By Monica Aviles
Halloween allows people to show their creativity from handmade costumes to store bought costumes. They are fun to wear, but some people take it too far to the point where there are elements of caricature in the costumes.
Often, during or after Halloween, people show up on trending pages for wearing costumes that offend others and their cultures. Almost every year, people wear racists costumes or costumes sexualizing specific cultures.
For example, blackface is an offensive and racist practice that began around the 1830s, that would discriminate or make fun of African American people. Yet teens and even adults dress up as this caricature for Halloween.
In 2016, a young female student from Kansas City University appeared on the trending page when she posted pictures of herself wearing blackface. She eventually apologized, but was soon expelled from that school.
In stores, you will find costumes sexualizing women from different cultures such as Native American women. The costumes will be labeled Tribal Princess, and Native Goddess. These sexists stereotypes are labeling the women in the culture and degrading their history.
A YouTube or Pinterest search will result in tons of tutorials on Native American Halloween makeup. Many people support costumes like these, saying “It’s spreading the culture” when in fact it is dehumanizing them into an object or caricature.
I know that most people do not pick out a costume with the intention of being racist, but these costumes can still be very upsetting to many cultures. Centuries of oppression, and now they still must deal with people mocking and ridiculing their identity on Halloween, and when they try to speak up they are silenced by critics who claim “it is just a costume.”
I am Mexican American, and my culture is not a costume. Dressing up with big sombreros, large mustaches, and holding a “Tapatio” bottle is not a costume. Instead of disrespecting cultures and the people, learn about the culture. Learn about their traditions and history.