It’s
that time of year again; that time that Chico is (sadly) best known for. It’s when students drink more beer in a
weekend than most people do in a month, when couches are subject to being
burned in the streets like sacrificial lambs, and when you see more culturally
offensive costumes than you were prepared for.
Halloween.
Chico State, for years, has been
trying to emphasize caution when picking out Halloween costumes, being careful
not to exploit someone’s culture as a “humorous” outfit. Yes, Halloween is
about dressing up as something you’re not, but someone’s culture is not for you
to be experimenting with. Wearing a poncho and sombrero, or painting your face
black, is anything but humorous; it’s extremely offensive not only to the
cultures you are mocking, but embarrassing to everyone who has any common
decency. If you’re considering
dressing as a Native American again this Halloween, just don’t.
As I’ve been thinking about what
costumes I’ll see this year, I came across an AMAZING video on Facebook the
other day about women and Halloween.
Now, I’m sure we all know that Halloween is that one time of year where
girls can dress up like sluts and get away with it, right? WRONG. WRONG. WRONG
on so many levels. I’m sick of
hearing this statement from men and women alike. It’s the time of year when women can dress up and get away
with it? First of all, get away with what? Get away with dressing how she wants
to, whether that be a skimpy nurse, a lumberjack, a fully clothed ghost, a
monster? Women can wear whatever
they want, not just on Halloween, and should not have to worry about being
called a slut or masculine. Secondly,
I’m tired of the notion that women are expected
to over sexualize themselves by wearing minimal clothing/hyper feminized costumes. If a woman chooses to wear a sexy fairy
costume, let it be HER CHOICE, not because she feels pressured into pleasing
the male eye. Watch this video and
let these beautiful women clear up any confusion you may be feeling this
Halloween.
Ladies, whatever you decide to be this Halloween, let it be
your choice and OWN it.
Men (and women), keep your mouths shut about all the “hoes”
this Halloween; it’s not only judgmental, but it makes you sound extremely
ignorant. No one tells you what to wear, so please, keep your 2 cents to
yourself. And of course, please be
conscious that your costumes are not exploiting any culture or race. Have a
safe Halloween.
Maddison LeRoy
People always think its such a huge sacrifice to think about whether what they're doing is offensive, but its really not. The chance to dress up as "Mexican" for a night or calling something "ghetto" should not be a necessary part of anyone's lifestyle. Its such a small change to make that can actually make things better for others and give you the chance to have much more meaningful relationships. This also relates to what you said later about keeping your two cents to yourself. What does a person really give up when they just don't comment on someone else/s outfit/body/femininity/race?
ReplyDeleteHalloween is also a time when I hear a lot of fat-shaming, like thicker women shouldn't be allowed to feel sexy. Fuck that.
Damn straight! You totally encapsulated how I feel about the culture surrounding Halloween in college life. I wish more people were able to understand the concept that cultures aren't costumes. I even heard a few men referencing the posters that the Office of Diversity put up, saying things like "I don't get what the problem is" "if they didn't like it they would say something." I also totally agree with the part about telling women that they are only dressing sexy to please men as taking away a womens agency, and invalidating her feeling good about herself. The stigma around Halloween costumes for women is something that definitely needs to be discussed.
ReplyDelete