Racially insensitive halloween costume?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Wearing a kimono isn't mocking a race or culture, so there's absolutely nothing wrong with it. What if a non-white kid wanted to dress up as Abe Lincoln for Halloween...is that okay? I think it is. On Halloween, you can dress up however you like....that's the point of the holiday. I am the whitest white girl you'll ever meet, and I (along with others) wore traditional garb when I was a bridesmaid in weddings of friends who are Chinese and Indian. Clothing isn't off limits for people just because their skin color or ethnicity don't quite fit in. Seriously, folks....everyone needs to dial it down.

I bet all the folks who say its inappropriate are boring white people who think everything is off limits or not PC.

Do you understand the difference between Halloween costume and dressing for a wedding? Maybe not, as you called traditional attire "garb" but I'm just checking.

Maybe I will dress as slutty kitty for your wedding.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Are you really trying to compare painting on black skin color to wearing a kimono? You do realize that one is an aspect of one's race and the other is an aspect of one's culture? Apples and oranges. [/quote

Way to justify your racism. Just remember to keep your trap shut when someone shoes up wearing an Afro wig and sporting blackface. It is not apples to oranges no matter how much you want to protest.

Not justifying racism, not protesting anything. Just pointing out the obvious: what is race and what is culture. You need an understanding of the two if you want to discuss this issue logically and correctly.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:this is insensitive and offends me

You have got to be kidding me..

No I'm not. This offends me as well

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:this is insensitive and offends me

You have got to be kidding me..

No I'm not. This offends me as well

Okay, the first set of pictures, well, they worship white people. The second picture, he could have white blood since he is AA.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:this is insensitive and offends me

Oh, are these Halloween costumes? I would never have guessed.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Cowboy is a profession. Like dressing up as a firefighter or farmer or cop.

A geisha is a profession, too. And it's not a prostitute like a lot of people may think.

I want to be a geisha when I grow up.

Too late. That boat set sail a long time ago.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:this is insensitive and offends me

You have got to be kidding me..

No I'm not. This offends me as well

Okay, the first set of pictures, well, they worship white people. The second picture, he could have white blood since he is AA.

Maybe Snoop Dogg has a song out that I'm unaware of where he raps about his scottish heritage.

[Anonymous]

^^Snoop Dogg, also not dressed up in costume for Halloween, as far as I know. Please correct me if I'm wrong.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:There is a difference between dressing "up" as a specific character, or a specific profession, and dressing up as a member of another culture as a Halloween costume.

My African American son has gone out on Halloween dressed as Robin Hood, Harry Potter, Spiderman. Similarly, I wouldn't have a problem if my kid decided he wanted to dress up as Kai Lan or Caillou or Diego. I also wouldn't have a problem with him dressing up as a ballerina, or a cowboy, or a matador, or a traditional Indian dancer, and wore clothing from those cultures as part of the outfit. I'm sure that if I was more versed in Japanese children's literature, I could come up with a character, or age appropriate role where my child might wear a kimono as part of a costume.

But dressing up in a kimono and have the kimono itself be the Halloween costume, that is dressing up as a "Japanese person", portrays the culture as an "other". Because it makes the kimono itself into the costume, as opposed to what it is, which is clothing.

Thanks. This is the first (only) well reasoned explanation I have seen of why some people would consider it offensive to wear clothing from another culture for halloween. I'm still not sure I agree--whoever is saying it's offensive to wear lederhosen for halloween is nuts, and a kimono doesn't seem different to me--but I do appreciate this perspective.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:this is insensitive and offends me

Oh, are these Halloween costumes? I would never have guessed.

You should have. Yes they are halloween costumes and are available from amazon. Here's another egregious example of their cultural insensitivity http://www.amazon.com/Scottish-Babe-Womens-Halloween-Costumes/dp/B002M0QDTS/ref=pd_sim_sbs_t_42 and here's the costume:

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:^^Snoop Dogg, also not dressed up in costume for Halloween, as far as I know. Please correct me if I'm wrong.

You are incorrect. This was from Snoop Dogg's Oct 31, 2011 show. Snoop Dogg was in fact insensitive with his Halloween costume choice for that year.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There is a difference between dressing "up" as a specific character, or a specific profession, and dressing up as a member of another culture as a Halloween costume.

My African American son has gone out on Halloween dressed as Robin Hood, Harry Potter, Spiderman. Similarly, I wouldn't have a problem if my kid decided he wanted to dress up as Kai Lan or Caillou or Diego. I also wouldn't have a problem with him dressing up as a ballerina, or a cowboy, or a matador, or a traditional Indian dancer, and wore clothing from those cultures as part of the outfit. I'm sure that if I was more versed in Japanese children's literature, I could come up with a character, or age appropriate role where my child might wear a kimono as part of a costume.

But dressing up in a kimono and have the kimono itself be the Halloween costume, that is dressing up as a "Japanese person", portrays the culture as an "other". Because it makes the kimono itself into the costume, as opposed to what it is, which is clothing.

Thanks. This is the first (only) well reasoned explanation I have seen of why some people would consider it offensive to wear clothing from another culture for halloween. I'm still not sure I agree--whoever is saying it's offensive to wear lederhosen for halloween is nuts, and a kimono doesn't seem different to me--but I do appreciate this perspective.

What's wrong or offensive about portraying a culture as an "other"? People don't typically wear kimonos in American culture, so of course it's something different to us. What's wrong with recognizing that it's something different?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I was looking through the Chasing Fireflies halloween costume catalog tonight and remarked that the kimono costume was cute. My DH says its insensitive and he doesnt want to ring the doorbell of our elderly Chinese neighbors w our DD wearing a kimono for Halloween. Thoughts? One of the neighborhood kids wore an Indian sari last year and I thought it was beautiful and my DH also thought that was not PC.

What are you going to say she is dressed up as?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

What's wrong or offensive about portraying a culture as an "other"? People don't typically wear kimonos in American culture, so of course it's something different to us. What's wrong with recognizing that it's something different?

"Other" doesn't mean different. "Other" means "not as human as we are".

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:^^Snoop Dogg, also not dressed up in costume for Halloween, as far as I know. Please correct me if I'm wrong.

You are incorrect. This was from Snoop Dogg's Oct 31, 2011 show. Snoop Dogg was in fact insensitive with his Halloween costume choice for that year.

You don't say.