6 Halloween Costumes To Steer Clear Of This Year | The Odyssey Online
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6 Halloween Costumes To Steer Clear Of This Year

Isn't it obvious at this point?

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6 Halloween Costumes To Steer Clear Of This Year

With just days until Halloween you may have started to think about what you're dressing up as. You might go with a classic, a group costume, or a duo. However, there are a few things that at this point we should all know are off limits. So here is a list of wrong, and/or offensive, costumes to stray away from this year.

1. Geisha


As with many culture-based costumes, it is inappropriate to put them on for fun. A Geisha is a traditional Japanese hostess. By putting on a costume that is meant to depict them, you are sexualizing and stereotyping something that you probably have little to no idea about.

2. A "Terrorist"


Hopefully, it is painfully obvious as to why this is NOT ok. For one, not all terrorists are Muslim, as this costume suggests. The beard and turban aren't incidental details of this outfit. There is no specific face of a terrorist, so for someone to assume that this is what all of them look like it racist. And secondly, who wakes up in the morning and thinks, "I wanna be a mass murderer for Halloween"?

3. The Fortune Teller or the "Gypsy"



The Roma people have been portrayed as uneducated and criminal for years. This costume not only portrays those stereotypes, but allows for them to be over-sexualized once again.

4. Anything That Remotely Resembles Black-Face

This is...just no. If you feel the need to paint yourself 'black' in order to 'accurately' portray whatever you're dressing up as, then don't do it. For some reason, people seem to think that ghetto and black go hand-in-hand. So lets avoid the confusion and pick a different costume.

5. A Mexican Person

Maybe you've only seen Mexican people in ponchos, with mustaches, holding guitars and maracas. If so, I can assure you that that's not what they all look like. There are plenty of Mexican people who look nothing like what I've just described. So once again, lets stray away from dressing up as an ethnicity.

6. A Native American

Now this one is possibly the most commonly done while simultaneously being one of the most obviously offensive. Do people really think that all Native Americans carried an ax? Not only does this costume often over-sexualize Natives, it portrays them as savages who only wear cloth and headdresses.

To conclude, it's 2016 people. Is it really hard to understand that it is offensive to dress up as a culture, an ideology, or an assumed stereotype? There are plenty of other things that you can be for Halloween, so go buy a banana costume or some bunny ears, and avoid being offensive at all costs.

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This article has not been reviewed by Odyssey HQ and solely reflects the ideas and opinions of the creator.
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