costumes,
As the days get shorter, the smell of bonfires looms, here in the Midwest there is a heavy chill in the air, leaves are changing color, and people are frantically acquiring pumpkin spice anything. Yes, Halloween is quickly approaching!
The older you get, the less you tend to enjoy the holidays but halloween just happens to include fun for the entire family. Though I cosplay (check out my first cosplay), I know I’m not the only one who loves the excuse to dress-up as an adult without anyone staring or mocking at least once a year. It’s fun to pretend to be someone, or something you aren't for a night, and costumes run a gamut as wide as the human imagination. With such a variety of humorous, frightening and even sexy ensembles to choose from, it’s disappointing to see that tired stereotypes, oblivious prejudice, and nonchalant racism still manages to find a way to the store shelves and in the hands of our friends and families.
Last year, Ohio University’s S*T*A*R*S (Students Teaching About Racism in Society) released the incredibly popular “We’re A Culture, Not A Costume” ad campaign showing ethnic minority students holding photos of people dressed up as stereotypes of their culture.
The best way to get rid of stereotypes and racism is to have discussions, raise awareness, and educate others on matters that the public school system will not. The most obvious stereotype is when someone dresses in blackface, because of it historical context, however the message applies to all races and stereotypes, and not just during Halloween. “Halloween as a holiday has a history of being focused on inversion of power,” says professor Susan Scafidi of Fordham University. She is the author of Who Owns Culture: Appropriation and Authenticity in American Law.
Let stop for just a minute to examine, what is cultural appropriation? The most simple definition of cultural appropriation is that it occurs when members of a dominant culture borrow from the cultures of minorities without their input. Typically those doing the exploiting, lack a contextual understanding of what makes the cultural symbols, art forms and modes of expression significant. Despite their ignorance of the ethnic groups from which they borrow, members of the majority culture frequently profit from the exploitation. If you need a better look at that blurred line, head over and read The Difference Between Cultural Exchange and Cultural Appropriation.
People dress up as plenty of powerful figures that don't get misconstrued and that is OK! But when you dress up as a culture that you are currently oppressing, or have subjugated in the past, you’re not inverting anything, you are just further “reinforcing current power structures in an offensive way.” We need to learn to treat people the way that they deserve, the way we want to be treated. If it’s something that [you] have the privilege to wear, where others would not, do not wear it. You should know when you go past the limit, but as we all know there are people in society who don’t know, don't see, or don't care about that limit. If we really begin to examine the subconscious thoughts of our peers and brought them to attention, maybe we can collectively start to stamp out these stereotypes that have been ingrained into american society.
If you are still questioning what kind of message you (as a Caucasian) are sending in relation to cultural appropriation, here is a list to help sum up what we went over:
That leads into...
If you have to question it, don't do it. If you absolutely must come out dressed as such, be prepared to talk about it. It’s easy to say it’s “just a costume,” and at the end of the night, you can take it off. But minorities cannot change who they are, and will continue having to live with the consequences of the subtle, casual hatred your costume spreads.
Until next time. - D💋
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We're a Culture, Not a Costume
As the days get shorter, the smell of bonfires looms, here in the Midwest there is a heavy chill in the air, leaves are changing color, and people are frantically acquiring pumpkin spice anything. Yes, Halloween is quickly approaching!
The older you get, the less you tend to enjoy the holidays but halloween just happens to include fun for the entire family. Though I cosplay (check out my first cosplay), I know I’m not the only one who loves the excuse to dress-up as an adult without anyone staring or mocking at least once a year. It’s fun to pretend to be someone, or something you aren't for a night, and costumes run a gamut as wide as the human imagination. With such a variety of humorous, frightening and even sexy ensembles to choose from, it’s disappointing to see that tired stereotypes, oblivious prejudice, and nonchalant racism still manages to find a way to the store shelves and in the hands of our friends and families.
Last year, Ohio University’s S*T*A*R*S (Students Teaching About Racism in Society) released the incredibly popular “We’re A Culture, Not A Costume” ad campaign showing ethnic minority students holding photos of people dressed up as stereotypes of their culture.
The best way to get rid of stereotypes and racism is to have discussions, raise awareness, and educate others on matters that the public school system will not. The most obvious stereotype is when someone dresses in blackface, because of it historical context, however the message applies to all races and stereotypes, and not just during Halloween. “Halloween as a holiday has a history of being focused on inversion of power,” says professor Susan Scafidi of Fordham University. She is the author of Who Owns Culture: Appropriation and Authenticity in American Law.
Let stop for just a minute to examine, what is cultural appropriation? The most simple definition of cultural appropriation is that it occurs when members of a dominant culture borrow from the cultures of minorities without their input. Typically those doing the exploiting, lack a contextual understanding of what makes the cultural symbols, art forms and modes of expression significant. Despite their ignorance of the ethnic groups from which they borrow, members of the majority culture frequently profit from the exploitation. If you need a better look at that blurred line, head over and read The Difference Between Cultural Exchange and Cultural Appropriation.
People dress up as plenty of powerful figures that don't get misconstrued and that is OK! But when you dress up as a culture that you are currently oppressing, or have subjugated in the past, you’re not inverting anything, you are just further “reinforcing current power structures in an offensive way.” We need to learn to treat people the way that they deserve, the way we want to be treated. If it’s something that [you] have the privilege to wear, where others would not, do not wear it. You should know when you go past the limit, but as we all know there are people in society who don’t know, don't see, or don't care about that limit. If we really begin to examine the subconscious thoughts of our peers and brought them to attention, maybe we can collectively start to stamp out these stereotypes that have been ingrained into american society.
If you are still questioning what kind of message you (as a Caucasian) are sending in relation to cultural appropriation, here is a list to help sum up what we went over:
- > Don't wear blackface.... EVER. Point blank period. Never ever.
- > Don't wear a native american headdress... If you were "native american" like many claim, you would know better. Headdresses are a sacred item, built from individual eagle feathers that are earned over time. And to see somebody who hasn’t earned that right adorning themselves as such, it’s completely disrespectful. Just like you don’t get to wear a medal of honor by being born American, you don’t get to wear a headdress even if you have Cherokee in you. Simple as that. If you need more reasons why -> just read But Why Can't I Wear a Hipster Headdress.
That leads into...
- > Don’t adopt sacred artifacts as accessories.
- > Don't sexualize minorities.
- > Cite your cross-cultural influences publicly and often.
- > Engage with other cultures on more than an aesthetic level.
Until next time. - D💋
FOLLOW ME ↓
FB - https://www.facebook.com/mssoellegant
IG - https://www.instagram.com/mssoellegant
SC - https://www.snapchat.com/add/mssoellegant
Blog - https://www.mssoellegant.blogspot.com
AFFILIATE LINKS & CODES ↓
https://www.ipsy.com/new?cid=ppage_opensubs&sid=link&refer=ws5xn
https://share.fashionnova.com/x/NKprBC
https://glossgenius.com/invite/theglowmother
Very interesting read pack with an exceptional amount of common sense the world we live in lacks. Definetly love this! If you have to question it DONT DO IT! Thanks for the read!
ReplyDeleteThank you for taking your time to read it!
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