Halloween is upon us, and children and adults alike are getting excited to dress up and gorge on candy.  These days there are many costumes to choose from. Do you go as a monster, or a princess, or a superhero? The choices are endless, but one issue remains as we begin to decide what to be for Halloween: The issue of cultural appropriation.

I know what you’re thinking. Cultural appropriation? That sounds terrifying! Cultural appropriation can be pretty scary, but probably not in the way that you think.

The Merriam-Webster dictionary definition of ‘cultural appropriation’ is “to take without permission or consent in relation to a culture of one that is not one’s own.”  In a less diagnostic definition, cultural appropriation is generally when a certain culture is subordinated or otherwise viewed as inferior by another culture that has deemed itself -sometimes unconsciously- as superior. The self-assuming “superior” culture imitates the said “inferior” culture by using their artifacts, behavior, modes of dress and even speech.

Cultural appropriation is different than cultural exchange, which is a more appreciative and balanced way of teaching each other about different cultures. Without proper representation and explanation of these cultures different than our own, the culture being imitated will be grossly misrepresented.

So here is our problem: Cultural appropriation in Halloween costumes is often overlooked. Someone may not be trying to be offensive, but do so without really knowing that they are even doing it.

For example, it has been a trend lately for those who are not affiliated with the Hindu religion to don a bindi, a traditional Hindu adornment representing the sixth chakra. The bindi is supposed to be given to Hindu men and women in a very ceremonial fashion, and it has important religious significance. When people who are not Hindu decide to wear the religious symbol of the bindi, they are choosing to disregard the religious importance and significance of the bindi to the Hindu people. We can see how this could become a problem.

A common Halloween costume example of –perhaps unknown- cultural appropriation is the Native American costume. You’ve seen it around. The staples to this costume tend to be moccasins, war paint and feathers in the hair. It seems like a relatively harmless costume, right?

Not necessarily. Many things were considered sacred to the Native Americans, including the moccasins, war paint and feathers. Because these things are so important to their culture, it is cultural appropriation to take them for granted and wear them as a costume.

The point I am getting at is that there are lots of things about many cultures that we don’t understand. Because we don’t understand them, we try to imitate them to get to the point of understanding. But we are missing vital information! Instead of only imitating what we thing we know about cultures, we should share each other’s cultures, and begin to understand the importance of our diverse experiences.

Keep this in mind when choosing a Halloween costume for this year and remember to be respectful and be safe. Happy Halloween!