As Halloween approaches, students are faced with the question of what they should dress up as for the holiday: so what would their Halloween costume be for this year?
Even while getting dressed up for school might be a lot of fun, there is always the risk that students will find their costumes insulting. By following the advice in this article, you can make sure if your Halloween costume doesn't really cross the line between being funny and being insulting.
DO NOT:
1. Racially insensitive:
Even if you have nothing but the best of intentions, there is always a chance that it will be misunderstood. An illustration of this would be a costume of Maui from Moana, who is a native of the Pacific Islands. This outfit comes with a full body suit that is a dark tan color and covered in Maui's tattoos. Because of this, the skin tone of practically anyone who wears it will be altered. Costumes that significantly alter a person's skin tone present an issue because of the potential for them to be interpreted in a mocking manner. The color of someone's skin is not something that should be regarded a joke or a costume. It's possible that other costumes will do the same thing, so be careful to avoid crossing any lines if you want Halloween to be fun for everyone.
2. Culturally irrelevant:
This group includes everyone who makes fun of the clothes, the language, or the traditions of another country. Dressing up as an offensive "Day of the Dead girl" or a "cute Indian" is an unacceptable way to show disrespect towards other people. These costumes have the potential to be insulting since they depict cultural traditions as clothing, so diminishing the cultural value of the practices being shown.
3. Create a daring look for a child's costume by:
It's not a good idea to make an innocent child's favourite television show become a trendy way to spend one's time. For example, the "Sexy Scooby Doo" costume is really fashionable right now. Should I even bother to explain?
DO:
1. Take decisions based on reasoning, and be aware of the difference between right and wrong.
2. Make the list of things to avoid, which can be found above, your guide.
3. Have fun and be careful this Halloween!
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