It’s that time of year again. By some bizarre aligning of the moons at the end of October, our society as a whole decides to toss aside thoughts of political correctness, takes off our discrimination filtering glasses and attempts to dumb down our views of people to the lowest common discriminator.
Usually the kids turn out semi-okay. Their costumes reflect the gender stereotypes we and Hollywood have been trying to instill in them at an early age. The girls dress up as princesses and fairies and anything else pretty. We give the boys guns and capes and encourage the machoism out of them. If your girl wants to strut her power she has Catwomen, Supergirl or Violet from the Incredibles to choose from. And your pretty much out of luck if your boy wants to be an angel.
Personally, I think Halloween should probably remain only a kids holiday. It was very likely the carnal instinct that we frown upon in our civilized society that thought up the idea of adults dressing up for Halloween. Now, don’t get me wrong, I see nothing wrong with dressing up; costumes can be fun. Yet, take one glance in most costume stores or websites (actually, your better off not glancing), and you’ll find some indications of the worst thinking in our society.
I don’t really need to go into major details on the costumes that are so bad. It shocks me that we haven’t realized the great harm there is in stereotyping different people groups, regardless of if it is for one night a year. Dressing up as an ethnicity requires you harp on the characteristics most recognized and stereotyped about that people group, which in our extremely racist society, usually carries many negative connotations. Dressing up as different types of people, sometimes glamorizes very bad things (pimps and prostitutes are not living the lavish enjoyable lifestyles we pretend they live on halloween). Finally, as if women in our society didn’t already have enough oppression and discrimination to overcome in the workplace, ‘women as sex objects’ is strongly reinforced this time of year. You’d be hard pressed to find a female costume of any profession that isn’t designed to serve as a sex object. It baffles me that once a year we find it necessary to remind everyone of this terribly warped way of thinking.

And just to drive this point home even further, let me leave you with some great Questions to Ask Your Before Donning a Halloween Costume, from Tolerance.org:

WEARING A FUNNY COSTUME?
Ask yourself: Is the humor based on “making fun” of real people, real human traits or cultures?
Though intended to be funny, last season’s “Mental Patient” costume by Disguise was considered demeaning, dehumanizing, and humiliating to individuals struggling with a mental illness and their families. Complete with a “Hannibal” type mask and a straightjacket, the costume reinforced stereotypes and fears about persons with mental illness.

WEARING A SCARY COSTUME?
Ask yourself: Is the “fear factor” based on real forms of violence or grotesque depictions of human traits?
“This scary stud can empty out a full house just by walking through the door,” touts the tag line for Fright Catalog’s “Vato Loco” mask. The bandana clad, tattooed, brown-skinned vinyl creation makes light of gang violence, which takes a serious toll on families and neighborhoods across the country. The costume also sends the message that Latinos are violent.

WEARING A HISTORICAL COSTUME?
Ask yourself: If the costume is meant to be historical, does it further misinformation or historical and cultural inaccuracies?
The “Indian” get-up prevails each year as culture-turned-costume. But did you know few Native Americans wore buckskin and headbands and even fewer wore them together? Did you know “war paint” and feathers carry religious meaning and were never worn by Native American children?

WEARING A “BEAUTIFUL” COSTUME?
Ask yourself: If the costume is meant to be beautiful, are these characteristics drawn from commercial references, such as movie characters?
Too often, beautiful at Halloween means white, blonde, princess masks. What statement does your Halloween costume make about what constitutes beauty — and about who is beautiful and who isn’t?

WEARING A “CULTURAL” COSTUME?
Ask yourself: Does the costume reduce cultural differences to jokes?
People like Leigha Baugham, a former communications student at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, believe when it comes to picking Halloween costumes, we should “keep our hands out of the melting pot.”

So, with that, Have a Happy Halloween!