PSA – Don’t Be A Racist For Halloween 2016

It’s September 1st, and I am thrilled. Like Tyga, this 80-90 degree weather is trash.

I’m going to gleefully two-step into Autumn with my cardigans and Chelsea boots. Give me the warm tea and changing colors of the leaves. You can keep this death-by-humidity weather. I’ve been over it.

Everything is better in the Fall. The weather is wonderful, the kids are back in school, the fashion is better, and it’s not 91,000 damn degrees in the house when you get off work. It’s perfect.

But with Fall right around corner, Halloween is nothing but a hop, skip, and a jump away. With that being said, a lot of people are beginning to plan their costumes for the festive occasion.

As I get older, Halloween has become less about scary movies  and excessive amounts of sugar (my favorite part), and more about the excessive amounts of ignorance I’m going to be forced to deal with both on and offline.

On too many occasions, Halloween costumes cross the proverbial line. Some people use the holiday as an excuse to express their covert racist views. Some are just out right racist and use the holiday as another stage to display their racism. Others just don’t know that they’re offending an entire group of people.

If you’re thinking about doing anyone of these things I’m about to talk about, don’t.

1. Blackface

For the love of all that is good and decent, stop with the blackface. You’re not cute or innovative. It’s not just playful, it’s not just for fun, it’s not “just a costume.” It’s just racist.

By wearing blackface, you’re reinforcing a very sadistic and a very antiquated symbol of oppression. I’m certain that 10 out of 10 times we’ll be about to figure out who you are without a cake of black or brown foundation or paint face. Just leave it at Target.

2. Native American, Mexican, Asian & Arab Costumes

Can we all agree to just leave these low quality costumes on the shelf this year? Similar to blackface, it’s racist to dress up as a caricature of a group of people and say it’s all in good fun. It’s not. By wearing these discriminatory costumes, you’re perpetuating negative stereotypes that are not funny or sexy, but classless and hurtful.

And they’re all poorly made. The material they use is paper thin. I know y’all be cold.

Yes, we all want to have a good time on Halloween. Yes, we want to comfortable or sexy or warm or whatever look you’re going for. And while I’m not trying to be costume police, I do want to implore you to think critically about what you’re going to put on your body for the holiday.

Utilize some creativity. Be a decent human. Don’t be hurtful. Have good judgement.