Sugar Skull – Appropriative or Appreciative?
By Ezra Maloney | Oct 30 2015
To wear or not to wear? That is the question. Ezra Maloney looks at the implications of wearing Sugar Skull make-up this Halloween.[br]As Halloween approaches so too does the rush to come up with inventive, interesting and even sexy costumes. Unfortunately, as we hurry to the costume shops we often come across several questionable costumes on our way. Blackface, Native American headdresses and the Islamic Thawb are just a few of these distasteful costumes that rise with the desperation for a ‘funny’ costume.The Sugar Skull (or Calavera in Spanish) is one of the most featured make-up looks during the Halloween period. This make-up was taken from the Mexican Day of the Dead celebrations where decorative representations of the human skull are created either as gifts for children or altar offerings. The popularity of Sugar Skull make-up for non-Mexican related celebrations began sometime around 2010 when our lovely, rather oblivious society decided to adopt it as the latest and hottest trend for Halloween. At the height of its popularity the Sugar Skull look was even featured in Elle Magazine.Sugar Skull make-up, among many other culturally appropriated looks such as the festival season’s bindis, is in the midst of a controversy. Can these looks be seen as appreciative of different cultures from our own? Or are they merely insensitive appropriations ripped from other cultures, often without their knowledge or permission?In the opinion of many, if you are to wear the style of another culture, it is vital to have knowledge and respect for the culture that you are taking it from. In the case of the Sugar Skull make-up look, are people wearing it aware of the culture that their ‘creative’ and ‘fun’ costume originates from? Sadly, in many cases, the answer is a definitive ‘no’. In light of this the Sugar Skull trend is consistently viewed as more of an appropriation than an appreciation of Mexican culture. So this year, as we yet again leave costume-shopping until October 30th, steer clear of dodgy glitter bindis, saris made from table cloths and cheap Sugar Skull makeup kits and use your imagination to come up with something more alluring and less obscuring.