By Francisco Rodriguez and Ramon Veras

Halloween is approaching and you know what that means. It’s time to go outside and go door to door for some candy. Halloween is quite different for college students. There are certain people who have creative costumes while others lack creativity.

In making a costume, many people tend to appropriate a culture. What is cultural appropriation? According to the Cambridge Dictionary, it is the act of taking or using things from a culture that is not your own, especially without showing that you understand or respect this culture.

No longer should our society think cultural appropriation is acceptable. People are incredibly misinformed and it is time to educate ourselves. For example, wearing a hijab for Halloween that is not a part of one’s culture is unacceptable. It is a religious symbol of modesty for the Muslim community, which already faces ignorance and Islamophobia year-round. Do not paint your neck red and pretend to be a “redneck.” It is a form of stereotyping.

Don’t dress up as a mental illness or physical disability because it perpetuates a negative stigma and fear. Do not be a “homeless individual,” this one should be straight forward. Do not use “blackface” or anything that alters your skin tone to a darker complexion. It is a symbol of racism and it is dehumanizing. Please do not question this as Megyn Kelly has done in the last few days.

Do not wear a “sexy” outfit to represent someone’s culture. Your “sexy costume,” is offensive to someone that is constantly mocked for wearing it themselves. It is also the sexualization of a culture which simplifies its people to a sexual object, and nothing more. Take Native American attire for example. Cultures are rich and filled with complexities and yet are mocked by your Halloween costume. If it’s a questionable outfit, consider doing something else.

FYI, any outfit that sexualizes a profession, although it is not cultural appropriation, still trivializes the hard work an individual completed to attain such profession.

Looking past Halloween, there are actions that people do that continue to violate cultures and this must change. As human beings, we must strive to understand where this ignorance comes from. When confronted by our peers for such ignorance, we must try to not cover up our own ignorance by saying that you “love certain features” of a culture, while simultaneously ignoring the many obstacles that people from those cultures face. This can only happen as we open our doors to positive feedback.

P.S. If you happen to disagree with any of the points in this article, please feel free to respond!

Men In Color meet on Sundays at 4 PM in the Sykes Formal Lounge.