Halloween is meant to be fun. Getting dressed up as your favorite character, monster or celebrity creates memories and a night to remember. Dressing up as another culture does not.
I enjoy the holiday and consider it one of my favorites. That being said, I do find great importance in being dressed respectfully. Cultural appropriation is very real and happens far too often. Oxford Languages defines cultural appropriation as “the unacknowledged or inappropriate adoption of the customs, practices, ideas, etc., of one people or society by members of another and typically more dominant people or society.”
Being dressed as a person from a different culture is disrespectful, and it is important to avoid these “costumes,” as they are not costumes. Changing your appearance to appear as another ethnicity, culture or religion is offensive. Stay away from “costumes’’ that portray a person, thing or an event that holds great value and represents significance to a cultural group of people such as Kimonos, headdresses or Hanboks.
Plenty of celebrities and influencers have made the mistake of wearing offensive costumes. Singer and musician Ellie Goulding faced backlash for dressing as a Native American woman for Halloween in 2014. The singer posted a picture to Instagram but quickly removed it after receiving backlash. Goulding is not the only person in the public eye to make this mistake.
Paris Hilton, a reality star, was called out for dressing as a Native American woman in 2010, sexualizing that culture’s traditional clothing. Similarly, Heidi Klum wore a costume portraying herself as a Hindu goddess, Kali, Halloween of 2008. As the goddess is sacred to the religion and culture, a costume based in rich history used for entertainment can easily be seen as offensive. While this ignorance towards other cultures and appropriation may be a less common issue nowadays, it was not long ago that people would see their livelihoods in bags marketed to other people — your favorite celeb could have made this mistake, too.
If an influencer or celebrity wears a culturally insensitive outfit on Halloween, it is hard to forgive, especially if they are an adult. I feel it is common sense to know if something is appropriate to wear or not. Cancel culture can be harsh, but adults mocking or dressing in a manner that is disrespectful to others, especially a minority, should not be taken lightly.
People with large followings do impact their audiences; whether it is negative or positive. Their followers and fans may idolize them and take what they see from them as good or the truth. It is important to hold people accountable in order to educate everyone. Halloween is meant to be fun, so let’s avoid normalizing ignorance on Halloween.
image sources
- Screenshot 2024-10-29 at 5.38.01 PM: Graphic by Jona Hogle
