Costume choices offer double edged sword of self expression, poor taste

Spooky season has arrived, and with it, new Halloween costumes. 2023 has been filled with new movies such as Barbie, Oppenheimer, M3gan, and more, which brewed up inspiration for creative costumes for the highly anticipated holiday. However, this begs the question whether they will become unoriginal and played out. Not only that, but the constant sexualization of women’s costumes, as well as the cultural appropriation aspect that seems to be a recurring problem, raise even more concerns. So, which costumes are fang-tastic, and which belong in the graveyard?

As movies and shows have been releasing one after another, fandoms follow and cling to every single character and possible trend. A popular theme that has been revived in the last couple of months is Barbie. Of course, the recent Barbie movie has been a huge factor (if not sole reason) for this nostalgic trend. Not just the traditional Barbie doll costume, which was a look in the movie, but the new pink denim vest, flared jeans, and overall western-Barbie look that Margot Robbie rocked. Unfortunately, because of its popularity, this outfit will surely soon be redundant, though that doesn’t mean it’s not a cute idea. Anything portraying the message behind the character makes for a wonderful sight. 

The popular Addams-Family-inspired show, Wednesday, has also automatically been added to this list of media-inspired costumes. Wednesday has been popular for decades due to the original Addams Family sitcom, created in 1964. The revival on Netflix has certainly gained quite the audience, and with that kind of popularity comes cringe-worthy fans, which only tarnishes costumes inspired by it. These costumes are often dark and have a gloomy vibe, similar to Wednesday. These Wednesday-inspired costumes are also comparable to Mavis from Hotel Transylvania or even Janis Ian from Mean Girls. Focusing on less-popular characters with a similar vibe is far more spook-tacular. 

This year, social media has certainly been fueled by celebrity news and drama. The Hailey Bieber and Selena Gomez drama caused quite a stir on all social media platforms, but it left the people with a great celebrity costume idea. Selena and Hailey would make a perfect duo costume and also comes with a great story to tell. 

Another celebrity-inspired costume has presented itself, this time in the form of a couples-approach. The internet has been stirring with gossip since the news of Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce came out. There is no denying the fact that these two big-time celebrities are becoming more of a “thing” each day. This costume idea can be easily executed with one wearing a Taylor Swift-like outfit, which has a wide range of “eras” to choose from, and the other could simply wear a Chiefs jersey to fulfill the Kelce side of the duo. This costume is easy and clever and will surely look swift on Halloween. 

Though Swift in general will be a costume commonly seen this Halloween, another great idea would be Rihanna’s Super Bowl halftime show from February of this year. Her amazing performance was sewn together with a red outfit that covered her from head-to-toe. This costume is easily recognizable with monochrome red and a microphone, and can be as iconic as her performance. 

As fun as dressing up for Halloween can be, finding a simple costume as a woman can be a difficult task, because of the constant sexualization of feminine costumes. Even in popular stores such as Spirit Halloween, it can be seen that while a male police officer costume is simply the classic uniform, the female-costume counterpart is an “On Duty Cutie,” or “Officer Pat U Down.” Whereas several sexualized women’s costumes can be found of one theme, there are generally only one or two sexual costumes of said-genre for men. These overly-sexual costumes are often shorter, tighter, and overall extremely revealing - a drastic change in the classic costume to something more inappropriate. Ultimately, this displays how women are constantly objectified and demeaned throughout society; even their costumes are something designed for the appeal of men. 

Stores once-again abuse their power through cultural-appropriation through their costumes. Up until the last couple of years, it was quite common to see people wearing Native American and other culturally inspired clothing, but these costumes are often portrayed in an incorrect and offensive way. Not only that, but presenting cultural clothing as a “costume” makes it seem like it’s merely that, and takes away the importance behind it. Many other cultures have become victims to this, as people constantly excel at finding ways to diminish others. In the last couple of years, however, society has finally decided to pick up its act and face these problems by educating the public on why these “costumes” are not correct and can be quite offensive. Unfortunately, not everyone seems to have received the message as these costumes are often still sold in stores, though it can be hoped that this appropriation will dissipate with each passing year.

Halloween costumes are a vibrant and expressive aspect of this holiday, which allows everyone to step into their favorite character, celebrity, or other imaginative character’s shoes for a day. From spooky looks to funny costumes, people’s choices offer a unique opportunity to connect with others. October 31 gives the pleasure to become whoever you desire to be for a day. So, whether people wear costumes that are often repeated or costumes that are greatly unique, this Halloween will surely be fa-boo-lous.

by: Haniya Mecci

Published October 30, 2023

Oshkosh West Index Volume 120 Issue 2


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