Halloween Costumes: Appropriation or Appreciation

Image Courtesy: Strike Tallahassee

It’s that time of year again, where one of the scariest things someone can encounter is a culturally insensitive Halloween costume. The line between cultural appreciation and appropriation is often blurred when it comes to the spooky holiday. Halloween costumes tend to take inspiration from popular fictional characters across all media forms. Controversy arises when a costume mockingly misrepresents an entire race, religion, or ethnicity as an “otherized” caricature, serving as an instrument of discrimination and harassment where an entire identity of people is “the butt of the joke.” 

While walking around Party City or Spirit Halloween, one can find a variety of accessories and clothing to fit all of their costume needs. But it doesn’t take long to discover some questionable costume options. In the hat section, one can find sombreros, conical hats, and turbans. These items are not derived from fantasy or fiction, but, rather they are from real-life ethnicities and religions that have been commodified and rebranded as a cheap joke. 

Image Courtesy: The Heights

So, when is it appropriate to wear items like these? In the case of the conical hat, which is widely used by many Asians across the globe, it would be appropriate for those honoring and representing their heritage to wear the hat respectably. However, when it is incorporated into a Halloween costume made by a non-BIPOC without any specific character in mind, it sends the message that the costume intentionally disrespects an entire ethnic group. It reduces that group to stereotypes and a misrepresentative image that is overall culturally insensitive. One recent character that Disney developed is named Raya, and she sports a conical hat in the movie. In this case, the hat would be appropriate to wear as it is a part of her character design. One cannot just cosplay as someone’s identity. 

Image Courtesy: CNBC

There is never any reason for someone to use brown or black face, especially when it comes to a costume. While a fictional character’s ethnicity can be closely tied to their identity, it should never be replicated. You would think that people know better by now, but there are still celebrities in the public eye who feel this is okay to do. In the case of Julianne Hough, she dressed up as the character Crazy Eyes from Orange Is the New Black. While this character is black, her most identifiable feature is her eyes. Instead of focusing on this feature, Hough ruined it by doing blackface.

Image Courtesy: Character and Leadership

We have seen a recent influx of movies and content that integrate more cultural themes and ethnic characters. While this is great for representation and for the overall art form, we must be careful about the way in which we handle topics such as these. People can get caught up in the thrill of dressing up and not realize the gravity of certain discourses. The big takeaway is to make sure that your costume is modeled after a character or a person without being offensive. 

Strike Out, 

Writer: Isabella Botero

Editors: Noelle Knowlton and Lexi Fernandez

Graphics: Lauren Wakeman

Tallahassee