By Karen Welcome

While walking through a costume store I began to feel like a kid again, going through aisles of costumes I was filled with excitement and laughter–that is until I stopped and had to wonder if the joke was on me.

Wanting to be Lady Gaga this year (funny enough, I know) I stopped at the wigs first and was met by a collection of many afros, one of which included a photo of a white woman wearing one with a sequined head band. The wig was entitled “Ghetto Fab.” Another that had caught my eye was one with a photo of a black male wearing unruly, messy cornrows labelled “Gangsta Braids.”

Filled with disgust and a new found curiosity, I began to look for more negative stereotypical costumes aimed at ridiculing the black community. It didn’t take long for me to find another as I turned to my left and found the “Real Hustlah” costume equiped with a gold suit and bling, unfortunately the cane and pimp-cup were not included. It was at that point that a friend of mine told me that she’d had enough and as we were on our way out I was met with the ” Rasta Beanie with Dreads,” which just so happened to have been placed near the ” Jamaican Cigar,” that looked more like an over-sized illegal substance than it did a cigar.

Some may think that I’m taking these costumes too seriously and I am. I don’t think I’m being too sensitive in thinking that a mockery should not be made of my hair texture or that costumes featuring images of black men should not be associated with negative cliches. Of all the costumes of firemen, paramedics and doctors, there wasn’t a single photo of a black model in sight. Instead the store limited our options to hustlahs, rappers and video girls, and companies have decided we’re best for marketing fake bling, grills and narcotics. What’s worse is the idea of children in these stores absorbing these images that have more than enough power to poison impressionable minds.

All that being said, I’ve decided to take a more positive approach this year and I’ve thrown the whole Lady Gaga concept out the window. For any males wanting a costume more outside of the stereotypical box try doing some research on historical figures. Canada’s first black air-man was Gerry Bell and a pilot’s look is not hard to achieve. As for myself, I’ll be celebrating Halloween as Angela Davis. Seventies silouhettes are in now and I’ll have the advantage of rocking a real ‘fro!

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