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SALT LAKE CITY — The debate over dressing up in costume using cultural elements, such as sombreros, Native American headdresses and blackface reached a peak leading up to Halloween this year.
For some, the line between what’s appropriate and what isn’t is sometimes confusing, though.
For instance, a few weeks before Halloween, the actress Lili Reinhart tweeted a photo that depicted a person dressed up as a demon, with black paint completely covering the person’s face and body.
Initially, several people tweeted that the photo was offensive and depicted blackface, so Reinhart quickly deleted the tweet and then apologized in another tweet.
But others said the photo wasn’t blackface, and some were more offended that people thought the demon photo represented a person of color.
Fordham Law School Professor Susan Scafaldi, author of “Who Owns Culture?: Appropriation and Authenticity in American Law,” says in her book that there’s a difference between cultural appreciation and appropriation.
Scafaldi defines cultural appropriation as taking or using of elements, artifacts or knowledge of a certain culture without that culture’s permission.
“Some cultural products can be freely shared,” Scafaldi writes. “Others are devalued when appropriated by the majority culture.”
But those cultural elements can be appreciated by another culture without devaluing them, Scafaldi says.
People can consume or experience the aspects of a certain culture, such as music, food or folklore, without appropriating those aspects for their own means, she writes. Sometimes, that consumption can help make cultures more visible in society.
“Some cultural products can be freely shared; others are devalued when appropriated by the majority culture.” — Susan Scafaldi, author
Recent situations were reminders of cultural appropriation still at play. Photos of people dressed up in cultural costumes surfaced on social media, resulting in frustration for those whose cultures are being appropriated and consequences for those in costume.
For instance, a group of employees at a credit union in Idaho recently were reprimanded because they showed up to work in blackface on Halloween.
In September, the northern Utah town of Wellsville experienced outrage over its “sham battle” demonstration. People painted their skin red and donned Native American attire during the mock battle, which mentioned the Battle of Bear River in a narration.
Now known as the Bear River Massacre, approximately 250 Shoshoni were killed when the U.S. Army attacked a Native American encampment and beat and raped Shoshoni women and children.
After the outcry, Wellsville city leaders announced the battle demonstration would be “revised.”
To help curb instances of cultural appropriation, students at several universities across the country urged their peers not to dress up in costume using cultural elements.
At Southern Utah University, students and faculty members joined the “My Culture is not a Costume” awareness campaign, which featured images of students of color holding photos of people wearing costumes from their race or culture.
"Students wanted to send a reminder because they do feel disrespected when someone shows up in a costume that represents their culture, particularly when it's an inaccurate stereotype,” SUU’s director of the Center for Diversity and Inclusion, Maria Martinez, told the Associated Press.
One common instance of cultural appropriation is the reoccurance of people donning blackface.
Jeanetta Williams, president of the Salt Lake City chapter of the NAACP, said that dressing in blackface portrays a history of prejudice, hostility and ignorance of black people.
The history associated with the origins of blackface shows it’s inappropriate, and people should do their research to understand that, Williams said.
“People need to go back and see some of the things that have happened in the history of blackface and know that it’s not a good thing to do,” she said.
“Especially when so many people now are trying to be more sensitive on race relations, and not do things that are negative towards other people and other races to demean anybody.”
White people started dressing in blackface in the early 20th century during minstrel shows, which mocked black characters, Williams said.
“(Blackface) originated as a white man’s characterization of plantation slaves and blacks in the era of minstrel shows,” Williams said. “They would do those shows and paint their faces black and mock black characters in that way, so that’s why it’s really very derogatory.”
Williams said people should be sensitive to things they are doing that could be interpreted as a negative portrayal of another race.
“We talk so much about race relations in the country — and especially here in Utah — that folks should be better than that,” Williams said. “They shouldn’t want to go and portray negative things toward one another regardless of a person’s race and background. It’s just not a good thing to do.”
That principle goes beyond race, she said. Nobody should use a part of someone’s identity to demean them, whether that’s race or another aspect of the person’s background, she said.
