What would you wear ?

I don’t believe it is okay to dress like other cultures as costumes because some might find it disrespectful. If I saw someone dressed up imitating my culture I know for a fact I would be upset and probably angry about it because its disrespect and it’s like they aren’t respecting who you are and where you came from so why shouldn’t I beat the living shit out of you. This is a big reason why crime rates and violence is high on Halloween because people our age go out and get drunk then see something they don’t like about someone’s costume and begin picking fights. I have friends who are really prideful in their culture and are extremely proud to be Mexican so if they were to see that kind of disrespect towards our culture then there would probably be a blood bath. If you’re choosing a costume you should know if it is appropriate or not, just because it is cute or sexy doesn’t mean it’s appropriate. Many sexy and cute costumes are not appropriate because of cultural matters and also because of things going on in everyday life that might offend others. For example, party city pulled off of their walls an Osama Bin Laden “Replica Costume”, due to cultural disrespect. This costume came with a turban, a white outfit, and a fake beard which also gave off a Muslim-like look. This costume set up awareness to the Muslim community and they became furious with rage. This product is now not on sale at any Party City store in the US.

I believe the costume video we watched in class made the best argument because you can actually relate to her because she targets every racist or inappropriate costume out on the streets. I also think the George Zimmerman and Trayvon Martin costume raised awareness in the black and white community since this is a recent issue that is still being investigated since they don’t know what really went on. Another item used a lot in the fashion industry is the Bindi which is used in India and Southeast Asia. Bindi’s are mainly used by people from India and people from the Hindu religion or people who are studying the religion to learn more about the Hindu way of life. In celebrity cases many singers and actresses wear Bindi’s to follow a common trend being followed by young women who are addressed by the media. Many Indian people are taken offended by this fashion statement trend going on since it causes confusion and disrespect to the Hindu Culture. Another example which is the MOST commonly seen is people of the Caucasian race dressing and acting like they belong to the African American race. This is most commonly seen in the media by celebrities. For example, Miley Cyrus who was recently on the MTV Video Music Awards and was twerking on stage acting to belong to a race to whom she didn’t. Many called this act ratchet which is a new slang word most commonly used by teenagers which means scandalous. According to the Urban Dictionary which is a website used to define words that aren’t in the dictionary which are most commonly used for slang defines ratchet as “A diva, mostly from urban cities and ghettos, that has reason to believe she is every mans eye candy. Unfortunately, she's wrong.”