun kids, be safe, and stay away from potential clowns that may or may not terrorize the streets like last year!