It is two weeks before Halloween and Rubie’s Costume Company is rushed with people trying to find a perfect costume to dress up. While few have ideas in mind, others wander around the aisles filled with Disney, Marvel, Star Wars, Harry Potter and celebrity costumes. Three women of dark skin tone dressed up in salwar suits are gathered around a corner in the store pointing at a row that hung costumes titled ‘Indian Bride’ and ‘Indian Goddess’.
For their upset and furious minds, this was an instance of abuse towards their culture and identity. Especially when only the feminine aspect is exploited. It is a topic of concern for this closed feminist group that discuss such social issue at their kitty parties.
“We are not a costume,” said Samantha Singh, a local resident who identifies herself as a feminist. “For once, our culture of being migrated Hindus and identity of being females in a male chauvinist society, can be a prospective rather than a not-so-funny gag line.”
Such instances of cultural appropriation occur all around the New York City and are frequent during the Halloween season, that serves as a battleground for conflict between cultural sensitivity and ways of creative self-expression. Oxford English dictionary defines the term as ‘The unacknowledged or inappropriate adoption of the customs, practices, ideas, etc. of one people or society by members of another and typically more dominant people or society.’ The concept takes an offensive twist in today’s world where race and identity serves basis for many social issues. The cultural ownership of black hairstyles like dreadlocks, box braids and cornrows in Harlem, Bushwick’s Holi celebration turning into a hippy event, and instances of Wu-Tang Clan, a Staten Island based the hip-hop group, misappropriating Chinese culture, are all examples of the phenomenon being emblematic to a larger scale. However, the concern of this community in Richmond Hill is of high significance as their issue stands on a critical line where gender inequality intersects with misinterpretation of cultural stereotypes. The community is struggling in finding solution to tackle the issue.
Richmond Hill has the highest population of people belonging to the west-indian culture while associating themselves to Hinduism in terms of religion. Characterization of an ‘Indian Bride’ and ‘Indian Goddess’ by the members of other racial identities is offending the majority as they see this as an act of hate crime to a certain measure.
“I don’t think they should take it personally and add context to everything around,” said Harry Rubin, another local resident. “I mean, it isn’t always necessary that a person is wearing something for a reason. He or she might feel like dressing up a certain way and so they did.”
Some experts have the similar opinion in context to the theme.
Whether it is intentional to hurt the sentiments of core culture in the neighborhood, or unintentionally due to lack of knowledge of the cultural significance, majority of the community believes that such misinterpretation need to be stopped to create a better living space that respects identities of all its members.
“It is different from dressing up for a Phagwah Parade where people look like Hindu Gods and Goddesses, for the sole purpose of honoring their existence and reviving the moral values they have bestowed on their followers,” said Anika Singh, a local resident. She believes that such distorted interpretations led to the loss of the significance of the original culture while highly disrespecting members of the community.
“The debate boils down to respect, context and consent when considering in relation to Halloween, said Neisha Charan, a local resident who owns a salon across the street from the costume store. “Halloween is a time to be creative and present interpretation of ones’ ideas, but we need to be mindful of the context and think how someone else, who has a connection to your creative thought, would feel if you dress up in a certain way.”
Tani Sebro is professor at Miami University’s Department of Women’s, Gender and Sexuality Studies, whose research work is closely related to cultural appropriation, and her credibility as a professor of women’s gender studies is highly relevant to the concerns of community. She has also been associated with the Disney controversy where the company was accused of appropriating the Polynesian culture through its presentation of ‘Maui’ costume from the movie Moana. The costume consisted of a brown zip-up suit with tribal tattoos and leaf skirt. These, she said, were derogatory to the indigenous population, as they consider the tattoos and attire to be of scared relevance in their culture. The scene in Richmond Hill mirrors the case as Sebro provides insights on the issue.
“I think it’s high time your community should take the issue to a larger attention,” said Sebro. “They should replicate the actions in Disney’s case, appoint a lawyer who takes a legal standpoint, boycott the costume company and spread awareness outside the community so that such events don’t repeat elsewhere.
The costume company is founded in 1951 by Rubin and Tillie Beige, and run by their son, Marc Beige, the current president of the company. The store is located at Rubie Plaza in Richmond Hill, Queens, which also serves as the headquarter. Although having only a few outlets, the company is a huge supplier of costumes and makeup to various widespread brand such as Walmart, Block Buster Costumes and Totally Costumes. Walmart recently removed one of the company’s product, Razor Blade Suicide Scar Wound Latex Costume Make Up, claiming it as offensive, inappropriate and denigrating issues related to mental Health.
Rubies Costume Company is resistant to address the issue in their local community. The authorities and employees refused to comment on the topic.
Rasika Rane 