Would you be offended if someone took your "traditional" clothing and turned it into a costume?

I agree largely because our PC society has deemed any reference to a culture that does not include EVERYONE is offensive, racist and bigoted. Gawd forbid you wear a costume or have a mascot that honors or at the very least acknowledges the presence in our history of a stoic and honorable culture/heritage no matter what the race or religion.

That all depends. Is it a costume to honor and respect my heritage? Or is it to make fun of my ancestral heritage? I have seen both occur.

My culture is a mix of Chinese, Thai, and Filipino. I wouldn’t be offended unless it was meant to poke fun. I think it would look kind of silly.

Yes, but you are also think it would have been wrong to forcefully resist the Trail of Tears, so you’re not exactly Sitting Bull, are you. Just because you don’t mind seeing Johnny Depp in redface doesn’t mean it’s acceptable.

“We have killed enough white men with your own rifles so I give this rifle back to you.” – Sitting Bull

@YARNLADY You may not remember this, but one night many years ago on this site you and I discovered we shared a tribal ancestry, although yours is more recent. I agree with you 100% on this. I have no problem with children on Holloween or adults at a costume party, or even disrespectful fratboys wearing a cartoon semblance of Native American dress. I don’t even mind all the bullshit on St.. Patricks Day, nor am I offended by all the priests and nuns out there on Halloween night as a great portion of my ancestry had been either English, or Irish, or German Catholics for hundreds of years, many taking refuge in this country.

However, what I find even more of an abomination is bullshit about Cultural Appropriation. Without it, none of the earth’s civilizations would have grown and developed, adding idea to idea. The ones that have refused to appropriate their way into the 21st century are either gone, or in big trouble.

I cite many of the people of the Middle East that today find themselves locked into the medieval period in their laws and beliefs, locked precisely in that time when those under the Islamic Caliphate—one of the most advanced cultures in the world at the time—decided that all doors to the West would be closed as they were infidels to their one, true prophet. By doing this, they missed the second age of enlightenment, the industrial revolution, the development of the middle class and the evolution of the democratic institutions that came from that. And now we stand on opposite sides of a dangerous precipice in a nuclear world. No. This anti-cultural appropriation is bullshit and, now as it was then, based on arrogance and stupidity.

if you want to dress up like an SS officer, storm right ahead.

@YARNLADY: I saw on FB you wrote something about people being offended by a Disney costume or movie. Can you share those details?

If people want to be offended by things, Disney has a lot but in my opinion, those things are not offensive (dwarves, pansexuals, Native Americans, Asians, etc).

Something like, say, Braveheart? Where a bunch of 14th century Scots wear 16th century claymore swords and paint their face like a bunch of tenth century BCE Celts?

Nah, doesn’t offend me, but the history student in me giggles quite a bit.

My general rule of thumb is to avoid honorific clothing if you want to avoid offense.

Wearing traditional native clothing is one thing, wearing a ceremonial headdress is another.

In the SCA we dress entirely in traditional clothing of other cultures in a living history-type format. Most of us make a point to know the social class of our character and dress to suit that. As an 8th century Irish woman of the filidh class, I wore the acceptable number of colors for that class, and the appropriate jewelry. I didn’t dress as a king’s daughter because I wasn’t one.

Not at all. I personally don’t like the traditional clothing style of my country. If others want to wear it then so be it, it’s their freedom and it won’t affect me in anyway. On the other hand, I think it’s a good thing it was worn by other people as it will introduce/popularize our traditional clothing style to wider society.

Depends on the intentions.

Well, there’s a difference, IMO of a costume depicting “Traditional First Nation Dress” and “Slutty Squaw”.
Context is everything.

@canidmajor Good Point. If I understand correctly, the French Maid costume is another one specifically used for sexual stimulation.

Here is one article about the Disney Costume they have apparently pulled from the shelves.

Hm. This is the first I’ve seen of the actual costume. It’s not the costume for the Princess character, but one for the Demi-God Moana.

It shows primarily a brown-skin suit that is padded with false muscle, and the tattoos the character has in the movie.

So, the issue there is that the kids who buy the costume are essentially wearing a parody of someone else’s skin, and the skin of a parody of a deity, no less.

It’s a bit like a Pocahontas or Princess Tiana or Snow White costume including a tub of makeup so you can get the “authentic skin-tone look”.

I also wonder whether the tattoos themselves have significant enough meaning to fail my personal “cultural honorific” test.

But why would anyone wear it as a costume?

99% of the time no, I wouldn’t be offended. The only way I would be offended is if it was done to make fun of my people, or any people, or if it dredged up a horrible experience. Like if a couple dressed up and one wore a “Jewish” costume and the other a Nazi costume. The Nazi costume is bad enough, but then to even pair it with a Jewish costume would be over the top for me.

Regarding skin color, I actually think it’s ok. I was watching Toddlers in Tiaras one day (can you believe it?) and this little girl was performing a Beyoncé song. She was young, maybe 5 years old, and she kept wanting her mom to make her skin tanner. Honestly, it warmed my heart. This little white girl wanted to look like this singer who she obviously admired. I don’t think she had any idea Beyoncé was a different race, she just wanted to look like her for the show. Her mom did it for her. Spray tanned her darker.

A priest a nun and a rabbi walk into a bar…

@JLeslie So you think blackface minstrel is cute if done by a little girl?

I never agreed with that whole blackface nonsense.

@zenvelo It wasn’t blackface. Blackface, making fun, derogatory, isn’t ok. But, if a woman stays out of the sun and wears very pale makeup to play Queen Elizabeth, it’s also ok in my mind for someone to tan their skin to play Nelson Mandela if their skin happens to be extremely light. It’s part of the character. It can be done probably without changing skin color, but I don’t see it as horrible in those scenarios.

The little girl was tan all over. I’ll add the mom and girl had pretty strong southern accents. She didn’t see Beyoncé as black I dint think, the little girl just knew Beyoncé was darker. She wanted to be “tanner.”

@YARNLADY What do you mean by not believing? You are ok with people doing blackface? Or, you are ok with people changing skin color to look in character? I see them as two different things.

@JLeslie From what I read on wikipedia, I don’t see any reason to get all upset about doing blackface. But, keep in mind, I also don’t see anything funny about the Simpsons or any of those so called adult comedies. My emotional and social responses are pretty much out of sync with other people.

^^Well, I’m not upset about the little girl wanting to be darker like Beyoncé, so some might see you and me as similar on this issue.

This is the whole Washington Redskins debate, writ small, IMO.
That’s not a put down on your question, @YARNLADY, but my reason for not taking a stance. If the traditional “group” can come to a consensus, I, and most of society, will abide by it. Whatever offends the fewest people.

^^It’s probably difficult to get a consensus on something like this. Although, your point about offending the least amount of people is a reasonable one. Sometimes the people who seem most offended aren’t even in the group, but they are busy telling the group they should be offended. I’m tired of that.

@JLeslie While I agree with you on the one hand, there is also an argument for people trying to make it clear that words and acts have meaning far beyond what most people realize.

@YARNLADY I agree with that. I’m guilty of telling black people I think it’s a bad idea to use the word nigger. This whole thing about them redifing the word, I’m not on board.

Depends if they are doing it because they think it’s cool. That’s fine. If they are poking fun then it’s most likely obvious, that is not ok.