Reasons I Hate Halloween
by Racialicious special correspondent Fatemeh Fakhraie, originally published at Muslimah Media Watch.
I hate Halloween. Now that I’m a grown-up, it’s just lost its appeal. Especially when I look at what some adults do for Halloween.
- Slutty costumes (I just had to say it)
- Slutty “ethnic” costumes: Native American girl, geisha, etc.
In particular:
1. Harem girl costumes
2. Belly dancer costumes
3. Genie costumes
4. Cleopatra costumes
5. Arab sheikh costumes
These costumes reinforce the eroticized and/or dangerous stereotypes associated with Muslim and Middle Eastern men and women. Plus, it’s doubly insulting because (usually) white people will “play dress-up” in these costumes, to supposedly “live like we do” for one night. The only missing detail is: none of the institutional oppression that we face as Muslims and Middle Easterners comes with the costume.
Just looking at the names of the costumes is informative enough: “Exotic Belly Dancer Costume” and “Sheik of Persia Arabian Costume” can tell you that these people have no idea about the culture they think they’re appropriating. (History lesson: Persia didn’t have sheikhs, they had shahs. And Persia and Arabia were two different places! AKH!)
Look at the women’s costumes: all are revealing and hypersexual. How many Middle Eastern women prance around in sheer pants and face veils? None. These costumes scream sexist Orientalism!
Don’t worry, guys! There are plenty of racist costumes for you, too! Take this “Arab Sheik” costume: of course he has a knife! All Middle Eastern men are dangerous, didn’t you know? You can even tell by his face: he’s pissed, and he’s going to take it out on some infidels!
And, if you’d like to pass on your racist Orientalist fantasies to your children, there are belly dancer costumes for little girls! That’s right! Make sure that your daughter learns that her self worth comes from how much her coin-bedazzled bra reveals and how pleasing her dancing is to a man! You can start as soon as she’s a toddler!
Ick. Enjoy your free candy!

Carmen Van Kerckhove is co-founder and president of
Hotashi » Halloween Racism on 30 Oct 2007 at 10:16 pm
[...] I just read a really interesting article on racialicious.com called Reasons I Hate Halloween. It made me think back to my childhood and my recent years to the types of costumes I’ve seen others wear. I don’t recall any racialized persons costume, but I can remember how almost all costumes are gendered. At my university (and I’m sure many others) the most popular costume is the local slut. Or at least, they will manage to sexualize any possible female character. It really sickens me. Anyway, here is the link for the article –> LINK FOR ARTICLE [...]
What are you doing about Halloween this year? at Anti-Racist Parent - for parents committed to raising children with an anti-racist outlook on 31 Oct 2007 at 9:51 am
[...] out more discussions of Halloween’s racism, sexism, and racism and sexism [...]
Feministe » U.S. Immigration Enforcement Finally Preaches What it Practices on 18 Nov 2007 at 2:06 pm
[...] a “Muslim terrorist” or a “Mexican drug lord?” I know that for some reason many of my fellow white people think that it’s okay to be racist on Halloween, but . . . it’s not. Never has been, folks, never will be, and I’d like to think that [...]
U.S. Immigration Enforcement Finally Preaches What it Practices : The Curvature on 18 Nov 2007 at 2:08 pm
[...] a “Muslim terrorist” or a “Mexican drug lord?” I know that for some reason many of my fellow white people think that it’s okay to be racist on Halloween, but . . . it’s not. Never has been, folks, never will be, and I’d like to think that [...]
Slightspots « Think Pink Radio on 13 Dec 2007 at 11:10 am
[...] is an issue usually discussed around Halloween but is equally relevant all year long. I don’t know why some white gay men [...]
The Racialicious Halloween Roundup | Racialicious - the intersection of race and pop culture on 21 Oct 2009 at 10:01 am
[...] to post angry articles dissecting the politics of Halloween. In 2007 Fatemeh wrote “Reasons I Hate Halloween“: ["Orientalist" costumes] reinforce the eroticized and/or dangerous stereotypes associated [...]
Racist Halloween Costumes » Sociological Images on 29 Oct 2009 at 11:18 am
[...] Fakhraie, at Racialicious, points out how “Middle Eastern” costumes reinforce both ignorance and negative [...]