Do wear something comfortable.
Whether your towing your sibling around the neighborhood or dancing the night away at Citywalk, make sure you’re comfortable the whole night through. You can look cute and be comfortable, and imagine how accomplished you’ll feel if you pull off the Jessica Rabbit look without wanting to saw off your feet at the end of the night.
Don’t change the color of your skin to represent another race.
Skin color is not a costume. Changing the color of your skin for a temporary outfit is disrespectful to people of color. Doing so implies that you would only care to be a person of that race on a night when it is negligible to do so, where you can remove the façade without any consequence. This is a huge marker of insensitivity as changing one’s skin color was historically encouraged for people of color and can be linked to the racist practice of minstrel shows, the discrimination of eastern peoples through Yellowface, and the chronically underrepresented problem that is Redface (among others). You do not need to change the color of your skin to costume Michelle Kwan or Serena Williams.
Do make people laugh.
While scrolling the web looking for last minute costume ideas, I came across the image of a guy wearing the letters “Fe” on his black shirt and stared dumbly at it for a second until I recognized the dramatically manscaped facial hair. He was Iron Man. I couldn’t breathe for a solid minute and made it my mission to have a costume equally as mirth-inspiring and unabashedly lazy.
Don’t wear religious/holy/spiritual symbols in a manner that runs counter to the religion associated with it.
Religion is a deeply personal and intrinsic part of many cultures, and wearing clothing and symbols in an improper manner or that mock the religion is very insensitive. It’s all good fun to go as Grilled Cheesus for Halloween, but steer clear of the sexy nun this spooktober.
Don’t wear symbols of achievement that you have not earned.
There is a notion nowadays that it is cute and trendy to wear headdress and other quintessentially Native American garb to music festivals across America. But while you’re throwing up the peace sign for a selfie with your rainbow-feathered headpiece, you’re also disrespecting what is a symbol of honor and respect for leaders in Native American tribes. This is just as bad as wearing blackface, and goes a step further not to mock just the people, but also their structure of power. Think of it like this: you would undoubtedly be offending the U.S. armed forces by tying your hair up with a dog tag and pinning your daisy dukes with a Purple Heart.
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Do use a bandeau to keep strapless outfits up.
We all know the struggle of yanking up a strapless dress after just a tad too much bounce. Use a bandeau or bustier with non-slip grip to keep the ta-tas from saying hello to the outside world without your permission.
Don’t wear the traditional garb or patterns inspired by a culture you don’t belong to.
Every culture has beautifully diverse traditional garb. It’s part of what makes cultural studies so interesting. Priyanka Chopra in Saree and Ziyi Zhang in Hanfu are perfect examples of the grace and beauty of traditional clothing in their respective cultures. That said, as much as I would love to adorn myself in patterned Mongolian deel or wear a glittering Desi bridal nath, doing so without the express permission of someone from the culture in an event and space that warrants it would be a cultural—and fashion—folly. This also included styling your hair—the style of a person’s hair is as intrinsic to a person’s culture as is their traditional makeup and attire.
Do use a setting spray to keep your makeup on point.
It can take literally hours to get costume makeup to look just right. Brides and cosplayers alike use setting spray to keep their makeup from fading and smudging for the big event, and you should too! Try the sprays by Nyx and E.L.F. for wallet-friendly options, or the one by Urban Decay for professional-grade protection.
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Don’t wear a costume that mocks an event that has victims.
Not only does this trivialize and bring the crime to the forefront, it celebrates the perpetrator and encourages the criminal act. This is harmful to the victim(s) of the crime as it rehashes traumatizing memories and implies that the crime itself was not serious, since it is being regarded in jest.
Don’t wear “sexy” outfits tied specifically to children.
This encourages ideas of pedophilia by fetishizing children. Just don’t do it. Let the “sexy school girl” costume trend die.
If you’re not certain your costume might be offensive, do a little research into why it’s a costume at all. Is it a stereotype of a disenfranchised culture, or political commentary? If you are still not sure a costume might be offensive, the safest thing to do would be just to consider wearing something else. There are a wide variety of costumes you can buy—not to mention those you can make—and the choices are literally endless. If you want to be on trend, consider going as Marty McFly, Pizza Rat, Rey from Star Wars, an Emoji, or anyone from Drake’s Hotline Bling music video.
Most of all, have fun!
Photo credit:
Claire’s – x
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