Note: Writer's name withheld upon request
Justin Trudeau is a liberal Canadian politician who was recently re-elected. This seemed fairly simple until pictures of him wearing blackface resurfaced, almost jeopardizing his win. In case you didn’t know, blackface originated in the mid-1900s when comedy skits were performed by white people who painted their faces black to mock black slaves. Pictures of Trudeau wearing blackface to parties received great backlash. Many people were disgusted by his racist actions.
In light of Halloween, I would like to speak about something that is often ignored: cultural appropriation. Maybe it’s something you have heard about from a friend (or not) and didn’t realize what it entails, but I am here to clear this up.
In order to better understand what a cultural appropriating outfit is, let me define cultural appropriation. It’s when someone takes a tradition, outfit, or any component of one’s culture and reuses it without regard to its origin. Many people may unknowingly wear outfits like these simply because they don’t know how personally offensive these outfits can be.
I would like to address the wearing of any outfit that may come off as offensive, especially on occasions like Halloween. This includes, but is not limited to, Native American dress, ethnic hairstyles, hijabs, turbans, and the fan favorite durag. These outfits at first glance are seemingly fun, but there are many reasons to discuss this sensitive issue.
The durag, which was once worn by black men and women at night to protect their hair, has become rebranded as a current fashion statement. In a time when fashion statements spring out from random pieces of pop culture, I urge you to be sensitive and prudent with what you plan to wear. What was once uncool has now become accepted for black men and women to wear during the daytime, embracing their culture. However, the durag has become a form of ridicule once people outside the culture wear it. This is just one aspect of black culture that has been distorted to fit an archetype created by mass media.
The inappropriate wearing of durags has become a local issue. There has been a spike of popularity among male students wearing durags to football games and parties. The main reason for one to take offense to this is because durags should be worn exclusively by black people. Considering the history of African American mistreatment, I wonder why openly embracing black culture on the internet has been taken as an invitation to the rest of the world to join black people in wearing durags. Black culture has been appropriated far too many times, and there is no need for students at Ardsley to further this issue. We as a community must take initiative to stop the subtle signs of racism and ridicule against cultures of all kinds that society continues to practice today.
This is something that isn’t addressed often in schools, but when you learn the historical significance, you too will understand the weight that culturally offensive outfits may hold to the group that it rightfully belongs to. Please understand the limits of what is appropriate to wear and reflect on the impact of your own choices. By choosing to wear durags for fun, it becomes a form of ridicule that erases the initial purpose of the durag and redefines it to fit into society’s practice of mockery.
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