In what is apparently not a parody, the Division of Academic and Student Affairs at NC State provides a webpage full of helpful advice about how to make “sensitive costume choices”:
Here are a few questions to ask yourself before donning that costume for the big day:
Could your costume be viewed as culturally, ethnically, or racially based? If so, then it is probably racist. By now, hopefully we all know that “blackface” is not an appropriate costume (if not, now you do). But you may be thinking that because a store sells a “Hey Amigo Mexican”, “Native American”, or this “Tighty Whitey Rapper” costume then it must be OK. Well, not exactly. Even if your intention is to be funny or ironic, using someone else’s cultural identity for a day to play make-believe is actually mocking their appearance and traditions. Ask yourself, would you wear the costume in front of people from that group? If not, then don’t do it.
Would your only defense of a costume be “Relax, it’s just a costume”? What you’re really saying is, “…I don’t care that much about the implications of this costume, because those implications don’t affect me.”
Why is your costume sexy or funny? If your costume derives its humor or “sexiness” from someone’s culture, race, or ethnicity then don’t wear it. Attempting humor by dressing in a group’s stereotypical cultural identity isn’t funny, it’s offensive. Don’t use what makes someone else unique to bring laughter or to make yourself feel more “exotic”.
Would you want to see a picture of yourself in your costume all over the Internet? Sometimes, the best test for a costume is the embarrassment test. Whether you like it or not, a picture of you in your costume will end up on the Internet, whether it’s on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter or the news media. Be warned: If you end up in the news, it probably won’t be because you’ve won a costume contest at a bar downtown.
They’ve also provided “a helpful infographic flowchart.”
