Halloween Costumes: Do's, Dont's, and Why

STARS poster

It’s that time of year again. While it’s not an actual official holiday, the commercialism, creativity and association with an activity children love to participate in—Halloween might as well be a national holiday.

Halloween gives us the opportunity to be bold and creative with dress-up ideas. But it’s also the unfortunate time where we see particularly offensive costume ideas, that may not only offend some racial and ethnic groups, but perpetuate stereotypes that negatively appropriate aspects of one’s culture.

Two years ago a student organization (STARS) at Ohio University launched a campaign called ‘We Are Not a Costume’ highlighting racially insensitive costume ideas that typically stereotype certain racial and ethnic groups. Their slogan was, ‘You wear a costume for one night, I wear the stigma for life.’ This is relevant for people of minority groups who are grossly impacted by few and limited portrayals, or vast and over-saturated ones.

Before you pull out the sensitivity card, try to understand why some people will take issue with certain costumes.

If one chooses to be a ‘geisha’ for Halloween, keep in mind that the West turned an entertaining figure into a sex stereotype that some Asian women have to deal with in reality. This is important especially as this stereotype was heightened this year when a musical band released a video for a controversial song called ‘Asian Girlz,’ which many considered to be fetishizing women of East Asian descent.

If you choose to be a ‘suicide bomber’ for Halloween, it is not only insensitive to survivors and victims of such acts, but this is the same stereotype forces men who appear brown, or of Middle-Eastern and Asian descent, to undergo extra searches at airports, or become victims of surveillance tactics because he fits a profile.

If you choose to be a ‘Mexican’ for Halloween by dressing up with a sombrero and a mustache, know first that it is absolutely preposterous to be a nationality, especially one that includes people of all different racial backgrounds. And by doing this, you’re painting an entire ethnic group with a broad brush, one that deems them ‘foreign’ and subject to dehumanizing racial profiling stops.

If you choose to be ‘Black’ for Halloween, either a real or a fictional person, consider not using makeup or an Afro wig for accuracy. You will be entering rocky territory such as the offensive ‘Blackface,’ a dehumanizing portrayal used in minstrel shows that created negative and harsh portrayals of Black Americans. And consider that you’re basically wearing someone's skin color as a costume, a skin color that deems a disproportionate amount of people in this group, suspicious or threatening. As for hair—hair discrimination is a real thing. Last month a young girl was sent home from school because her naturally kinky locs were not part of school policy standards.

If you choose to be Native American for Halloween— know that Native culture in the U.S. was nearly obliterated by colonization. Never mind that there is currently a national debate on whether the NFL team, Washington Redskins, should change their mascot and team name due to r*dskin being a pejorative term used against Native Americans, with redface being a racist trope.

If you choose to be a redneck for Halloween—know that this term is typically used to distinguish Whites based on social class and association with racism and backward ideals. It’s also a negative term typically aimed at Southern White Americans, so while it may not be racist unlike the previous ones due to dynamics, it certainly is classist.

There is much to consider before deciding on a costume or who to be. It’s not to say you can’t be a person of another race, but do consider the disdain and stereotypes certain groups are subject to just by their mere existence. And know what constitutes redface, blackface, brownface, etc;

Amazing, cool, creative, and stunning costumes exist. Don’t think you can’t be a certain character, just reconsider the stigma that is associated with certain groups, and avoid participating in the misrepresentation of someone’s culture. Ask yourself, is this costume a stereotype someone of this group battles everyday?
 
Happy Halloween!

'Nude' in Fashion, Beauty, & Culture

For far too long the term nude (sometimes skin or flesh-colored), has taken on a different meaning than it should in the fashion and beauty industry. In discussions about how race, particularly Whiteness (via White supremacy & dominance) affected our perception of what is beautiful, at times what's left out of the conversation is how it created a default look that seems to be widely accepted by general population. In the efforts to unravel how society can change this attitude, it is often met with criticism, faux science, then derailed, dismissed, and ended with a predictable compliments, which further pushes the subject under a filthy rug. This allows the issue to continue remaining.

Rather than be protective of this attitude, society should examine and analyze not just why we view beauty through a Eurocentric lens, but how that determines and decides what is default. Most particularly, when it comes to universal terms becoming synonymous with whiteness, e.g. nude.

To grasp why whiteness is by standard default, it should be explained how White supremacy thrived, and still continues to flourish on a global scale. It was allowed to rule and control, not through a prior popular consensus, but due to enforcement. The methods of White supremacy worked by denigrating, dehumanizing, and mocking all that is non-White, usually at the expense of Blacks/Africans. It has been used as a measuring to stick to validate the worthiness of people, their humanity, and aesthetic. Today one can argue we celebrate differences and embrace diversity, but not long ago these differences deprived and shamed those who couldn't fall in line with the 'standards.' Inability to obtain set standards continued ridicule, and birthed Black stereotypes (among others) like Mammy, Sambo, Coon, Mandingo, the Black Buck, pickaninny, Jezebel, Sapphire, and the list goes on. Today, we see how the prevalence of this degradation has been reflected in ads, marketing, film, beauty, and fashion, and in various cultures in general.

It was further succeeded by oppressed groups internalizing these stereotypes and images, and viewing themselves through the same lens. The power of the media cannot be underestimated, as it is and continues to be the main enforcer of negative portrayals and misconceptions. As it has, the continuance has thrived and so has its narratives, which continue to plague minority groups.

Moving on into beauty and fashion, I'd say about 99.8% of the time, when the word nude is being used to describe a clothing item or cosmetic product, the color in question is beige, or a similar color that matches the skin-tone Whites typically have. While nude should be a universal color, and surely all lighter persons would not match the commonly accepted nude, there is however an industry that would be there to make and produce colors allowing Whites to have various options. This extends far beyond than you'd imagine. But what about the folks who are darker? Of course, population and consumer demographic plays a role in production, but why aren't companies tapping into a much ignored demographic? The Black buying-power is estimated to be $1.4 trillion in 2014. Using one example, New York state is in the top states for the largest Black markets. In addition to that, New York is also one of the top fashion capitols of the world and also has one the largest Black populations in the U.S. As a native New Yorker, I can't say I've seen any strides, otherwise I wouldn't be writing this.

50 shades of beige foundation

It's everywhere, and you may not realize it until you put it into perspective. Go to a pharmacy for bandaids—what color is that bandaid? A lightish beige color right? Maybe now we have clear bandaids, but why were they typically lightish beige? And why had they been accepted as the default bandaid color? I'm not an inventor of sorts, but I'm very sure the marketing brain behind clear bandaids created them so they could match anyone regardless of their complexion. But I must also wonder why was creation of a clear bandaid a solution, rather than creating various colors from the get? Skin-color specific bandaids do exist by the way, but I honestly don't find them as much as beige ones.

Next is makeup. For the women who wear it, when you see nude lip colors, what skin color is that nude closest too? And do you not notice that only one type of color is represented? Foundation too, though these are color specific.

50 shades of beige as they call it, a phenomenon of non-White women, in this case Black, being unable to find foundation colors that match their skin complexion. And usually, the foundation colors provided have various colors and types for White women, rarely any for browner women. See the picture to the right. The young woman in the photo is darker than all of the foundation colors (to the right) available.

Nude mannequins

Then we have mannequins which are typically a reflexion of a nude White person, modeling and showcasing clothing marketed towards everyone. In the case of the photo to the left, sometimes the mannequins are just plain white nude in color, and in those rare observations, you can actually find a dark brown one. Nowadays lots of mannequins are colors not reflective of anyones skin tone.

It's pretty much the same for undergarments. Nude is different per person, but not in the fashion and beauty industry. Nude by default is beige and a reflection of the skin tone the White majority shares, or is similar to. It's been so ingrained in me to view this color as nude, I never questioned it before. As a dark brown-skinned woman, it's quite the opposite for me. Everything from stockings, undies, lipstick, lipgloss, and such that are advertised as nude have only one race/color in mind. How am I going to wear a nude-like clothing item or cosmetic, that is the 'nude' of another woman? My nude is not that nude.

Venus Williams' nude shorts

Sure there are nude-like undergarments or clothes for darker women, but they are called what its color is, e.g. pecan, brown, etc; Rarely are these colors referred to as nude, unless otherwise stated. Take the Venus William's controversy a few years ago over her nude-like shorts under her tennis attire. Obviously this would be an example of her nude. But I'm willing to bet, if I referred to Venus' shorts as nude, a lot of people would try to debate that with me. This is why calling light beige nude is problematic. It's centered around Whiteness and people seem to think and accept that's what the word means.

Nude lingerie by aerie

Not long ago I received an email from American Eagle's aerie line. It's a line of lingerie, activewear, and lounge clothing. The email subject mentioned nude lingerie. But since I'm so used to seeing what society deems as acceptable 'nude,' I quickly scrolled through the email not expecting to be interested in what was going to be promoted.

But it wasn't until I noticed that the nudes came in more than just light and bright colors. I did have some criticism about the obvious hierarchy displayed (light at the top/dark at the bottom—also related the subject), but nonetheless I was still shocked that a retail store I've been a faithful customer to, had not only been recently representing women that look like me in their ads, but also had a 'nude' color that may actually look nude on me. Still, if you notice in the photo to the left, there are only two dark brown colors and I guess, two light brown ones. And as per usual, there are four even lighter ones. However, as I previously mentioned, I don't want to exclude that production of nude as beige is likely determined by the demographic of the consumers.

Finding nude colors that represent my skin tone can be a challenge. They are either too light or too dark, or in my case with some foundations, too red. Thankfully, as times change, there are companies who are inclusive of creating nude colors not specific to one type. MySkins is a lingerie website that caters to over 20 nude colors—a whole lot more than aerie's eight.

At times, the general attitude towards a topic like this would be shrugged off as an unimportant issue. And I can't deny it myself, I never thought it was an issue. However I was wrong. When you read between the lines, the normalization of nude is one of the many adverse affects of Whiteness as the dominant value. This topic is just as important to dismantling the dominance of Whiteness as it is a direct result of Eurocentric ideals via White supremacy. Nude should vary, because it does. And because of this normalizing of beige as nude, it has become an actual color type and name.

See for yourself.

Same goes for any reference to flesh-colored. Because whose flesh color are you talking about?

A Tech Down Memory Lane

I'm glad I did not grow up in this generation of young kids today. I may have forgotten a lot of things I grew up with, but sometimes, all it takes is a little hint for me to remember, and suddenly I'm reminded by how fast technology has advanced in such few years.

A while ago I scrolled through my Tumblr dashboard, and I saw a photo of a device that was all too common, but vital to my learning experience all through elementary to H.S. I couldn't remember the name of it, but what I found funny was the caption, which mentioned that the existence of the device would fly over the heads of a lot of kids on Tumblr—which is true since Tumblr's users mostly seem to be made up of teens.

I eventually remembered the name of the device by the way, and it was an overhead projector. I don't even think kids born after 2000 even know what this is.

From elementary school up until H.S., this was one of the primary preferred multimedia device used to teach. Nowadays, more and more school children are being taught with tablets and eBook readers.

It got me thinking just how much technology has impacted and changed my life. I work in digital and social media; but it is not something I saw myself doing if you asked me five years ago. But an average work day consists of me being on a laptop, PC, phone or tablet, everyday to keep tabs on daily tasks.

Technology has facilitated my life in so many ways, and I don't know how I'd function without it this day in age. And the older I get, the more technological gadgets I add to my life. It's going to be interesting to see what's to come in another five years from now.

September is Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month

Image from OVCA

This month is Ovarian Cancer Awareness month. Ovarian cancer is cancer in the ovaries. It is one of the most invasive reproductive cancers, and it takes more lives than any other gynecological cancer.

It ranks fifth as the most cancerous death in women. The American Cancer Society (ACS) estimates that in 2013 there will be over 20,000 new cases of ovarian cancer. The risks for this type of cancer are high and it’s usually detected in older age. Which is why it’s important to raise awareness and be conscious of its risks the earliest.

I wrote more about it. Read more.

Fall 2013 Watchlist

Returning shows

BoardWalk Empire—My favorite HBO show is back. 'Nuff said. Hopefully my favorite characters (Chalky, Van Alden, and Richard) get more screen-time this time around.




Nashville—I caught wind of this country-music drama some weeks before its premiere. The show follows two popular country stars, Rayna Jaymes and Juliette Barnes, fighting for the throne of relevancy in Nashville. Heartbreak, competition, love-torn, greed, backstabbing, corruption, murder, and deception are some of the many themes on this show. It actually makes it what it is. It exceeded my expectations, but I'm so glad it was renewed for a second season and is back for another go.





Scandal—The fast-paced political-drama following a juicy riske affair is back. As an avid fan of the show since it's debut, I'm thrilled m show is back again. With the bombshell secret revealed in season two's finale, gladiators (fandom) may get answers that from unexplained questions since season one.




The Walking Dead—Cable's popular and highly-rated post-apocalyptic show returns for a fourth season, but with more complex stories this season just judging by the trailer. It's only time the narrative changes, as Rick and the group begin to grow, but also get smaller, meanwhile there's still no sign of refuge. I imagine (and hope) season four deals with more interpersonal relationships, and show how much stronger or weaker the bond between the group has grown.



Revolution—NBC returns with their post-apocalyptic show for a second season. The follows life after an irreversible orchestrated Blackout 15 years prior. The show saw praise in the first half of its season, but didn't garner the same ratings after it's mighty long hiatus for mid-season premiere. Now that the blackout is reportedly over, or so it seems, how is society now functioning. And was Aaron successful in aborting a destructive scheme?



New Shows 

Sleep Hollow—This new supernatural sci-fi show is based on the book of the classic tale. However, the show is retelling the story in a modern day setting. Nicole Beharie stars in this show. It's important that she is the lead actress (keyword: lead), as that is not easy to come by when it comes to network TV shows and women of color. This show is the most highly anticipated fall show for me.




Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D—I hope it's as great as it looks. What's not to like about action-hero shows?



Dracula— I'm anticipating this show as well. Plus, it stars Jonathan Rhys Meyers; one of my favorite actors.



Once Upon a Time in Wonderland— I like the tale of Alice in Wonderland and watched countless adaptions. Perhaps I may or may not like this show, but I'd like to watch it before I make any criticism.



Another new show I may watch is Cold Justice, a crime reality-show.

Welcome to the Dollhouse: Film Review

Welcome to the Dollhouse poster

Recently I wrote about 3 Coming-of-Age Indie films I'd recommend for viewing, specifically for women to watch. You can read the brief reviews here.

One of the films I recommended was Welcome to the Dollhouse, an eye-opening film remarking on bullying and abuse. I've interpreted the film quite differently over the years. It's a classic fave of mine and I detail how I now view the film. First, here's a brief summary:

This dark comedy [...] was one of the many great indie films of the ’90s. This film is probably the most memorable indie film I enjoyed as a pre-teen. While some of the dialogue in this film may be deemed disturbing, especially given the age I saw it, I was rather intrigued than terrified. I was also very sympathetic to the main character, Dawn. The film vividly shows some of the most cruel bullying that takes place in American schools, and how that affected Dawn in school and at home. Dawn’s awkwardness is something many of us could relate to growing up, and you may even see yourself through the relentless verbal and physical abuse she faces. As the reality of her miserable life ensues throughout the film, one of her tormentors, who is a troubled boy, makes way into her life. The troubled kid somehow gives her a different outlook and takes a romantic interest in her, even as she crushes on Steve, an older guy friend she wishes to run away with. The film also proficiently tackles the bullying that can take place in the home from the parents. I’ve seen this film plenty of times, but the ending always leaves me with the same sunken feeling. The undefined conclusion is a clear reminder of where Dawn’s life is headed. You will probably laugh and be ashamed of it after watching this film, but you should see it just for the way Welcome to the Dollhouse deals with very serious situations, like rape, bullying, underage fantasies, sibling rivalry, and parental favoritism all through the eyes of an outcasted, suburban kid.

I had never seen a movie like it before, and I enjoyed it from beginning to end. As I summarized above, the film follows Dawn Wiener (Heather Matarazzo), the middle child of the Wiener family, living in suburban New Jersey. We are first introduced to her by a firsthand viewing of her distressing school life. We see her school locker, out of many, the only one in the halls graffiti-laden. Very early we can presume her school life is crappy. But home isn't any better. 

(***Spoilers Below***)

If there ever was a film that showed middle child woes, it was this. Dawn has an older brother Mark, and a younger sister Missy. Her sister is the family favorite, and Mark is the geeky, musician nerd that his parents respect, but put pressure on. Dawn is shown absolutely no love and rarely gets any positive attention. You may find yourself disliking her mother quite early—she is the cruelest adult in Dawn's life. In a nail-biting scene, she forces Dawn to stay up all night for not agreeing to a chore. But in fact, none of the adults in her life show any compassion towards her, and some of her mentors contribute to the torment she deals with. We get a glimpse of how invasive and humiliating her bullying is, when she is forced to do an extremely personal act in the presence of one of her bullies.

Half way into the film we see that Dawn has a tormenting life at home and school, and no one to truly confide in, but her one friend Ralphy, who she mistreats. Her only escape is a backyard clubhouse where she keeps a shrine for one of her crushes—Steve Rodgers, a friend of Mark. Steve is the prototypical 70s hippie trapped in the 90s. He's good looking, smooth, a great singer, and has the independence and confidence that Dawn seeks. She's fascinated with everything he says and does. Her obsession with him hopes that he will fall in love and run away with her. He's her White Knight.

Despite all that Dawn faces, she's still a tough kid. She gives the viewers hope that her situation will get better. She stands up for herself against a few times, even bruising the ego of Brandon—one of her bullies. In the most disturbing scene, he threatens Dawn with rape after school where she goes to meet him. When I first watched this film, I couldn't make sense as to why she agreed to actually meet him, but I now realize this was one of the stages of abuse.

Brandon actually turns out to be fond of Dawn and doesn't harm her in any form. But he's a troubled kid dealing with similar abuse in the home. The two find solace and comfort in each other and begin dating. This battered boy nevertheless, is bluntly honest and straightforward— he encourages Dawn towards independence. To Dawn, he epitomizes strength. However, their differences soon sink in. Dawn gets a firsthand perspective of Brandon's life when she unexpectedly visits his home. It's there she notices they are not as similar as they thought, and any fairy tale they imagined together was just a fantasy. Dawn matures greatly as the film progresses, and at some point she defies Brandon's persuasiveness in search of her own identity.

Dawn begins viewing her family in a different light. Brandon's home life showed her that someone else had it harder than her, and we see that she starts to appreciate her horrible family a bit more, but to no reciprocating avail. Near the ending of the film, we see how far Dawn takes her new frame of mind. She risks her well-being to save her sister from a life-threatening situation, and her family's response is anything more than what she already expected. It's heartbreaking.

The film ends with Dawn enroute on a choir trip, at what it seems, back to square one but with a bit of faith. Though, who knew it would take another abused, and troubled kid to help her appreciate her life, and a family unworthy of her yearning.

----------------

Admittedly I was amused when I first saw this film. It is a comedy film after all, but there are some harsh things said that are very triggering and serious. I immediately sympathized with Dawn, but I found myself annoyed with some of her decisions. She did not bring the bullying on herself because she had no control over the teasing (ex: Wiener surname), but she certainly internalized it; her treatment of her sole friend Ralphy indicates that. She had a bit of her own anger issues, which almost reaches a fatal breaking point.

When Brandon redeemed his character in the oddest of ways, he wanted to run away with her. This seemed like an opportunity Dawn could take, but she rejected his offer. This is one of the best decisions she makes in the film. I think deep down she knew a life with Brandon would not last, even though she hated hers. Brandon exhibited lots of anger and jealousy issues in their short relationship, and Dawn knew that she still enjoyed a life of privilege compared to Brandon. His blues were not like hers.

Another problematic issue the film tackles is parental favoritism. Besides her brother Mark, there is no one in her family that considers her important or worthy of respect. Her parents only have eyes for Missy, and while Mark is not favored much,  he's smart which makes him beneficial. Dawn is just an extra family member to them—it reflects in her self-esteem and how she views herself. She knows her life doesn't matter. Even her younger sister uses the favoring to her advantage to further subjugate Dawn. This is the sole reason for Dawn's resentment towards Missy.

It's a great film. Welcome to the Dollhouse is sort of a PSA on the bullying we don't typically see or hear about and how brutal it can be. You may not have experienced the type of bullying Dawn went through, but you can probably relate to her frustrations. Dawn's character is brave and undaunted even in all her flaws. 

Job Search: To 'Self-Identify' or Not

Image: BrandonSigma

Job searching can be stressful. Even with the latest technological advances that facilitated the process, there's no feeling like the uneasiness that comes with putting yourself out there to find work. You're putting yourself to the test, reading job descriptions, and becoming self-critical of yourself as you wonder if you're over-qualified or under-qualified.
 
Aside from credentials, experience, or education, another factor people may worry about in applying for a job is their race and ethnic background. I occasionally hear or read interesting job hunt stories from close friends and others, and this is something I think about, but not something I have much experience in.
 
Discrimination is a common practice in the employment industry and even with laws against it, it occurs all the time. It usually has negative effects on marginalized people, specifically those of color. Every year I'm sure thousands of discrimination lawsuits are filed, and a majority of those lawsuits are typically filed by people who are, or have worked at the place of employment. But what about discrimination before getting a job? The tricky thing about discrimination in the job application process, is that you are not aware if someone is discriminating against you. I mean how would you know when so many factors are up to the plate?
 
You may think you're perfectly qualified for a job position, but the recruiter may not think so. And what is the reason why? And one can't say candidates aren't judged by their appearance or how they look, because why else is 'dress professionally' a commonplace stance for in-office interviews?
 
Perhaps that is why I'm hesitant when it comes to self-identifying myself on applications.
 
A few months ago came across an job opening that I wanted to apply for. I clicked the link and was directed to the company's website. I scanned the entire webpage before I entering any information and glanced at the job description again, and saw the details of the application as I scrolled. It was your typical job application page, then I got to the very bottom, and I saw not one, but two questions about self-identification.
 
So upon uploading, entering, and submitting information for the job position, it asks the applicant to voluntarily include their gender, ethnicity, and race. Keyword: voluntary.
 
I thought nothing of it until I wondered how much does this information really matter? I know that self-identification can be used for statistical purposes, and is even used to prevent discrimination, specifically against minorities. Still, I'm not so naive that this need to know an applicants self-identification isn't used to also prevent certain applicants. It reminded me a job interview I once had. The interview was a phone one and the process went great. The recruiter was very interested in my skills and blah blah, and asked me to come into the office for a more formal interview. I accepted and went.
 
Now I'm a very observant person, so when I got there I took note of my surroundings particularly the people there—I noticed something (explained below).
 
Long story short, the face-to-face interview went well and I never heard back from the recruiter or the company. It wasn't until a good month later after reading an article about job discrimination contributing to unemployment did I wonder....hey, it's possible. I will never know for sure, and in no way would I say my race or ethnicity was the reason why I never got a callback, but the likelihood lingers. Out of all the interviews I've ever went to, that was the first time I even had the thought. Whose to say the recruiter didn't think I was qualified for particular reasons? Is it possible I was judged by other things? This is an answer to a question one can never know, and I'll never know why I didn't get the job.
 
I mentioned previously, that in my observations I noticed something—it was the employees. Many of them looked the same; a good percentage of them shared the same gender, race, and so it seemed—religion. I fit neither three. It's possible the recruiter thought I just would not have fit in with the crowd.
 
Self-identify? Let them know who you are by your most easily identifiable physical descriptors, or don't tell them at all? I'm indifferent.
 
Everyday I'm reminded of the stereotypes and misconceptions that plague my race. I get the microagressive reminders from everyday people like doctors, store clerks, random strangers, or co-workers. So when I send in an application detailing who I am from my gender to my race, who is to say a preconceived notion isn't signaling an unfavorable assumption in that recruiters head? I'm not blind to what is out there. Just type black + women on any search engine and see what comes up, or is suggested for that matter. Do you really know if they're taking your self-identification information into account for positive reasons or negatives ones? One can wonder.