By BRIANA
SPINA
Staff Writer
The term “cultural appropriation” gets thrown around frequently during the Halloween season—and with valid reason—yet many people don’t bother thinking about what it actually means. According to the Cambridge English Dictionary, it is defined as “the act of taking or using things from a culture that is not your own, especially without showing that you understand or respect this culture.” This act is mostly perpetrated by people of privilege, and it becomes prevalent around Halloween because of the commercialization of insensitive and insulting costumes. As a result of this commercialization, people whose cultures are not being appropriated do not recognize the severity of the offense, which thereby allows the practice to continue. The central issue of cultural appropriation on Halloween is that these costumes portray negative stereotypes about minority groups, and while non-minorities wear these insulting garbs “for fun” on Halloween, the people whom they are portraying are hindered by these stereotypes daily.
Below, I will explain a few examples of culturally insensitive costumes. I admit that a few years ago, I was completely unaware that some of these costumes were even rooted in an oppressed culture. Now I seek to inform those, specifically fellow white people, of how these costumes are unacceptable to wear.
American Indian costumes: these typically consist of very basic staples such as faux-leather dresses or robes, fringe, beads, and feathers. It is dreadfully inaccurate to try and encapsulate their entire culture using a few trite pieces of it, for there are many cultural variances between tribes. Though these costumes can be perceived as what the average American Indian looks like, that is also not accurate. Feather headdresses, for example, are not worn by just any Native American: a select few have the honor of wearing it because they have accomplished a significant feat. A white person wearing a knockoff of this venerated article, therefore, is extremely offensive, for the white person has definitely not earned the respect that comes along with the headdress. This is akin to an average American civilian wearing the Medal of Honor. Additionally, these costumes represent more historical Native Americans, the ones whom white settlers killed, raped, and infected with disease. White people cannot just switch themselves into the role of the oppressed and switch back out again the next day, because that ignores how much the history of colonialism in America has impacted American Indians for centuries afterward. The United States government has abused and isolated Native Americans in an attempt to get them to assimilate. Especially when it comes to the “Sexy Native Princess” type costumes, this ties back to colonial enslavement and rape of Native American women as well as the fact that even today, Native American women face the highest rates of sexual assault in the entire country.
Blackface and dreadlocks: it is never acceptable to use makeup to change your skin color to that of another race of people, especially if you are white changing your skin to black. The history of white versus black conflict in America dates back centuries, from slavery and lynching, to segregation, to modern police brutality. Through all of these violent and hateful issues, white people were on top; hence, white people cannot use black people’s skin color as something fun for themselves while black people have been systematically denied the right to enjoy their own culture and color. Black hairstyles, too, are unacceptable for white people to wear in a costume for the same reasons. Black Americans are told to get rid of their dreadlocks, cornrows, afros, and so on in order to “look professional” or are flat out denied the job because of their ethnic hair presentation. While black people are struggling to be accepted into the workforce, a privileged white person cannot use facets of Black culture which employers discriminate against, thereby widening the racial wealth gap, as a one time costume. If black people are not at liberty to express their culture in their everyday lives without fear, then white people sure as hell cannot use any part of it as a novelty for a day.
Sexy geisha, “Tequila Bandito” aka drunken Mexican, Samurai, the Arab, China Man—all of these support racially offensive tropes as well. Outside of racism, there is also transphobia in people dressing up as “Caitlyn/ Bruce Jenner,” supporting the “he-she” insult of trans identities. Appropriation is also present in costumes of religious figures like the sexy nun or costumes which use religious garb, like the hijab, for fun while Muslim women are physically and verbally assaulted for wearing it as a part of their religious identities. There was even an Anne Frank costume, which trivialized her struggle as a Jewish girl captured by Nazis during World War II and the terror faced by all victims of the Holocaust.
People’s intentions behind wearing these costumes may not have been inherently racist, but it is vital to acknowledge that if the actual people whose cultures are being portrayed through these costumes are offended by it, then the innocuous intention is nullified. There are ways to celebrate other cultures without dressing up as members of said cultures. Instead of wearing a Native American headdress, besmirching the symbolic significance of it, you can read up on Native American history and learn how to support tribes near you. Instead of dressing up as a sexy Chinese food take-out container, try looking up recipes for Chinese dishes (not the Americanized versions) and share the food with friends. Instead of wearing dreadlocks, research how racism permeates the hiring process and learn more about white privilege and what you can do to work against it. Instead of dressing in hijab or wearing a bindi because you think it is beautiful, support Muslim and Hindu women by becoming a patron to their literature and businesses.
The bottom line is that when it comes to Halloween, everyone should have fun and dress up in a way that makes them happy; however, everyone must make informed decisions. There is a fine line between cultural appreciation and cultural appropriation, and people of privilege must do the proper research to ensure that they are not belittling the oppression that entire groups of people struggle with daily.
