On Oct. 29, Carleton’s Engineers Without Borders hosted an event called “Cultural Appropriation 101: The Trudo’s and Trudon’ts of Dressing Up,” a presentation and discussion on what exactly constitutes an inappropriate Halloween costume.
Opinions on what exactly counts as cultural appropriation often differ, and definitions of cultural appropriation and insensitivity continue to evolve. However, when it comes to what makes an insensitive costume, somethings are just plain black and white.
For instance, just because Prime Minister Justin Trudeau did blackface in 2001, doesn’t mean you should do the same. The racist history of blackface is well-documented and indisputable. Blackface is never okay, even if it’s for something as seemingly trivial as a Halloween costume.
Ask yourself if you are perpetuating harmful stereotypes with your costume, or if you’re purchasing made-in-China versions of items traditional to a particular culture. If you are, those are signs your costume is inappropriate or insensitive.
Think long and pause hard before you step outside with a culturally insensitive costume.
File photo.
