Feline Appropriation: A Catty Subject

It has recently come to my attention that Dickinson College, yet again, is appropriating a group of individuals. This coming Saturday is All Hallows Eve; also referred to colloquially as “Halloween” or “Halloweenie.”

Unfortunately, many female students will use this sacred day as an opportunity to dress as “sexy kittens,” in other words wearing black leggings, a black tank top, cat ears and drawn-on whiskers on their face. A local Carlisle pet store demands that the injustice and appropriation ends here.

“What type of message do you think your school is sending?” an anonymous cat owner says, “Halloween is not an excuse to appropriate a group. Cats are people too!”

Obviously I cannot get a direct quotation from a cat, but I can only assume they would back up the cat owner quoted above.

In an interview, Paige Ritchie ’18 said she intends to dress up as a cat this coming Saturday. She said, “Dressing up as a sexy kitten is always a good Plan B for a Halloween costume; it’s an inexpensive costume because all you have to buy are cat ears, and everyone looks good in black!”

If only the cats of Carlisle had heard this interview. Based on what this young women plans to do, it appears that even cats, who have never done anything to anybody besides a few playful scratches, aren’t safe either.

With that said, I encourage all the Dickinson females to really think about what their costume will be saying. Not only is a “sexy kitten,” lacking serious originality and creativity, but it’s also marginalizing all our beloved felines as well. Next time you are thinking of putting on black leggings and those adorable cat ears you got on sale at Urban Outfitters, think of the cats you know and love, and imagine how they would feel.