As Halloween has come and gone, it’s a great time to take a look at some of the costumes that made an impact on trends this season. Yes, of course, there were many kitties, supermen, nurses and firefighters, but a bigger controversy plagued many areas: cultural appropriation via costumes.
What is cultural appropriation? Basically, it is pretending to be a part of an outside culture for fun or enjoyment. It has been condemned as being disrespectful and shedding a negative light on cultures of which one does not belong. Staff at the University of Louisville, Kentucky were formally asked to apologize for collectively dressing up in stereotypical Mexican outfits and posing for a group photo. The members complied with these requests, but should still reflect on their actions. What kind of message were these educators trying to send? Wearing sombreros, mustaches, and ponchos is hurtful and ignorant. This is especially true when considering that many of these faculty members have students of minorities in their classes who were forced to face the idea that their educators think their culture is a joke.
Other examples are people dressing in Native American head dresses, Indian saris, and stereotypical Chinese attire. Not only do these costumes overly simplify these groups of people, but they dismiss the struggles many of these cultures have experiences throughout history.
Trivializing a group of people is not trendy, nor cute, nor acceptable. Those who argue against the negativity of cultural appropriation claim that it is an example of the “overly-sensitive” generation making something out of nothing. This is not true for the massive amounts of people who have been influenced by cultural appropriation throughout their lives; those who have had to justify their cultural norms day in and day out should not be the butt of another joke. This may not seem like an extremely pressing issue, but working towards a more open-minded society is a vital aspect of a cooperative nation. Acceptance and respect is much more important than trying to look sexy in a generalized version of an individual perspective of a group of people. Besides, Halloween is a great opportunity to be clever and quirky with a costume. If creativity is besides you, just pull a Jim Halpert and go as paper.
