Halloween costumes "problems"
Halloween Costumes “Problems”
By Honeah
Sanderson, for English A 20: Written October 18, 2017 9:20 PM, October 24, 2017
9:47 PM
This photo speaks out for many words, we are
a culture not a costume. Everyone has a voice and it can be seen or heard in
different perspectives. Costumes do not
represent a culture.
When it comes to Halloween costumes these days,
there’s no boundary that someone isn’t willing to cross. Year after year, we
see more costumes getting cheekier and less politically correct. From “Native
American Seductress,” “Bruce Gender,” to “Convicted Cutie”, and “Illegal
Alien.” The commercial costume industry is clearly getting more and more
ruthless. Before we all go out, we need to stop and remind ourselves- what do
these costumes really say?
Halloween was once filled with innocent fun, and now
I’m surrounded by young adults adorned in offensive, disturbing imagery. In a
world filled with sexism and racism that, I and other peers constantly advocate
against, Halloween proves that in many ways our progress is to no avail. The
world can be politically correct for 364 days straight, and Halloween is no
excuse to unmask offensive ideologies and then continue on as if for this one
night they are only meant to be jokes. I don’t contest the holiday, but it is
important to recognize the ways that it allows for social progress, often years
in the making, to be erased for the sake of comedy and popular Instagram posts.
Halloween is a wonderful time of the year, and as a society of young adults
it’s time to acknowledge that fun doesn’t have to be hand- in hand with
sexualization and cultural insensitivity.
Everyone should be able to dress however they want or
how they want to be viewed by, nothing should stop them from picking a costume
or having to put white/black paint on themselves to fulfill the costume
faze. The object of dressing up for Halloween
is not to do everything in your power to perfectly mirror your subject.
Do not dress up as anyone you’d be embarrassed to bump
into while in costume. Choose that wild princess from Cinderella, Sleeping
Beauty, or Jason from Friday the13th, get crazy and enjoy the night because it
happens only once every year. You can let your inner child out and enjoy the
time because you are making amazing memories with your peers. Leave a good
impression because we are here for a good time but not a long time.
Halloween is a celebration for life and death, for
fall changing into winter. We celebrate it for numerous reasons, that’s why we
have no time for racial costumes because we have to remember that everyone
deserves to have fun and to be recognized for having the most creative
influence.
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