Cultural Appropriation Of Halloween

In its modernity, Halloween is the only day out of the entire year where a person is encouraged to be someone wildly different from themselves, with (almost) no negative repercussions. Thus, people tend to outdo themselves when it comes to crafting their "persona" for the night, taking much of their inspiration from movies, video games, the news, and even Internet memes to build the greatest costumes.

In retrospect, there is a lot of taking during the biggest let-loose-before-the-season-of-giving party. After all, replicating a celebrity or popular meme entails taking a look, or an idea, to momentarily bring it to life. In the night, these acts are virtually harmless as they are temporary, and are acceptable in the spirit of the holiday.

However, some forms of taking are not as acceptable, if at
In Native cultures, these feathered headdresses are given to war heroes and chiefs to symbolize honor, power, and respect. However, the war bonnet has somehow also become an "integral" part of the "major music festival aesthetic", and the "finishing touch" to a standard "Native American" Halloween costume.

The phenomenon has raised multiple questions and comments, ultimately wondering if it is truly offensive to "wear" another culture so blatantly out of context. Scholars argue that doing so contributes greatly to the misunderstanding and further marginalization of cultures, creates an entire slew of negative racial stereotypes, and consequently should be avoided.

In reading all this, you probably ask, "Well, what can I wear, then?"

There are still plenty of costume ideas that are creative as they are mindful of marginalized cultures. Fortunately, San Francisco is blessed with a cornucopia of costume shops to sate all Halloween essentials. Here is a list of ten original costume ideas, built using only items from the costume shops of Haight