Many of the PSAs out there concerning Halloween have much to do with the safety of young people. Sure, kidnapping is a valid and heavy concern, but all of the nonsense floating around about people handing out drugs disguised as candies is, truly, nonsense.
It’s about high time that someone put out a warning about truly tasteless costumes that should not be donned on All Hallow’s Eve, or anytime, really. So that’s where I come in.
There are many great Halloween traditions that can be fun for all ages, like gorging on candy and carving a pumpkin with the design of one’s choosing.
Somewhere down the line, though, Halloween costumes began a trajectory of being all about the shock value for many. Whatever happened to good old-fashioned creativity? Nowadays it seems like costumes are either made to shock or titillate (or both).
There’s so many costume ideas out there that won’t produce cringing at parties, and can be stumbled upon from just using a bit of thought. F’rinstance, mi lass and I are planning to hit up a Halloween party as the couple from the classic “Went with the Wind!” sketch from the Carol Burnett Show, with she dressed in that hilariously famous curtain rod dress as Starlett O’Hara and me as Capt. Ratt Butler.
Here’s a few examples of some of the don’ts of Halloween costuming. As a general rule of thumb: any making light of tragic events, be it mass shootings, violent crimes, or even the recent pandemic, should not be inspiration for Halloween costumes.
Anne Frank (or any Holocaust victim, for that matter) – A few years ago, several retailers were taken to task for selling an Anne Frank costume, which consisted of a green beret, blue dress and brown satchel. It was later rebranded by some as “World War II Evacuee Girl.”
Dressing up as a Holocaust victim, especially a 15-year-old girl is the epitome of insensitive. The Holocaust is an extremely painful event in world history and not meant for Halloween costume material.
Hyper-sexualized historic figures – This one might seem oddly specific, and, yes, what I have in mind is. A few years ago there was a “sexy” Joan of Arc costume idea that was floating around social media.
Why does everything, seemingly, with women’s Halloween costumes have to be sexualized? And why add that sheen to a heroic, tragic figure of history who was burned at the stake at age 19 after a lifetime of being victimized?
Blackface – Blackface is not a good idea, whether it’s a Halloween costume or some off-color theme party. Doing this constitutes nothing more than reinforcement of bigoted stereotypes, plus, as recent headlines about New York Rep. Mike Lawler show, old images of someone in blackface can haunt them years down the road.
The Black Dahlia – There seems to be a trend going around platforms such as Instagram of young women, typically of the wannabe goth persuasion, getting made up to look like a post-mortem Elizabeth Short, the tragic victim of America’s most famous unsolved homicide, known for her shadowy nickname.
Folks, dressing up as a victim of a violent crime is just wrong, but there is nothing wrong with adopting that classic 1940s mode of attire favored by movie starlets and hopefuls of the era.
Dead celebrities as zombies – Also in the poor taste division, I have seen at Halloween parties, a dead, rotting David Bowie and an equally putrefied Marilyn Monroe. Ecccchhhh!
Anything poking fun at pedophilia – Yes, these costumes exist, sad as it may seem. Be it the priest with a baby doll or a “Toddler in Tiara” contestant with a creepy pageant dad, they’re out there. Just don’t do it!
A Nazi or KKK member – Yeah, these are never okay, either. Just don’t.
