Halloween Do’s & Don’ts
Learning What’s Truly Spooky and What’s Cultural Appropriation
|October 15, 2018|
It’s finally that time of year again, and we all know what that means, inappropriate and/or racially insensitive costumes! I know what you’re thinking, what if I want to dress up like my all time favorite NBA hall of fame player Lebron James, people won’t get that I’m supposed to be him if my skin isn’t black!? Well I hate to break it to you but humanity had a meeting and we decided that that was not cool anymore, and it never has been. But *insert celebrity name* wore black face makeup last Halloween, why can’t I? Well their career is probably in jeopardy after that ignorant stunt, and if not their PR agent probably had a small heart attack after seeing the TMZ segment.
There should be a list of questions you should ask yourself before buying your next Halloween costume. And within your list the following questions should be included:
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By wearing this costume am I mocking a certain culture/race/gender/sexuality?
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By wearing this costume am I supporting an inappropriate stereotype about a certain culture/race?
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Could I possibly offend anyone by my insensitive costume?
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Would someone from this culture/race/gender/sexualality approve of my costume?
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If you were put in front of someone from this culture/race/gender/sexualality and explained why you believed this costume is appropriate and/or funny would they laugh and agree or get mad and punch you in the face?
And if after thinking through all of these questions and you still believe that this costume should be worn in public I sincerely hope someone shows you just how wrong you are. But if you finally see that this may be insensitive and someone could potentially become offended by this costume congratulations welcome to the 21st century!
What Costumes are considered “Insensitive” or “Inappropriate”:
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Bruce Jenner/Caitlyn Jenner(or dressing in drag)
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Suicide Bomber
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Geisha
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Native American Buckskin dresses/Headdresses
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Black Face
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Mexican Ranchero/Mariachi
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“Mac Daddy” Pimp
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“Gangsta” or “Ghetto”
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Dia De Los Muertos Sugar Skull doll
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Egyptian God/Goddesses
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Illegal Immigrant
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Cholo, Chola
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Sexy Burka
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Israeli Soldier
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Trayvon Martin/Freddie Grey
The list goes on but I’ll spare you the rest! I know that this looks scary, I have truly left you with no options for this holiday season. What will you possibly wear? And to answer that question, the answer is literally anything else. Someone’s culture is not a costume. Someone’s identity is not a costume. What is a costume I could wear then? Be Jason Voorhees, Freddy Krueger, Michael Myers, Jigsaw, Pinhead, Chucky, Frankenstein. Let’s bring the real meaning of Halloween back one costume at a time.
Trick or Treat! HCXO
– Kassidy Suiter