Halloween is Tuesday night! As you make your plans to celebrate this year, please remember to consider the impact your costumes and behavior may have on other people, friends, neighbors, cultures, and identities. We recognize that many cultures have celebrations and rituals, such as Halloween, that allow people to disguise who they are, even if only for a single night. However, what one person considers celebratory may be offensive or hurtful to another, and no one wants a seemingly harmless costume to have unintended negative consequences.
Here are some things to consider as you make your Halloween plans:
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Is your costume choice something that is likely to be perceived as offensive or hurtful to members of another race, gender, religion, or culture?
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Will your costume reflect poorly on you or adversely affect our Hamline community?
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Offensive, insensitive or and/or hurtful costumes are still problematic even if members of those racial, gender, religious or cultural groups are not present.
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Will photos or social media posts capturing your celebration be misinterpreted and have a negative impact on your reputation, either now or in the future?
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Race, ethnicity and cultural differences are not costumes. You should not adjust your physical features such as skin color, hair styles or eyes to "dress up" as a person of a different race or culture.
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Even if you are dressing up as a celebrity, popular person, historical figure, or well-known fictitious character, you should not adjust your physical features to appear more like them as your costume.
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If you plan to attend a Halloween celebration, are you being responsible in your choices regarding alcohol? Are you being a responsible host?
How do you talk to someone about their costume if you think it might be racist or offensive?
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When you adjust your physical features to appear more like a celebrity, popular person, historical figure or fictitious character, you may be inadvertently doing so in a way that is akin to blackface, yellow face or other racial/ethnic/cultural stereotypes.
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Any costume involving blackface or yellow face is racist so it's important to understand the history of these problematic images of people or communities of color.
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Explain that, if an entire race or cultural group is the butt of a joke, it's not a good joke. There are plenty of ways to make funny costumes out there; race, gender, religion or culture does not need to to be factored into your costume choice.
10 Halloween Costumes That Are Actually Racist, Even If You Might Not Realize It
My Culture Is Not A Costume
