![]() So let me see if I can help: All of the aforementioned ideas? Racist. While there are a million ways to be racist on any day of the year, it seems that Halloween - when we dress up as something other than ourselves, thus expressing our version of all kinds of identities we don't own - is a day that is as particularly fraught with ways to be racist as it is with white people who clearly don't understand what racism is. Here's the thing: That urge you feel to celebrate October 31 by slapping on a bindi ( sigh - the forehead dot), painting your face brown, or talking in a fake accent? It's not cute. Or maybe you think that “sexy geisha” is perfect for trick-or-treating. Now, maybe you really love sugar skulls, or those fake headdresses most often seen on very white people roaming in random fields listening to painfully hip bands. 7.Halloween is rapidly approaching, so naturally, you need a costume - ideally, something amazing and creative and reflective of your personality and interests. For example, skip the sombrero-and-poncho combo, Native American headdresses, kimonos and grass skirts with a coconut top. Focus on costuming linked to a specific character, not general looks that have particular meaning to often-marginalized groups of people. If you or your child intend to pay homage to a beloved Disney character (hint: Moana or Pocahontas), take care to dress with sensitivity. When someone mimics a culture that isn't their own, particularly in an exaggerated or "humorous" way, it comes off as cultural appropriation, or an offensive jab at other cultures. Outfits that make fun of people's size, objectify human beings or otherwise make light of a person's lived experience are all inappropriate. ![]() Think about it this way: If you wouldn't say it to a friend's face, don't wear it as a Halloween costume. It not only reduces women to sex objects, but turns a woman's weight into a joke. When it comes to disrespecting women, this costume gets it wrong on several levels. That means also avoiding caricatures like Julianne Hough's "Crazy Eyes" costume and Luann de Lesseps's Diana Ross costume. For example, if you identify as a white person, take care to avoid stereotyping any other cultures that aren't yours, even if you intend to pay homage to a specific person. Dressing up in outfits that reinforce racist stereotypes also counts as blackface. Yes, the offensive practice includes literally painting your face a shade other than your natural skin tone, but it also goes deeper than that. Anything involving blackfaceīlackface is never OK. Many places pulled it off the shelves after customers complained, but others still offer similar looks under the names "World War II Evacuee Girl" or "1940s Girl Historical Costume." The Holocaust is a painful historical event, not costume party fodder. Several retailers have previously come under fire for selling an "Anne Frank" costume for little girls. A Holocaust victimīelieve it or not, more than one celebrity has thought that dressing up as a Nazi for Halloween was a good idea - and trick-or-treating as a Holocaust victim is just as bad. ![]() Instead, we recommend choosing a fun and silly group costume or a scary costume that won't make someone relive a traumatic event. Here, some specific examples of tasteless and inappropriate Halloween costumes you should take care to avoid this year (and every year). Neither is cultural appropriation - nationalities and subcultures you don't belong to aren't a costume they're real ways of life that deserve respect. Making light of tragedies can remind others of trauma they've endured and that's no laughing matter. We'll get into the details below but in brief: tragic events like mass shootings, natural disasters and pandemics should never be used as inspiration for Halloween costumes. Every year, at least a handful of people (celebrities very much included) manage to come up with some very cringeworthy, harmful and offensive Halloween costumes that ruin the good vibes - and it can happen where you least expect it. Dressing up in fun Halloween costumes, eating all the candy you can um "borrow" from the kids, carving a pumpkin and then crossing your fingers the squirrels don't eat it before the trick-or-treaters come - what's not to like?īut as we all start brainstorming our Halloween attire and celebrations for 2023, consider this your annual reminder to make sure the spooktacular outfit you've got in mind won't rain on anyone else's parade. ![]() Unless you're a total ghoul, you probably get at least a little bit excited about Halloween.
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