Children’s Fashion: Reflecting on Respectful Halloween-wear
/I love Halloween.
Growing up in small-town Nova Scotia, I would cling to any social “holiday” that I could. Dressing up and being the little mermaid was a highlight of my childhood. I didn’t blink when some of my classmates were wearing costumes such as “Mexican” or “Indian Princess”.
As an adult living in 2020,
I am so blessed to have access to so much information. Learning about a new culture is literally a click away. This ease of access to information and other people has allowed us to uplift the voices of people who historically, have not had a voice. A concept that a lot of people are getting used to, in the form of racism that appears as cultural appropriation.
As the Oxford Dictionary defines it, cultural appropriation is:
The unacknowledged or inappropriate adoption of the customs, practices, ideas, etc. of one person or society by members of another and typically more dominant people or society.
Immediately, the costumes of my childhood peers come to mind.
The cheap, burlap poncho from the Wal-Mart costume section coupled with an exaggerated, inaccurate sombrero. Sat on top of blonde curls and pale skin, a child who has probably never even met a Hispanic person in his life.
Thus lies the crux of cultural appropriation at Halloween.
Of course, children would likely not understand how to appropriately appreciate other cultures, and that wearing a cheap stereotype is harmful, but how do you explain to your child who isn’t Chinese that they cannot be Mulan for Halloween?
Parents-Together.org had great insight on levelling with your child to avoid cultural appropriation on Halloween.
“White children in particular have plenty of white characters in pop culture to choose from—and recognizing that is one way to begin informing kids about their privilege. In an opinion piece, the Redbook editors agreed that Moana isn’t the best costume choice for a white child: “This isn’t about putting a damper on your kid’s creativity; it’s about exercising sensitivity towards anyone who doesn’t get to choose how the world at large sizes them up.”
Understanding cultural appropriation and how it affects you and your family is a massive win for deconstructing any bias you may have.
It isn’t about limiting your options, just empowering yourself to choose the right ones. For some, it can be so easy to be lost in the nostalgia for days where you didn’t have to worry about a costume. For others, those times were plagued with minimal costume options, seeing their culture as a gag in a costume shop, and their sacred cultural pieces being capitalized for a few hours of trick-or-treating.
Hopefully, next Halloween we will see more little heads on the streets, all dressed up in costume. Using this year to reflect and recharge on your influence as a parent, or even to hold yourself accountable, is incredibly valuable.
The world of fashion and costume is ever-expanding and as bottomless as a human’s imagination, let’s not disrespect others in the process.
Cassidy Shea
Cassidy is a second year student in Algonquin College's Professional Writing Program. Her interests include fashion, activism, and digital art. Passionate to work in a field that directly helps people. If you're looking for a debate or a gaming partner look no further.(edited)
