Though the spirit of Halloween is celebrated in many different ways, it is important to keep in mind while deciding on a costume that other people’s cultures and ceremonial garbs are not acceptable choices.

Cultural appropriation is never OK.

Dressing up as a Native American for a day by wearing clothes that do not appropriately represent the culture is an insult to those who are actually native.

In the same way, Geishas are not to be disrespected by costume designs that are influenced more by Chinese culture than the Japanese traditions they originated from.

Halloween is about having fun and being something you have always wanted to be. Use your imagination to find a unique costume, not at the expense of someone else’s ethnicity.

Pretending to be something you know nothing about overshadows the opportunity to learn from and appreciate a culture other than your own.

When deciding on a costume, just think to yourself, “would I be OK if it was me that everyone wanted to be for only one day and never thought of again?”