Halloween is just around the corner and out will come ghouls and goblins, witches and magicians, candy and activities like bobbing for apples.  What also will be seen and experienced on the 31^st of October is an opportunity for people to be someone (or something) that they wouldn’t necessarily be able to be on any other day.  This can be problematic if and when costumes become caricatures of another group’s racial, ethnic and/or cultural identity.

 

In most cases the intention is never to offend.  One’s costume is just an extension of creative expression and exploration.  However, depending on the costume selection, dressing up could in fact perpetuate and bring up stereotypes that negatively impact members of the community.   Kat Lazo writes, “by wearing cultures that aren’t yours as a costume, you are subjecting those very people to the threats associated with those stereotypes and belittling their experiences.” 

 

Historical context and framing is necessary to check the potential impact of our actions.  Cultural appropriation is tied to some costume selections whereby members of a dominant group co-opt and take parts or whole attributes of an underrepresented or marginalized community, stripping it of its meaning and significance. 

 

Some questions we must ask ourselves to be as thoughtful and considerate as possible could be but not limited to: