Halloween is a holiday where you can dress up and pretend to be something you want to be for the night. Sometimes, though, the costumes can go too far. As a society, we have a tendency to glorify costumes at the expense of others, all to ensure we have a good time.

It is really easy to go to any Halloween store and pick out a costume that could be hurting the reputation of others. When we are young, we are asked what we want to be for Halloween.

Many little girls who are into Disney movies may want to dress up as Pocahontas, because they have seen the movie. I do not see the problem with wanting to dress up as one of your favorite characters from a movie or television show.

The problem, however, occurs when parents dress up their children as “China Boy,” “Little Amigo,” “Confederate Soldier” or “Gypsy Fortune Teller,” all available on Amazon.com. These costumes were recently featured in an MTV News Decoded video where MTV urged parents not to pick a costume that is stereotypical or “inaccurately racist.”

I know I have not always thought about how what I choose to wear on a silly holiday may harm others. It is really easy to go into a costume store and buy something you think will be cute or look good on you.

It is important to think about it from a different perspective. The “China Boy” costume is something that may have been worn hundreds of years ago. Do not let these children base their cultural assumptions on the Halloween costumes we produce as a society. More often than not, these depictions are highly inaccurate.

Not only can costumes be horribly racist, they can also be culturally stereotypical. As you get older, costumes tend to become more sexualized. Instead of an “Indian girl,” you can now be a “Sexy Native American Princess,” both featured on Spirit Halloween’s website. This is a whole other issue that also needs to be addressed. For the time being, though, I think it is more important to focus on this cultural appropriation through Halloween costumes.

This Halloween, a costume emerged where you can dress up as Caitlyn Jenner. At the Spirit Halloween store I went to, they had this Caitlyn Jenner costume right beside a male Olympian costume. I am sure the people who decide to dress up as Caitlyn Jenner are not doing it to praise her bravery, but are doing it to try to be funny.

Think about a rough time or transition you have gone through in your life. Would you want the world dressing up as that, claiming, “Oh, it is just a silly costume! It is funny!”

There are important things you need to consider when deciding what to wear this Halloween. If you think it might be racist, it probably is. So do not wear it.

Secondly, do not do it just because everyone else is. If a friend asks you if they should dress up as something that you think is racist, try to talk them out of it.

And lastly, put yourself in someone else’s shoes. Would you be offended if it was reverse? Think about it.

There are plenty of other fun, flirty and spooky costumes you can wear to a party and stand out. You could be a slice of pizza or Spongebob Squarepants. The possibilities are endless.

I suggest group or couple costumes. Not only are they easy, but they are a great way to bond with friends on Halloween. And, you can keep your friends from culturally appropriating at the same time.

It is easy for anyone, including myself, to slip and not think about how we may be hurting someone else by dressing up in a silly costume. This Halloween, double think what you are about to put on before you go out. 

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