OPINION: Don’t ruin Halloween with offensive costumes
Amidst the fun and excitement that can come along with the Halloween season, people can still take advantage of the holiday and potentially commit blackface and other forms of cultural appropriation by simply saying that it’s a part of their costume.
October 20, 2021
The crisp fall air and assorted candy tell us one thing—Halloween is approaching. That time of year when we can go around neighborhoods to ask for free treats and dress up as whoever we want. All is blissful and fun until you see a random person dressed in blackface, disguising their racism as a simple costume.
Places such as Party City and Spirit Halloween profit enormously this time of year, whether that be on acceptable costumes or those that are built on systemic oppression. It might seem like common sense, but dressing up as someone who is a Holocaust victim or mentally ill is never appropriate.
Children who are dressed by their parents or guardians are often subject to this derogatory attire. It’s important to remember, however, that children who are imitating another’s culture are often unaware of this offensive nature. This only emphasizes the parent’s responsibility to educate themselves and their children to what is appropriate and what is disrespectful.
Some might argue that it’s a “simple costume”—how offensive could it be? The effect of dressing up like this is much larger than anyone might expect. It teaches people that making fun of someone’s culture is acceptable, which it never is. It demonstrates how companies can profit off of cultural appropriation, homophobia and transphobia by those who are ignorant.
Arguably the most detrimental effect would be the blurring of lines between appreciating our differences and making fun of those differences. For example, someone who is caucasian could dress up as Disney’s Princess Jasmine, and might even do the character justice with the classic blue get-up. However, if one were to self-tan and change their appearance to fit the West Asian stereotype, the line would be drawn and the costume would be of the utmost disrespect.
Unfortunately, this annual dress-up has become an ouroboros of a cycle. Because Halloween is such an anticipated time of year, it’s often mimicked during the off-season. Thus, not only do people perpetuate stereotypes on October 31st, but throughout the remainder of the year.
In case you had a costume planned but have now realized its derogatory nature, have no fear—redemption is still possible. Recognizing your mistakes is the first step to making amends and the opportunity to create an even more chic get-up has arrived. Not only do movies, television, video games and many more offer a plethora of ideas, but popular ideas can be made into new, inspiring outfits for the upcoming holiday.
With this wide variety of costumes available, it’s not difficult to find one that is not motivated out of contempt. After all, Halloween is the only time of year where most of us can eat colossal amounts of candy without being judged. Let’s focus on the positives and try not to ruin this exciting day with an offensive costume.
John Doe • Dec 13, 2022 at 11:43 pm
I have a feeling that what this author considers “offensive” is deemed largely on what race the person is wearing the costume that might be considered offensive.
I’m Vietnamese. But if I were to put on a samurai costume, I probably would not be asked if I were ethnically Japanese (the Vietnamese people and the Japanese people are considered part of the Sinosphere). But if I were White and wearing that costume, would it be considered “cultural appropriation”?
If one says to the latter situation with “yes”, then so should the former situation be as well. But I’m not sure if the author has this opinion. It seems to be that most people who accuse “cultural appropriation” do so in arbitrary terms, not in real any set objective basis. But I would not want to accuse the author of this. I think the author should know that there are people who are like this.
I remember dressing up as a Viet Cong soldier, an organization which I fundamentally disagree with because of political reasons (I am not a North Vietnamese, I am a South Vietnamese). But, I did not get backlash nor was I accused of “cultural appropriation”. Mind you, I am not North. I am South. Plus, I wasn’t even bickered with people who said that my costume would’ve been offensive because it exemplified a guerrilla force who did not care of human rights abuses.
People who dress as historical nation-states, like the Empire of Japan or the Roman Empire should not be ashamed of dressing up to express historical accuracy. That was also my primary reason for doing so as well. I wanted to show history. Not politics. I know people who dress in the Imperial Japanese Army uniform, and I do not consider that to be offensive, despite being Vietnamese (who was on the receiving end of the famine that caused 400,000-2,000,000 Vietnamese to die during WW2). Am I supposed to be offended? The answer is: no. I hold no animosity towards a person who does not genuinely adhere to beliefs that are immoral. I hold no animosity towards a person who genuinely believes in the worth of history and its preservation, who is willing to express themselves in a costume.
I think if one chooses to dress as a Holocaust victim, they must do so with consideration to historical accuracy and do so to educate. They must not be there to make fun of the millions of Jewish people who died at the hands of a Nazi regime. They must be there to educate people on the horrible process of the genocide. It would certainly be a shock factor, but a shock factor is indeed what someone might need to understand the brutality of the Holocaust.
Stuff like blackface is just unacceptable, not even as a costume but just in general. There really is only one purpose for it: to mock black people. And there’s no jumping around that.
Kira Shinden • Oct 23, 2021 at 9:57 pm
opinion? more like facts ‼️‼️
ailanie m • Oct 22, 2021 at 10:42 am
so true. tessa’s writing is literally life-changing. 🔥