Halloween is fast approaching and many of you may already have your costumes or have a fairly solid idea of what you are going to be. Here are a few costumes to avoid.
The Native American If you are thinking of this costume, the answer is no. It is not okay to dress up as a Native American or any other culture that is not your own. The cowboy and Native American couple costume is also a no. You cannot pass it off as honoring a culture–American Indians are continuously opressed in part due to the perpetuation of stereotypes reflected in “sports team mascots…clothing lines, beer and liquour brand, Halloween costumes,” and more. Dressing like this guy makes you part of the problem.
Blackface Blackface is never okay. If you are not a black person you may not dress up as a black person for halloween. This does not go to say you may not dress up as a character that is another race (i.e. princess/prince or Tony Stark) you can. But you absolutely cannot specifically dress up as another race. If you have to paint your skin brown, or any other skintone then don’t do it. If you have to buy an afro or dreadlocks, then don’t do it. It is offensive whether you meant it or not.
The Stereotypical Mexican Just no. This costume is racist and perpetuates stereotypes.
The Terrorist Costume This is another costume that perpetuates stereotypes about another ethnicity. In addition it makes a joke out of a very serious issue. If you think this is a great idea for a halloween costume, once again, the answer is no.
The Sexy DoctorWomen who are nurses and doctors save lives on a regular basis and have spent years training to do so. Objectifying them as “sexy” disrespects the real effort, time, and intelligence that being a nurse requires. Costume manufacturers have marketed costumes such as this one with the sentiment that a woman can do anything- as long as it’s sexy. You don’t see many UN-sexy nurses costume on the market, or too many UN-sexy career costumes being sold for women at all. Providing such a narrow range of options to women perpetuates an expectation for a woman on Halloween that she may not want to comply with. However, that is not to say that there is anything wrong with choosing to be sexy on Halloween. Whatever a woman chooses to wear this Halloween is her choice and her costume does not define her or her intentions. She is not “asking for it”- she has the choice to be sexy, scary, and whatever she wants to be, both on Halloween and a regular basis.
These are just a few bad ideas for halloween costumes. There are so many articles and blogs on this topic, so before you step out read a few to educate yourself on the racism and stereotyping that people face not just on Halloween but everyday. As mentioned above, appropriating another culture is never okay, and dressing up on Halloween is no exception. Halloween is not a free pass to be offensive to another culture. If you have a friend thinking of wearing an offensive costume, please sit them down and let them know that it is not okay.
Be safe and have fun!