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| Freshers: is your fancy dress costume racist? | Freshers: is your fancy dress costume racist? |
| (about 7 hours later) | |
| There’s a moment in every student’s life when you end up at a fancy dress event, surrounded by white people dressed in saris, bindis, or native American headdresses. And you will find yourself thinking: “I’m not sure this is OK”. | There’s a moment in every student’s life when you end up at a fancy dress event, surrounded by white people dressed in saris, bindis, or native American headdresses. And you will find yourself thinking: “I’m not sure this is OK”. |
| Fresher events on campus are rarely a display of political correctness. But sometimes they cross the line between being “a bit of fun” (a phrase you hear a lot at uni) and full-on offensive. | Fresher events on campus are rarely a display of political correctness. But sometimes they cross the line between being “a bit of fun” (a phrase you hear a lot at uni) and full-on offensive. |
| “Cowboys and Indians is a particularly common theme for fancy dress; as are tribal-themed parties,” says Flora Carr, who has just graduated from the University of Exeter. “I’ve also seen girls dressed up as geishas. The traditional cultural dress is taken and then sexualised. | “Cowboys and Indians is a particularly common theme for fancy dress; as are tribal-themed parties,” says Flora Carr, who has just graduated from the University of Exeter. “I’ve also seen girls dressed up as geishas. The traditional cultural dress is taken and then sexualised. |
| “I know students who have joked about blacking up. A lot of the laddy blokes try to go against political correctness – they use ‘irony’ as an excuse to do offensive things.” | “I know students who have joked about blacking up. A lot of the laddy blokes try to go against political correctness – they use ‘irony’ as an excuse to do offensive things.” |
| New students can easily be swept up in these parties without stopping to think. “Freshers won’t want to be the party-pooper, and I sympathise with that,” Carr says. “I think we’ve all been victims of peer pressure. But think about international students arriving, and the first thing they come across is a kind of sexy version of their cultural history – that puts it into perspective.” | New students can easily be swept up in these parties without stopping to think. “Freshers won’t want to be the party-pooper, and I sympathise with that,” Carr says. “I think we’ve all been victims of peer pressure. But think about international students arriving, and the first thing they come across is a kind of sexy version of their cultural history – that puts it into perspective.” |
| Stories spread | Stories spread |
| Campuses have always been insulated from the real world, with little perspective from anyone outside the bubble. But now student behaviour is recorded and broadcast out to the world, and stories are spread way beyond the private banter of the rugby fives. What might have seemed acceptable among a close group of friends could be grossly offensive to other people. Yet despite increased awareness, the bad-taste outfits don’t go away. | Campuses have always been insulated from the real world, with little perspective from anyone outside the bubble. But now student behaviour is recorded and broadcast out to the world, and stories are spread way beyond the private banter of the rugby fives. What might have seemed acceptable among a close group of friends could be grossly offensive to other people. Yet despite increased awareness, the bad-taste outfits don’t go away. |
| Take the group of York students who blacked up to impersonate the cast of the 1994 film Cool Runnings, for instance. It’s weak humour at best and incredibly offensive at worst. And what makes it even more disturbing is that black applicants are significantly less likely to be offered a place at the University of York than white ones. But although the students were pilloried in the media and threatened with punishment by the university, it hasn’t stopped others from doing similar things. In fact, partygoers in Leeds donned the exact same costume the following year, while law students at the University of Edinburgh thought it would be funny to dress up as Somalian pirates (face paint and all). | Take the group of York students who blacked up to impersonate the cast of the 1994 film Cool Runnings, for instance. It’s weak humour at best and incredibly offensive at worst. And what makes it even more disturbing is that black applicants are significantly less likely to be offered a place at the University of York than white ones. But although the students were pilloried in the media and threatened with punishment by the university, it hasn’t stopped others from doing similar things. In fact, partygoers in Leeds donned the exact same costume the following year, while law students at the University of Edinburgh thought it would be funny to dress up as Somalian pirates (face paint and all). |
| Think about international students arriving and seeing a kind of sexy version of their cultural history | Think about international students arriving and seeing a kind of sexy version of their cultural history |
| Anna Ball, a senior lecturer in English who co-directs the centre for postcolonial studies at Nottingham Trent University, says the fact that many of the universities experiencing these controversies are predominantly white may have an impact. “I wonder if it has something to do with a lack of access to cultural diversity,” she says. “A mixed environment fosters cultural awareness and sensitivity, in a way that makes students more cautious.” | Anna Ball, a senior lecturer in English who co-directs the centre for postcolonial studies at Nottingham Trent University, says the fact that many of the universities experiencing these controversies are predominantly white may have an impact. “I wonder if it has something to do with a lack of access to cultural diversity,” she says. “A mixed environment fosters cultural awareness and sensitivity, in a way that makes students more cautious.” |
| Concern about cultural appropriation has shot up recently: Google Analytics shows that interest has increased dramatically since the start of 2015. And university life has provided the focal point for much of the discussion, both in the UK and in North America. | Concern about cultural appropriation has shot up recently: Google Analytics shows that interest has increased dramatically since the start of 2015. And university life has provided the focal point for much of the discussion, both in the UK and in North America. |
| But sometimes attempts to curb cultural appropriation has led to accusations of heavy-handed censorship. There was controversy last year when the University of East Anglia (UEA) banned sombreros from its freshers’ fair, and even yoga was banned at one university in Canada because it originated from “cultures that have experienced oppression”. In Ohio, students at a liberal arts college complained about culturally appropriative food, arguing that Asian dishes such as bánh mì and sushi were prepared so poorly that it insulted the cultures from which they originated, where food is taken seriously. Lena Dunham, a college alumna, supported the students who complained, saying their mission was “right on”. | But sometimes attempts to curb cultural appropriation has led to accusations of heavy-handed censorship. There was controversy last year when the University of East Anglia (UEA) banned sombreros from its freshers’ fair, and even yoga was banned at one university in Canada because it originated from “cultures that have experienced oppression”. In Ohio, students at a liberal arts college complained about culturally appropriative food, arguing that Asian dishes such as bánh mì and sushi were prepared so poorly that it insulted the cultures from which they originated, where food is taken seriously. Lena Dunham, a college alumna, supported the students who complained, saying their mission was “right on”. |
| How to decide | How to decide |
| So where should students draw the line? “The important thing is to allow the groups affected by these issues to take the lead and determine themselves what they consider problematic,” says Tessy Maritim, who campaigned against cultural appropriation at the University of Manchester. “There aren’t many people who would turn up in racist fancy dress, but it’s important to call out even just one instance to prevent normalising casual racism.” | |
| Ibtehal Hussain, a student in London, points out that student socialising often accidentally excludes black and ethnic minority people, which compounds the issue. “Societies normally hold their socials in pubs, which can exclude Muslims who don’t always feel comfortable in pubs, which means that a lot of black and brown people won’t attend them,” she says. | Ibtehal Hussain, a student in London, points out that student socialising often accidentally excludes black and ethnic minority people, which compounds the issue. “Societies normally hold their socials in pubs, which can exclude Muslims who don’t always feel comfortable in pubs, which means that a lot of black and brown people won’t attend them,” she says. |
| Ball believes that appropriation isn’t always bad, and cultural exchange is valuable. The Olympics is an example of cultural appropriation, she argues. But it’s a question of how it is done – whether it celebrates cultures or simply makes a mockery of them. “Interesting forms of cultural appropriation I’ve seen include the adoption of hip-hop related clothing, jewellery and speech styles. Or, for example, the keffiyeh scarf is popular among students and that often functions as an expression of solidarity with Palestinians.” | Ball believes that appropriation isn’t always bad, and cultural exchange is valuable. The Olympics is an example of cultural appropriation, she argues. But it’s a question of how it is done – whether it celebrates cultures or simply makes a mockery of them. “Interesting forms of cultural appropriation I’ve seen include the adoption of hip-hop related clothing, jewellery and speech styles. Or, for example, the keffiyeh scarf is popular among students and that often functions as an expression of solidarity with Palestinians.” |
| But not everybody sees it that way. “There’s quite a thin line when it comes to cultural appropriation, but it definitely stems from racism,” says Shanice Dover, a recent graduate of the University of the West of England. “It’s continuing this tradition of taking from people of colour and deciding what from that culture is valuable and what isn’t. | But not everybody sees it that way. “There’s quite a thin line when it comes to cultural appropriation, but it definitely stems from racism,” says Shanice Dover, a recent graduate of the University of the West of England. “It’s continuing this tradition of taking from people of colour and deciding what from that culture is valuable and what isn’t. |
| “People hear the term ‘cultural appropriation’ and roll their eyes . In their minds, it’s not racism because they associate racism with people like Adolf Hitler or KKK members. They think as long as they aren’t being blatantly hateful like those people, there’s no problem.” | “People hear the term ‘cultural appropriation’ and roll their eyes . In their minds, it’s not racism because they associate racism with people like Adolf Hitler or KKK members. They think as long as they aren’t being blatantly hateful like those people, there’s no problem.” |
| So if you find yourself faced with a Mexican social and you’re worried you’ll get barred from the SU for wearing a sombrero, the context could be a clue. | So if you find yourself faced with a Mexican social and you’re worried you’ll get barred from the SU for wearing a sombrero, the context could be a clue. |
| Take dressing up as the Mexican painter Frida Kahlo, for example. “There’s the potential for that to be interesting, given her take on indigenous cultural engagement at a time when that was not visible in north American culture,” Ball says. But if someone were to dress up in a garish parody of Frida Kahlo, in a way that was seeking to undermine rather than appreciate, then she thinks that would be problematic. “It’s a really complex, fine line.” | Take dressing up as the Mexican painter Frida Kahlo, for example. “There’s the potential for that to be interesting, given her take on indigenous cultural engagement at a time when that was not visible in north American culture,” Ball says. But if someone were to dress up in a garish parody of Frida Kahlo, in a way that was seeking to undermine rather than appreciate, then she thinks that would be problematic. “It’s a really complex, fine line.” |
| So as long as you’re not ridiculing the culture, or claiming some sort of ownership over it, it’s probably OK. But if you find yourself as part of a men’s football team, staggering down the main road in Durham wearing a monobrow and a flower crown, it might be worth having a think about the events that led up to this, and reconsidering. | So as long as you’re not ridiculing the culture, or claiming some sort of ownership over it, it’s probably OK. But if you find yourself as part of a men’s football team, staggering down the main road in Durham wearing a monobrow and a flower crown, it might be worth having a think about the events that led up to this, and reconsidering. |
| Keep up with the latest on Guardian Students: follow us on Twitter at @GdnStudents – and become a member to receive exclusive benefits and our weekly newsletter. | Keep up with the latest on Guardian Students: follow us on Twitter at @GdnStudents – and become a member to receive exclusive benefits and our weekly newsletter. |
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