![]() You can follow her on Twitter and Facebook. ![]() Lisa Wade is a professor of sociology at Occidental College. For example, this “Hey Amigo” costume can be purchased at the Linens N Things website: The thing that amazes me most about these costumes is that they’re everywhere. Of course, that’s actually perfect for Halloween! But somehow I don’t think that’s what SPIRIT is going for.ĭoes making fun of white people (“tighty whiteys”) make it all equal? The geisha one in particular makes me wince, partly because the “kimono” is tied the wrong way (the only time you ever tie it that way is when a person is dead)… UPDATE! Awesome tidbit from Rosemary in the comments thread: … of course he has a knife! All Middle Eastern men are dangerous, didn’t you know? You can even tell by his face: he’s pissed, and he’s going to take it out on some infidels!įor good measure, Cindy at Lotería Chicana has collected a set of racist Halloween costumes that she photographed at a store called Spirit in San Francisco. And Persia and Arabia were two different places! AKH! History lesson: Persia didn’t have sheikhs, they had shahs. Regarding the “Sheik of Persia Arabian Costume” costume shown below, she says: ![]() Here’s a sample of the “Asian costumes” (don’t miss the fantastic font):įatemeh Fakhraie, at Racialicious, points out how “Middle Eastern” costumes reinforce both ignorance and negative stereotypes. Illustrating the way in which these costumes tend to collapse culturally distinct groups into a cheap stereotype, Costume Craze has a whole section of the website devoted to “ History and World Culture Costumes.” Why is it socially acceptable to dress like the stereotypical Indian: “Brave”,”Chief”, “Princess”, “Squaw”, “Maiden”? Pardon Moi, but when did the Native American enter the realm of Wizards, Fairies, Super-heroes, Goblins, or Ghouls? When did it become ok to reduce the diversity, language, and culture of nearly 500 different Indigenous tribes into a tacky “costume” of cheap suede, colored feathers, plastic beads, and fringe? Who decided that the history, identity, and lineage of Native Americans could be easily put on and taken off like greasy Halloween face paint?īrooke features a whole host of “Indian” costumes at her site, including this one: A “Mexican Man,” for example (see below), should not be presented as scary, funny, or fantastical.īrooke, at Whebr’s Hotub’s Blog, expresses her frustration for people who dress us like an “Indian”: This is why dressing up like another “race” or “culture” for Halloween is racist. As far as I can figure it, Halloween costumes come in three categories: scary, funny, or fantastical.
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