Halloween: Ghouls, Ghosts, and… Cultural Appropriation?

Halloween is right around the corner, and with it comes endless fun and festivities! It is a night to dress
up, ask for candy, and embrace the adrenaline that comes with being scared. People put on costumes
and parade around with pride, taking advantage of the opportunity to be someone different. It is a
holiday that allows people to put on a mask and be whoever and whatever they want to be.

However, in the midst of Halloween people often forget about concepts such as respect and
consideration of others. Each year there are countless stories of costumes that make fun of other
cultures, and costumes that turn important cultural garments into cheap imitations. Despite Halloween
being an exciting time of year, we must remember that it doesn’t excuse actions such as cultural
appropriation.

What is cultural appropriation? Cultural appropriation is when one culture(usually a more dominant
culture) takes elements from another culture and uses them in an inappropriate/unacknowledged way.
Cultural appropriation often means that the people taking elements from the culture are unaware of the
significance of the elements being adopted. Examples include using indigenous headdresses as
costumes, wearing ethnic outfits as “fashion”, or wearing religious symbols as jewelry without practicing
the faith.

So, how can we help solve and prevent actions such as cultural appropriation during Halloween?
Although it seems like an enormous problem, there are small steps that we can take towards eliminating
cultural appropriation on October 31st.

3 things we can do to help:

1. Self Reflect!

When choosing Halloween costumes, or even while performing your daily routine, think about how your
actions might be appropriating other cultures. Spend some time doing research on various different
cultures, and take some time to just appreciate other cultures. Look at your own actions and think about
how others would interpret said actions. Practice being mindful of your own actions and making sure
that you appreciate, rather than appropriate other cultures by developing a further understanding of
other cultures.

2. Spread Awareness!

If you see someone appropriating another culture, say something! Educate friends and family on what
cultural appropriation is, and why it’s damaging for the culture being appropriated. Ask friends and
family to spread knowledge of cultural appropriation amongst their friends, in order to discourage
cultural appropriation within our community.

3. Voice Your Opinions!

Cultural appropriators often appropriate because they feel like it is socially acceptable, or because they
simply don’t know that what they are doing is considered appropriation. Telling appropriators that they
are appropriating is a great way to fight appropriation. Another way voicing opinions helps is because
large corporations(such as those who make culturally insensitive costumes) rely heavily on consumer
satisfaction. If people start calling out large corporations, they will slowly begin to change their products
to be less insensitive and more considerate of different cultures.

In conclusion, although cultural appropriation seems like a large problem, we can all play a part in
promoting activism and helping solve the problem. Although Halloween has historically featured
considerable instances of cultural appropriation, together we can help put an end to cultural
appropriation once and for all.