wearing culture as a costume or using it to make a fashion statement. There is a thin line between cultural appropriation and appreciation.Ĭultural appropriation is the theft of icons, rituals and aesthetic standards from one culture by another – A.K.A. Putting on a sacred piece of apparel (that you don’t usually wear) – like a sari, hijab, bindi or keffiyeh – is unacceptable because those adornments you are “borrowing” mean something entirely different to the culture you’re taking them from. Are you wearing garments or accessories traditional to a culture? “Sexy Arab” Halloween Costume Likewise, hyper-sexualized renditions of these custom garbs ( Huron Honey, Sexy Dream Catcher and Pow Wow Wow) take on new meaning when presented with the staggering fact that there are more than 1,000 missing and murdered indigenous women in Canada, most under the age of 30 and victims of sexual violence. On a traditional native war bonnet and powwow dress, the placement of every feather and bead has sacred meaning – the inaccuracies in a $49.98 costume called Poca Hottness is anything but a sign of respect. Yet, we know that there are over 1.4 million Aboriginal people in Canada today. From Warrior Chief to Poca Hottness, these costumes imply that indigenous people are both archaic savages and figments of the past. They are caricatures of a people group, not costumes.Ĭonsider why almost every model of a “Native American” costume is pictured holding an axe, bow & arrow, spear or a sharp stick. Why are the aforementioned outfits insensitive? Put simply, they perpetuate harmful stereotypes and stigmas, which ultimately lead to more aggressive racist attitudes. (Other problematic key words include: tribal, sombrero, senior, seniorita, Indian, warrior, tiki, ghetto, etc.) Even right next to campus, Spirit Halloween (the seasonal pop-up retail currently occupying the former Future Shop at 10 Dundas) carries culturally based costumes in abundance. Does the name of your costume include an ethnicity in its title? “Native American Princess” and “Brave Indian” Halloween CostumesĪs preposterous as it sounds, at this time of year, establishments all over North America openly sell racist merchandise. Such uses of makeup (blackface, brownface, redface, yellow face, etc.) cannot be removed from their historical contexts. Applying cosmetics to mimic the skin colour of a celebrity or character is never okay. Going green for a classic Wicked Witch of The West vibe? Oz the power to ya! Using a shade of foundation darker than your complexion to imitate Orange Is The New Black’s Suzanne “Crazy Eyes”? No. Are you coloring yourself blue to complete your avatar guise? Cool. If your Halloween look includes face paint this year, contemplate the role it plays in your costume. Are you using makeup to alter your natural skin tone? In 2013, Julianne Hough donned blackface while dressed as Suzanne “Crazy Eyes” Warren (Uzo Aduba) from Orange Is the New Black. If your costume raises any of these red flags, you should probably (DEFINITELY) reconsider wearing it. Is your costume offensive? Answer yes to any of the following questions and it likely is. Since then, the off-the-rack options have expanded drastically, but at whose expense? Today, the most horrifying Halloween costumes range from culturally insensitive to downright racist. It wasn’t until the 1930s that Halloween costumes began being sold in stores and ensembles based on characters in mass media such as film, literature, and radio became available. Before the twentieth century, the celebration’s dress code was restricted to the attire of supernatural or folkloric beings – worn strategically to ward off evil spirits. Before trick-or-treating, jack-o-lanterns and Disney’s Halloweentown trilogy*, our favourite fall holiday was known by only its earliest defining element: the costumes.Īlthough the origins of Halloween date back over 2,000 years, the October 31 we know today is a fairly recent one.
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