Cultural Appropriation: Problematic Halloween Costumes

Cultural Appropriation: Problematic Halloween Costumes: Topic Proposal

Cultural appropriation has been a controversial subject of debate for decades; hence it is not something “new” as society likes to think. The issue of cultural appropriation seems to have recently emerged in the 21st century because technology has allowed information to be more widespread and easily accessed. The borrowing of cultural elements of minority cultures, particularly black culture and indigenous culture, (hairstyles, music, fashion, art, etc.) by fashion labels and designers, celebrities, and the dominant culture often elicits unforgiving backlash from liberals. For example, Kylie Jenner has frequently been called out by the black community for continuously

appropriating and profiting off aspects of black culture, such as cornrows and box braids. Another example would be fashion designer Marc Jacobs’ Spring 2017 fashion show that featured majority white models wearing faux dreadlocks, which is a cultural and religious hairstyle that can be traced back to India and different parts of Africa. Historically, Black culture has appropriated, exploited, and refashioned to fit the taste of the dominant race/culture; simultaneously, African Americans have been persecuted and demonized for embracing their own culture. Therefore, African Americans naturally feel angered and disrespected when privileged peoples extract what they want from black culture, take credit for it, and show no respect or appreciation for the original creators.
Picking back up on examples of cultural appropriation and borrowing, Halloween has become a day that enables demeaning representations of entire races, ethnic groups, and cultures in order to seem “sexy”, “exotic” or “funny”.

This effort to stand out on Halloween comes at the expense of minorities, resulting in real harm and not just “offense”. As discussing appropriation of all minority cultures would be quite difficult, for my research paper, I am going to focus on culturally appropriative Native American themed Halloween costumes and the impact that it has indigenous people. A tentative thesis statement might be something similar to the following: The appropriation of Native American culture and identity in Halloween costumes trivializes the significance of cultural symbols and elements, perpetuates racist stereotypes, and contributes to the systemic oppression of indigenous people. With my paper, I intend to educate my audience about the harmful effects of cultural appropriation and why it is not the same as cultural appreciation. I want to persuade my audience to practice cultural sensitivity and take the time to properly learn about the culture they wish to

participate.
I will begin my paper with a definition of cultural appropriation and illustrate how it differs from cultural appreciation, cultural exchange, and cultural assimilation. Many people who argue that cultural appropriation is a way of “honoring” other cultures and “benefits and enriches” society demonstrate a distorted understanding of what cultural appropriation actually is. Cultural appropriation is the taking of intellectual property and cultural elements from an oppressed group by the dominant race/culture. Cultural appropriation involves a power-imbalanced relationship in which the oppressors borrow from the oppressed who have little power do anything about it, similar to how a bully extorts money from a victim. That said, it is impossible for cultural appropriation to be a good thing for minorities. I believe what people are thinking of when they say that there is nothing harmful about cultural appropriation is cultural appreciation/cultural sharing, which is the exact opposite of cultural appropriation. An introduction where I define the differences of appropriation, appreciation/exchange, and assimilation will serve to define some key terms in my paper as well as to refute flawed counterarguments.
When someone calls out another person or organization for appropriating elements from a minority culture, other often chime in with the argument that people of color wear Western/American clothing, speak English, have western names, and participate in other aspect of the dominant culture. However, as I stated before, cultural appropriation involves a power dynamic, similar to racism, it is not possible for minorities to “appropriate” from the dominant race/culture. When minorities wear Western clothing, or engage with elements of the dominant culture, that is called cultural assimilation; it is a form of survival for people of color in a society in which whiteness is the norm. In American history, Indigenous people and African American were stripped of their culture and identity and forced to assimilate into a Western society. An example of assimilation in history are the U.S. boarding schools that Native American children were forced to attend in the 19th and 20th century.
From there, I would transition to an examination of the historical significance of cultural appropriation and how its lasting effects are woven into the foundation of contemporary America and manifests in everyday society.

For example, Rock’n’roll stems from the miscegenation of rhythm’n’blues and hillbilly music, which all are black music genres. However, Rock’n’Roll is known as a “white” music genre because it was appropriated and repackaged to suit white artist as the American industry refused to associate with black artists. In addition, Elvis is credited as the “King of Rock and Roll” in today’s music industry. I would also be sure to cite and provide examples (real incidents or hypothetical situations) of cultural borrowing in different contexts. After all of those segments, I plan to examine how culturally appropriative Halloween costumes contribute to racism and the exotification of Indigenous people. I will also make sure to address and acknowledge some counterarguments, particularly the counterargument regarding freedom of

expression.
As of now, I anticipate one challenge that I would experience if I were to write a full-length research paper on this topic. Along my process of research, I’ve realized that the topic of cultural appropriation is a very complex issue that requires more extensive research, and I’m learning that I might not have enough knowledge of culture to be able to effectively convince my audience. As for what value my paper would bring to the table, to be honest, I do not think my research paper would add any particularly new or insightful ideas/theories to the larger discussion of cultural appropriation. I’m more or less repeating many of the same ideas that activists, scholars, and other people of color have written about on this topic. Despite that, my paper would reinforce the voices of ther writers who are speaking up about the issue of cultural appropriation.