Ella Gilbert
Trigger warning: abuse and violence
Every time that Halloween rolls around, it brings with it a new controversy. Over the last few years, it’s the appropriateness of costumes that has sparked discussion, and 2022 has been no exception.
Halloween itself as a holiday is somewhat controversial, but have the costumes always caused so much upset? When reflecting on traditional media like television and film, we can see that the boundaries of acceptability have fluctuated in the last 50 years. Previously actors and actresses dressed up in blackface or posed as indigenous people without facing much backlash from the general public, and certainly less than they would face now. The boundaries of acceptability have changed over time, so what makes a costume controversial nowadays?
“It’s important to remember that those from misrepresented parties have always voiced their dissent, but their calls have – problematically – long been overlooked.”
Usually, costumes are deemed inappropriate or offensive if they mimic or ridicule a real person or real group for entertainment’s sake. In the last 20 years, dressing as people from different cultures and ethnicities has become more and more unacceptable. Think, for example, about the criticism of Johnny Depp over his casting in Lone Ranger (2013). It’s important to remember that those from misrepresented parties have always voiced their dissent, but their calls have – problematically – long been overlooked.
Social Media Critique
Social media is often blamed for the shift in costume controversy. The “snowflake generation” are often labelled as party-poopers for being “too woke”, and using social media to engage in mob-like critique of wrong-doers. In reality, social media has simply been a platform upon which the voices of marginalised communities, whose cultures are being mocked, are amplified. Social media has given the chance for those who are misrepresented to express their feelings and to actually be listened to. When you can see the negative impacts of a controversial costume right in front of you, it becomes a lot harder to ignore. Maybe Halloween costumes aren’t becoming “too politicised” or “too woke” – maybe we are just starting to take people’s feelings into consideration…
Halloween 2022: Spoilt for insensitive costume choice
And that brings us to 2022. It’s been a turbulent year, and each year’s events are often well-represented at Halloween. Recent TV and film releases were popular choices as always, with some definitely controversial choices. Hulu’s new series, Pam and Tommy, led to couples opting to dress like the “iconic” duo. Netflix’s new documentary about Jeffrey Dahmer saw Dahmer imitators on the streets. The attention that the Johnny Depp-Amber Heard lawsuit received, lead to the couple being portrayed in several horrifying costumes.
All of these costumes raise ethical questions about dressing up as real people, with complex and often violent histories, and arguably show a distinct lack of empathy. Pamela Anderson and Tommy Lee’s relationship was famously abusive, Heard and Depp’s relationship is surrounded by allegations of violence, and Dahmer was undeniably a terrible person.
“When there are a multitude of fictional characters to choose from, why opt for real and morally questionable people?”
There is something especially uncomfortable about choosing a “scary” costume that is inspired by real people. It’s almost like you’re endorsing or promoting this specific person’s actions, glorifying them, and showing a distinct lack of empathy. What you might think is a fun couple’s costume actually looks like a promotion of domestic abuse and could potentially isolate or trigger someone else in your life. When there are a multitude of fictional characters to choose from, why opt for real and morally questionable people?
Halloween is supposed to be a fun, yet scary, holiday. Let’s let the skeletons, witches, and vampires do the scaring, rather than bring to life someone’s real-life nightmares.
Featured image courtesy of Sara Kurfeß via Unsplash. No changes were made to this image. Image license found here.
Ella Gilbert
Ella is History and Spanish student at the University of Sheffield. She is the social media manager for Empoword and a keen writer for various publications. When not writing or studying (which is far more often than she'd like to admit), you can find her exploring the outdoors, going out for drinks with friends, or in bed with Netflix and TikTok.