Over the last few years, people have been complaining about people wearing costumes that they consider to be cultural appropriation (i.e. dressing like a Native American). Colleges even create guidelines for costumes their students can and cannot wear by determining what is and is not offensive. What they fail to understand is that not everyone is offended by the same things.
Let's break this down a little bit. True, the definition of cultural appropriation is "the act of taking or using things from a culture that is not your own, especially without showing that you understand or respect this culture" (source). However, if you really think about it, going by that definition, almost everything we do, wear, and eat could be considered cultural appropriation. The Huffington Post has a neat little article that lists some of these things.
When it comes to Halloween costumes, Allie Beth Stuckey, aka The Conservative Millenial, has a great little flow chart for how to decide what costumes you should and should not wear
While some people may consider people who wear these culturally appropriating costumes to be jerks, the fact is, they have a right to be jerks. However, those of you who are offended by such costumes, also have the right to not associate with people you think are jerks. If they're going to wear a costume you find offensive, don't invite them to your party. It's that simple.
Before I sign off, while we're on this subject, if you get upset when people dress as Native Americans and such, but not when they dress as "slutty priests/nuns/Catholic school girls," you are a hypocrite. I've never understood why it seems to be totally okay to mock Christians, but if any other group is even slightly offended, everyone goes bananas.
If you have any thoughts on this subject, leave a comment. (But please be civil, thanks!)
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