Do you have a list of acceptable costumes, or do we just stop dressing up altogether? The Other 99% recently posted a meme on Facebook about costumes and cultural appropriation. The comments were overwhelmingly by people from different cultural backgrounds protesting the notion that this is offensive. Many were like the Mexican woman who said she views the adoption of Dia de Los Muertos costumes by non-Mexicans was a positive sign that they appreciate her culture.

I agree that dressing as Anne Frank is a bad idea, but I don’t think little girls do this to mock Holocaust victims, but because Anne Frank is their hero. Halloween costumes sometimes mock, they can also be a reflection of admiration. There’s a big difference between dressing as RBG holding a bloody doll to represent an aborted baby and dressing as RBG because you aspire to be like her.