Is Day of the Dead Halloween Makeup Cultural Appropriation?

It is a situation like so many others in recent times: you are scrolling by Instagram for Halloween costume inspiration, weaving by hashtags and grids for make-up concepts or hairstyles that stand out in a sea of the identical. You see a celeb in a gorgeous, intricate Día de los Muertos (or Day of the Lifeless) get-up, their face painted with embellished skulls within the model of La Catrina. Then, you learn the feedback.

“It would be nice should you did not applicable Mexican tradition like this,” certainly one of many individuals wrote of Ashley Tisdale’s Day of the Dead Halloween look again in 2016. One other responded, “Loosen up ppl. It is a costume.” After all, it is not simply Tisdale who has sparked debates on the matter throughout social media. Stars like Kate Hudson and Hilary Duff and numerous Instagram influencers have additionally stepped out on All Hallows’ Eve carrying what’s also known as “sugar cranium” make-up, adopted by dozens of critics calling it cultural appropriation. However is it?

As a Latina who lived in Mexico Metropolis throughout the childhood of my childhood, and who continues to often go to the nation with deep appreciation for the tradition, I am going to admit I used to be initially confused by the backlash. Whereas Día de los Muertos is on no account associated to Halloween — in actual fact, the 2 holidays are totally separate — neither is it solely noticed in Mexico, it was certainly one of my favorites to rejoice rising up.

Over the course of three days, from Oct. 31 to Nov. 2, we’d paint plates and collectible figurines with vibrant patterns and shapes, bake scrumptious pan de muerto (candy bread), and beautify calaveras de azúcar (sugar skulls) with shiny tissue paper to convey to the altar — all to honor the demise of family members. Nonetheless, for folks exterior of the tradition, not acknowledging the custom’s origins (which is part-indigenous and part-Catholic), and as a substitute seeing it as nothing however an ideal Halloween costume, is offensive — but it surely would not need to be.

“As a make-up artist, I’ve seen the sugar cranium make-up pattern blow up and fall within the line of appropriation, however I additionally love seeing folks expressing their artwork and representing my tradition,” Mexican-American make-up artist Valeria Leyva tells PS. “Día de los Muertos is extra than simply portray your face with the form of a sugar cranium; we’re honoring our family members which have left this earth. We see demise as the start of one other life, so there’s a very fine line between appropriation and appreciation. It is determined by the best way you see it and in addition how folks carry a convention that is not initially theirs.”

The most important level of rivalry, provides Regina Merson, Mexican-American magnificence entrepreneur and founding father of Reina Rebelde, is the numerous factors of differentiation between Día de los Muertos and every other vacation the place dressing in costume is ritualized, like Halloween.

“It isn’t a vacation about fantasy or horror, however moderately one thing that’s meant to be soulful and uplifting and optimistic,” says Merson. “One of the vital offensive issues is when folks paint a Catrina and make the look intersect with one thing scary and bloody. That Catrina represents your lifeless relative, not a comic book ebook character.”

As an alternative, sugar cranium make-up has a spot when accomplished with the correct intentions, and with respect and understanding of its significance. That is additionally why Merson created three new Reina Rebelde merchandise — a 4 Play Wet Dry Eye Color in Azteca ($23), On Your Face Contour + Color Trio in Coqueta ($23), and Lip Brilliance color in Bomba ($18) — in honor of the vacation: to rejoice all issues stunning concerning the custom.

“As soon as folks perceive how sacred the vacation is, I invite them to affix, take part, and respect the tradition,” says Merson. “The make-up you create [in honor of Día de los Muertos] ought to be stunning, colourful, and uplifting. You’re channeling somebody you really liked, you’re celebrating their life on earth and their soul’s return go to from the afterlife. That feeling of affection and respect ought to inform the make-up.”

Kelsey Castañon is a Brooklyn-based author, editor, and content material strategist with greater than 13 years of expertise in publishing. She is at present the senior content material director at PS, the place you could find her stockpiling (and reporting on) the whole lot from skincare to wine.