addressing the issue of cultural appropriationstory by erin kruger, design by lydia kasem, graphic by ivan reyes

Messed up dress up

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hile I look around the store for Halloween costume ideas, I begin to notice a particular theme jumping

out at me. Disgusted with the overbearing ignorant white people agenda, I’m presented with elaborate Native American headdresses, vibrant-yet-offensive ponchos, and overtly sexualized, revealing belly dancer costumes. What has the modern tradition of wearing costumes on Halloween come to? Back in 10th century Ireland, the Celtic pagans celebrated a holiday called Samhain, which is basically the foundation for Halloween. During Samhain, children would wear costumes of skulls and rawhides to scare away spirits rising from the dead. That’s the original intent, but now Halloween is far too commercialized. Nowadays, we mostly wear costumes that we think are funny or ridiculous. I’m not saying that being humorous is a bad thing, because that’s widely accepted today. What’s not funny, though, is when people wear costumes that represent cultures other than their own. Cultural appropriation is the adoption of one’s culture by people of a different culture. The biggest offenders of cultural appropriation in costumes are white people. In some cases, cultural appropriation can be a good thing. It can introduce us to new foods, music, literature, and art. But on the other hand, some people actually thinks it’s funny to wear Arab garb and call themselves “terrorists” on Halloween. As someone of Arab heritage, I find this extremely offensive, as the vast majority

of Arabs are not terrorists. I can assure you that you are not being clever. Think it’s comical to put on a big poncho, a fake handlebar mustache, and an enormous sombrero? Ask someone of Hispanic heritage. We need to remember that clothes originating from different cultures are not fit to be gag costumes at Halloween parties. They are extremely rude and derogatory toward people of color and their heritage. Many people are affected negatively by cultural appropriation—Senior Colton Armstrong, who is of Cherokee descent, is one of them. “It really angers me because everyone has the same idea of what a typical Native American would dress like. They all have headdresses and the leather clothes. That’s not what everyone wore,” Armstrong said. “Historically, [headdresses] are a sign of a warrior who’s fought in battle, so he’s honored by given the headdress, which represents honor, glory, and valor, and all these wonderful things.” Of course, cultural appropriation through clothing doesn’t only happen around Halloween time. It also happens a lot in our everyday clothing and interactions, with some examples being Native American prints, henna, and cornrows. One of the most horrific examples I’ve experience while at Westside was the United Nations Day that the World History classes participate in. As we know, a

majority of our school is white and everyone had to dress in traditional clothing as the country we were representing in order to get a good grade. It’s sickening that educators would encourage this kind of behavior, and it only instills the acceptance of cultural appropriation within our minds. Only a few people wear these insulting costumes, but what they don’t realize is how they make America’s 85 million people of color feel. “People go out to music festivals, or go out on Halloween, and

they throw on these headdresses. They don’t realize what they are making a mockery of,” Armstrong said. “People have died for these headdresses, and they’ve died for the right to wear them. People just go around with them like they are nothing. It’s like if I were to wear a Marine uniform—I haven’t earned the right to wear it. To me, it’s about the equivalent.” This Halloween, be mindful when making your costume selections. If you want to make others laugh at your party, dress as a meme, movie character, or an inanimate object. I could list tons of costumes that would be funnier than wearing traditional ethnic clothing. Just remember that these costumes aren’t witty or smart—they are a way of life for someone else.

addressing the issue of cultural appropriation

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“They don’t realize what they are making a mockery of” - senior Colton Armstrong

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opinion // cultural appropriation