“My culture is not your costume,” is said on social media as a “lighthearted” joke. Halloween may invite free-spirited expression, but that freedom doesn’t excuse cultural appropriation. Costumes need to be chosen and executed mindfully, as they may project unintended insensitivity.
Cultural appropriation is defined by the Educational Service Center of Central Ohio as the inappropriate or unacknowledged adoption of customs, practices and ideas of a social group.
On Halloween, dressing up as racial or ethnic groups can be problematic because it can reduce traditional clothing and practices to an aesthetic.
Often, these costumes perpetuate stereotypes rooted in ignorance. For example, Native American costumes commonly include headdresses and faux buckskin fringe, treating these sacred items as mere accessories.
In doing so, these costumes merge rich and diverse Native American traditions into a simplistic stereotype. According to Citizen Potawatomi Nation, a Native American tribe in Oklahoma, while there are more than 500 tribes, the most common costume is pulled from Plains tribes. The problem is that headdresses and buckskin fringe, for example, are significantly different from what the Potawatomi people wore.
“When I see somebody wearing a Native American costume that is somehow supposed to signify all Native Americans, it makes me sad that they don’t have the education necessary to understand that you can’t portray all Native Americans in one single costume.” said Tesia Zientek, tribal member and director of the Citizen Potawatomi Nation Department of Education, in a 2017 blog post.
Furthermore, religious symbols and attire are not exempted from this appropriation. Spirit Halloween, the largest seasonal retailer of Halloween costumes and accessories, includes a “Sinful Sister” costume that has the following description: “You’ll have everyone wanting to confess their sins!” This directly disrespects religious communities.
“As a Catholic, I think religious figures should not be Halloween costumes,” junior Kiersten Oh said. “There are so many people in church who look up to these figures because they are so important in what they stand for in religions; it seems insulting to pretend to be them.”
When confronted about cultural or religious insensitivity, it’s easy to fall back on excuses such as “I didn’t know” or “Halloween isn’t that serious.” Each time someone shrugs off cultural or religious insensitivity, they reinforce the same stereotypes that have defined and diminished whole communities, turning people into costumes for a night, to be tossed aside the next day.
In order to prevent stripping the costume of it’s cultural significance, one must do sufficient research. Cultural garments rooted in rich history should not be replicated or imitated simply for the purpose of dressing up.
When choosing a costume, shying away from any type of cultural appropriation is best. It isn’t worth the risk of potentially insulting various groups of people when there are so many other available non-provocative options.
