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What NOT to Wear for Halloween

This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at Howard chapter.

 

Lead image found via Twitter

It is officially Halloween. All this weekend, everybody has been breaking out their best costumes. They go from Disney to movie characters. However, not all people are clear of the costumes that offend people. In other words, they resort to cultural appropriation (taking elements of one’s culture without permission). 

So, here are some examples of what NOT to wear:

  • Blackface – It is NOT, I repeat, NOT okay to wear blackface. You can dress up as your favorite celebrity without having to do it. Black people will not be disrespected on this beautiful holiday. NOT TODAY!!!!

  • Anything that has to do with Trump – Don’t think of wearing a Trump mask or adult wall costume. We have stated that Trump is not our president and we still stand by that. Don’t even think about wearing a border control costume as immigrants are being illegally deported.

  • Cultural stereotypes – The kimono, headdresses, mustache/poncho costumes, just skip it, lease. If it can be an offensive mascot, it goes under “offensive costume”.

  • By identity – What I mean “by identity”, is Native American, Arab, Asian, African American, you name it. Why not wear these? The answer is simple. IT’S RACIST!

  • Religion – A hijab or a burqa is a definite no-no, especially thinking about wearing a fake bomb and yelling “Allahu Akabr” to greet someone.

  • Anything involving sexism – This year, we dealt with news of sexual accusations from Harvey Weinstein to Bill O’ Reilly. We don’t need costumes of them seen on the street.

You can be a pirate, nurse, a Disney character, or a doctor. Just, don’t wear anything that is really ignorant and offensive.

HAVE A HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

My name is Samaria Colbert. I am a 4th year Computer Science major and Graphic Design minor from Cincinnati, Ohio. I attend Howard University and will be writing for my school chapter. With my major, I intend to go into UX and UI design.  I want to open my own graphic design business and create more jobs for black women in my field. I want to be my own boss.