The lines can be a bit blurred when it comes to which Halloween costumes are considered appropriate. Yet, every year, what some people wear has larger implications than anticipated.
Leathia Botello, coordinator at the Office of Multicultural Affairs, said cultural appropriation when it comes to Halloween costumes is a gray area that students may not know that much about.
“It”s basically one culture taking parts from another culture that they are not a part of,” Botello said of cultural appropriation.
She said it is important for the University of Idaho to make campus is a safe and inclusive environment for all cultures.
Botello has worked at UI for 16 years and said there haven”t been many incidents with offensive costumes, but it is definitely more prevalent during Halloween.
She said she recalls some UI students wearing blackface a couple of years ago. These students were likely not trying to be malicious toward anyone, but the costumes were still offensive, Botello said.
“The history of blackface during slave times was a way for white people to keep African Americans oppressed,” Botello said.
Yet, she said that the incident was a good learning experience for those students.
Botello said Native American and Latino costumes are some of the common themes she has seen of the years. She said most of the time students think a costume looks cool and are not intentionally trying to upset anyone.
Yet, she said wearing things, such as a traditional Native American headdress, can cause someone with that cultural background to feel belittled.
“There was a time in American history when Native Americans were put on reservations where they were forced to be more like the dominant culture and couldn”t wear their traditional clothing,” Botello said. “This is taking away something from them that they fought and, a lot of times, died for.”
UI Senior Mimi Price, who serves as president of the Feminist Led Activist Movement to Empower (FLAME) organization, said she has spent the last couple months working to bring the national campaign We”re a Culture Not a Costume to the university.
We”re a Culture Not a Costume is a poster campaign that aims to raise awareness about costumes that are disrespectful to other cultures, Price said.
Price said she began working on this project because accurate representation of other cultures is an important issue for FLAME.
“For the past few years, we have seen some questionable costumes on campus,” Price said.
Often students will host Halloween parties with themes such as cowboys and indians, Price said. She said the theme often results in many students dressing in Native American clothing and engaging in drinking or other activities, which can degrade and misrepresent their culture.
“There are so many other costume options that aren”t a part of a living person”s culture,” Price said.
If a student sees one of their friends wearing a Halloween costume that appropriates or offends a certain culture, Price said students should not be afraid to let them know it is not OK.
“Just make it into a teaching moment and not something where you are attacking them,” Price said.
Yet, Price said if you don”t know the person wearing the costume, the best option is to not confront them and avoid escalating the situation. She said students should continue to spread the message of avoiding offensive Halloween costumes.
Botello said most people are unaware of the repercussions of their costume. She said students should remain mindful of their Halloween costumes and avoid outfits that could misrepresent a culture.
“Wearing costumes like this just perpetuates stereotypes,” Botello said.
Jessica Gee can be reached at [email protected] or on Twitter @jaycgeek