The Lumberjack



Students Serving The Cal Poly Humboldt Campus and Community Since 1929

Tag: halloween fashion

  • Commercial Costumes Can Be Problematic

    Commercial Costumes Can Be Problematic

    Many costumes portray culture and lifestyle in an insensitive manner

    Humboldt State students hurry last minute to piece their Halloween costumes together but find no comfort in commercial Halloween stores as the stores will often have sections full of costumes that are ignorant or insensitive.

    Sierra Cosper, a forestry major, expressed her discontent in the commercial Halloween store, Spirit Halloween.

    “I went through Spirit Halloween and they had a whole aisle of Pocahontas and it’s not cool,” Cosper said. “It’s 2019, can we move on from that now?”

    Students agreed that Pocahontas and Native American themed costumes were disrespectful and unacceptable to wear. Haley Fedalizo, a liberal studies elementary education major, found another commercial Halloween store, Party City, to be disrespectful toward culture and body weight.

    “Obviously the [costumes] that are in your face like the Native American one is not okay,” Fedalizo said. “I was literally at Party City yesterday and I saw a “fat costume” and that’s not cool.”

    Jose Moreno, a social work major, also found fault in the commercial chain Party City. Moreno practices an ironically ‘fun’ tradition at the store every year. Often losing count of the inappropriate costumes.

    “I went through Spirit Halloween and they had a whole aisle of Pocahontas and it’s not cool. It’s 2019, can we move on from that now?”

    Sierra Cosper

    “When I go to Party City or anything like that, I count how many cultural appropriation outfits there are,” Moreno said. “I’m like ‘there’s one right there, and right there! I lost track.”

    Beyond the recognizable commercial chains, the internet continues to advertise culturally insensitive and inappropriate Halloween costumes and accessories.

    HSU student Gabrielle Sturm, an environmental studies major, went online to browse for the Halloween season and couldn’t believe what was advertised.

    “I was looking up costumes online and I was a little surprised to see how many [inappropriate costumes] there still are,” Sturm says. “I think they’re bad but a lot of people still do it.”

    While cultural appropriation continues to popularize social media with cultural awareness movements, HSU promotes a safe and respectful Halloween season. Of course, the message on campus has no influence on commercial chains.

  • Fashion Forward: Halloween Style

    Fashion Forward: Halloween Style

    Secondhand stores and DIY costumes make great options for spooky season

    Any secondhand store can acknowledge that people don’t wear costumes for just one night, they recycle and reuse the pieces for other occasions and sometimes even the next year’s Halloween.

    At the intersection of 11th and H Streets in downtown Arcata sits Vintage Avenger. This vintage boutique sells primarily secondhand items. Walking into the shop, you may be surprised to see some of the treasures hidden within.

    Behind the counter sits the owner, Nancy Tobin, who says that people in Humboldt like their costumes to be more unique than the plastic packages you may get from a superstore.

    “People don’t really like ready made costumes anymore,” Tobin said. “They kinda like pieces they can wear, like ethically sourced items you can wear for other occasions, not just specifically for a costume.”

    Vintage Avenger can be your first stop in finding a costume for Halloween. They have some items you can wear as everyday fashion, too. | Photo by Rachel Marty

    Ready made costumes, the ones packaged in plastic and sold in stores, are generally designed to match and work together as a unit. This makes the individual pieces of the outfits harder to reuse and style with other items.

    “We try to be as much into recycling as we can,” Tobin said. “Anything gold, silver, sparkly sells fast.”

    Vintage Avenger’s racks are stuffed with up-cycled pieces, fur coats and exotic dresses, and the racks tie in to the extravagant patterns that decorate the walls of the store.

    Tobin said her concept of up-cycling costumes causes her to arrange the store accordingly and make decorative pieces visible to the daily shopper.

    Humboldt State student Jennyfer Bonfil said her costume this year will be mixed of up-cycled materials and new purchases.

    “I am going to be a DIY version of Mother Nature,” Bonfil said. “I shopped at Forever 21 online and SCRAP [Humboldt] for my costume.”

    Another college student, Rose Meyers says she made an effort to not go shopping this year.

    “I’m going to be one of the PowerPuff girls with my roommates,” Meyers said. “And we’re making [the costumes] ourselves.”

    Shopping locally is great way to support the community and local economy, but online shopping is another option to look for costumes if you intend to buy. Ordering online can be perfect for simple basics such as blank t-shirts and tank tops that you may need to build your DIY costume, but you can often find entire pieces if you look for them.

    When buying online, be cautious about sizing and cheaply made items. Also make sure to consider the shipping cost and time factors. In general, companies can send items within five to seven days, but if you need something expedited, expect shipping cost to increase for one to two day shipping.

    While cost can be a priority, especially for college students, make sure you’re purchasing from reliable places. Sometimes you can get lucky and find something that closely resembles a more expensive version of pieces found in-stores, but understand that there are drawbacks to cheap costs and cheap clothing.

    With Halloween just over a week away, now is the time to get those costumes together. So shop around, check out a few local shops, make something out of clothes you already own to lessen the stress on the environment and your wallet, or buy online for a (possibly) quick fix. Whichever you choose, remember to respect people and cultures, be safe and have fun.