15 Totally Offensive Halloween Costumes to Avoid For Halloween — Now and Forever
Unless you're a total ghoul, you probably also get at least a little bit excited about Halloween. Dressing up in elaborate Halloween costumes, eating a truly ill-advised amount of candy, carving a pumpkin and then praying the squirrels don't eat it before the trick-or-treaters come — what's not to like? But as we all start mood-boarding our Halloween outfits, parties and general revelry, consider this your evergreen reminder to make sure the tribute you've got in mind won't rain on anyone else's parade. Every year, at least a handful of people (celebrities very much included) come up with cringe-worthy, harmful and offensive Halloween costumes that ruin everyone's good time. And it can happen where you least expect it.
Events like mass shootings, natural disasters, COVID-19 and movements like #MeToo should never be used as inspiration for Halloween outfits. Even if you haven't been personally impacted by any of these events, making light of them reminds countless others of trauma they've endured on a night that's meant to be lighthearted. In addition, nationalities and subcultures you don't belong to aren't a costume; they're real ways of life that deserve respect. We've rounded up some examples of inappropriate Halloween costumes you should avoid this year (and every year). Instead, choose an outfit that's fun, silly or scary in a way that won't make someone relive a traumatic event.
1. A Holocaust victim
As hard as it is to believe, more than one celebrity has been criticized for dressing up as a Nazi for Halloween. Dressing up as a Holocaust victim is just as bad. Several retailers have previously come under fire for selling an "Anne Frank" costume for little girls. Many places pulled it off the shelves after customers complained, but others still offer similar looks as "World War II Evacuee Girl" or "Child's 1940s Girl Costume." The Holocaust is a painful historical event, not costume party fodder.
2. Anything involving blackface
Blackface is never OK. Never. Ever. Not under any circumstances. But while the offensive practice includes literally painting your face a shade other than your natural skin tone, it also goes deeper than that. Dressing up in outfits that reinforce racist stereotypes also counts as blackface. For example, if you identify as a white person, avoid stereotyping any other cultures that aren't yours, even if you intend to pay homage to a specific person. That means you should all steer clear of caricatures like Julianne Hough's "Crazy Eyes" costume and Luann de Lesseps's Diana Ross costume.
3. Transphobic costumes
If your outfit makes fun of a marginalized group of people, it's definitely a no-no. Take this "tranny granny" costume, for example. It got pulled from Walmart shelves after consumers pointed out that not only does it make a joke out of transgender women, it also uses a transphobic slur right in the name. Dressing up as a gender presentation other than your own is not funny, especially not in a year when trans rights are under fire all over the country.
4. The COVID-19 pandemic
A pandemic that has killed over a million people (and rising) in the United States alone isn't a costume; it's a horrible tragedy that has significantly impacted many people's lives. Resist the urge to dress up in a medical hazard suit, anything resembling a virus or as a victim of the virus itself. This is where specificity matters. Generic doctor and nurse costumes are fine. Specific get-ups that reference the pandemic in particular, not so much.
5. Body-shaming and objectifying costumes
When it comes to disrespecting women, this costume gets it wrong on several levels. It not only reduces women to sex objects, but turns a woman's weight into a joke. Think about it this way: If you wouldn't say it to a friend's face, don't wear it as a Halloween costume. Outfits that make fun of people's size, objectify human beings or otherwise make light of a person's lived experience are all insensitive.
6. Cultural stereotypes
When someone dresses up as a member of a culture that isn't their own, particularly in an exaggerated or "humorous" way, it comes off as cultural appropriation, or an offensive jab at other cultures. If you or your child intend to pay homage to a beloved Disney character (hint: Moana or Pocahontas), take care to dress with sensitivity. Focus on costuming linked to a specific character, not general looks that have particular meaning to often-marginalized groups of people. Skip the sombrero and poncho combo, Native American headdresses, kimonos and grass skirts with a coconut top.
7. A terrorist
Do we even have to say this? Dressing up as Osama bin Laden, Dylan Roof or even a generic member of ISIS are all in extremely poor taste. This falls under the same heading as making light of tragedies. While we're at it, let's cross people like Hitler, Putin or anything that involves the Confederate Flag off the list too.
8. Zombie versions of deceased celebrities
We get it, you want to pay tribute to one of your dearly departed favs. Go wild with your best Ziggy Stardust, your Purple Rain homage or even an Amy Winehouse bouffant. But don't, we repeat, do not add zombie makeup. It's always too soon to wear anything reminiscent of someone's corpse. Period.
9. An eating disorder
A few years ago, an online store took some heat for releasing a costume called "Anna Rexia." The incredibly poor-taste outfit included a skeleton dress with a measuring tape belt to "cinch the waist." Not only is it a truly terrible pun, it also trivializes eating disorders.
10. Animal cruelty
Remember that dentist who slaughtered Cecil the lion and this terrible costume that resulted? Yeah, don't go there. Also off the table: costumes that involve animal shelters and euthanasia, hunting get-ups with graphic accessories or any that you wouldn't want your children to come across while out there collecting candy.
11. A mentally ill person
Sometimes, offensive stereotypes creep into our speech before we even realize it. How often have many of us called a difficult person "crazy" without thinking about how the term might feel to someone living with mental illness? Halloween costumes that make light of mental institutions fall under the same category. Wearing a straitjacket, or any other equipment typically associated with the institutionalization of people with mental illness, trivializes that experience.
12. Sexual harassment
The #MeToo movement should have clued us all in to how unfunny sexual harassment jokes really are, but it bears repeating. Someone exposing themselves to non-consenting viewers isn't just an unfortunate accident; it's a very real and traumatic form of sexual harassment. These kinds of costumes are not only offensive; they may trigger those who have dealt with harassment themselves. Don't risk it.
13. An unhoused person
For decades, dressing up as a "hobo" was considered a harmless outfit. But in the U.S. alone, thousands of people are without safe and accessible shelter every day. It's a lived reality for many, not a cute outfit idea.
14. A national tragedy
Remember those two people who dressed up as the Twin Towers after 9/11? That's in pretty poor taste. The same principle also applies to the Boston Marathon bombing, any and all mass shootings, the storming of the capitol building and the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. This year in particular, making light of tragedy isn't funny.
15. The Black Lives Matter movement
The racial justice reckoning in our country is powerful, but that doesn't mean you should turn it into a Halloween costume, even in tribute to those doing the work. Wearing a slogan T-shirt to a protest, vigil or just around town is one thing. But don't try and turn the fight for racial equality into a current events-themed outfit for your Halloween gathering. That's tokenism, not solidarity.
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