It is that time of year again. The time of people rushing in and out of Party City, trying to think of a creative costume. Well, maybe not all at once in 2020, but there will still be those celebrating. For those doing so, it’s also important in this year of social and racial enlightenment that those costumes they wear are appropriate. 

Over time, some have learned dressing up and appropriating a culture or ridiculing it isn’t cool, not even on Halloween.

What is cultural appropriation you ask? Simple. It is taking expressions of culture, knowledge of traditional practices, artifacts, or property, and making it your own without permission. This can include music, language, dress, and more. Who is affected most? Usually, communities of color who’ve been oppressed and exploited are at the center of appropriation and insults. 

 1. Do Not Appropriate Mexican culture by dressing up like anything associated with ‘Dia de Los Muertos.’

2. Do not dress like a Native American, at all. No headdresses, no moccasins, nothing should be worn to imitate a Native American as a costume. These should be buried deep into the past to not taunt those who’ve already been pushed out of their home.

3. A holocaust survivor. Do we even need to explain? The holocaust killed over 6 million Jewish people and no one wants or needs to relive that.

4. A COVID-19-inspired costume. In the U.S., the novel virus has taken the lives of over 200,000 Americans, and that is predicted to grow to unfathomable heights by the year’s end. Why is this even a joke?

Sure, some may say the world is too sensitive in this age, but I think the more appropriate term is that we’re trying to shift into a world that is more considerate, at least that is the hope.