October is in full swing and Halloween is drawing closer. Homes are putting out the usual jack-o-lanterns, theme parks have their annual scare mazes set up and, of course, the question of “What should I dress up as this year?” is lingering in many people’s minds.
As I was looking at various websites for costume ideas, I was impressed at how creative and clever people have become over the years. However, as I was looking on partycity.com, I was taken aback when I saw that there was an “International” category listed for costumes. Costumes in that category included “Adult China Doll” and “Adult Bollywood Beauty.”
What’s concerning to me about having such costumes is that it’s sending a message to people saying that it’s OK to dress up in other people’s cultures for a day without really understanding the significance it has to them. And quite frankly, it’s a message that people can get offended by.
In 2011, CNN did a report about Ohio University’s campaign against racial stereotypes represented in Halloween costumes. The campaign was specifically launched by Students Teaching About Racism in Society, and members of that group have made posters depicting different students holding up pictures of people who wore offensive costumes according to that student’s race.
“The best way to get rid of stereotypes and racism is to have a discussion and raise awareness, which is what we want to do with this campaign,” said then-president of STARS, Sarah Williams, in the article.
Most people wearing these types of costumes simply aren’t educated on what it represents to the people who view such costumes as traditional wear. People need to take the time to know what they are wearing and the meaning behind it instead of just blowing it off as a “one-night outfit.”
A 2013 article published by Al Jazeera discusses how these Halloween costumes exemplify cultural stereotypes. In the article, director of law and policy for the Sikh Coalition Rajdeep Singh asked major businesses such as Amazon and Walmart to stop selling a turban costume that consisted of a fake beard and a camouflage jacket that resembles that of Osama bin Laden.
“This item insults those who lost loved ones during the 9/11 terrorist attacks, insults American soldiers injured or killed in pursuit of Al Qaeda and perpetuates negative stereotypes about turbans and beards that have led to violence and discrimination against Sikhs and other minorities,” Singh said.
I am all for costumes that are witty, clever and funny as long as they are still in good taste. But there is a thin line between trying to be clever and being straight-out offensive, and it is a line that is blurred for a lot of people.
Sophomore psychology major Hannah Bournes thinks that it’s ridiculous for people to choose such costumes to wear.
“You dressing up as someone’s culture, as someone’s ethnicity, is ridiculous. It’s like making a joke out of what someone is. I don’t understand how people don’t understand that that’s offensive,” Bournes said.
There are a lot of different reasons people give to justify them wearing these types of costumes. In a 2012 article published by theroot.com, there are nine common “excuses” people give in order to defend their costume. These excuses range from “It’s honoring, not mocking, another culture” to the classic “It’s a joke!”
It’s hard to see how wearing a skin-tight, above-the-knee geisha dress is honoring the Japanese culture, or wearing a poncho and a fake mustache is paying homage to Latinos. If that’s your way of honoring a culture, then it’s a pretty poor and misconstrued way to do it. As for the always-popular “It’s a joke” excuse, saying that is basically stating that one’s cultural tradition is something to laugh at rather than respect.
Before purchasing your costume this year, please keep in mind what exactly you’re wearing and what it can mean to others. If you run out of options, there’s always the classic “white sheet with two eye holes” costume that will never get old.