This year a company is selling a costume that some people believe is offensive. It's a Caitlyn Jenner costume. Some believe the costume mocks Caitlyn and is transphobic -- it portrays a brave soul striving to be authentic as a ridiculous-looking man in a female swimsuit and cheap wig. Others, such as the company selling it, contend the costume is humorous commentary on a celebrity in the news.
What do you think? Do you believe the costume is offensive? Or is it acceptable humor? Does the answer depend on who wears it and their intent?
It depends on the person, i don't find it offensive but people tend to mock celebrities or idols and it is something that comes with being in that category but i agree that it depends on who actually wears. I may be wrong but that's my opinion
ReplyDeleteYou're entitled to your opinion, Dale, and that's why I asked you for it. Thank you for sharing your thoughts.
DeleteI don't like buying ready-made costumes really and I don't have anything to do with Halloween but I think it just looks cheap and nasty anyway, regardless of whether it is mocking or not. I don't like it, I think it is a cheap shot.
ReplyDeleteI like your language. "Cheap shot" seems about right.
Deletei want to hear what you think! ;)
ReplyDeleteNot until I hear from you!
DeleteNah, I am hard to offend with stuff like this. But I have to add - it's a crappy looking costume. Now let's see what the Greenwich Village Halloween Parade brings. xo
ReplyDeleteI agree that the costume is lame. A person could pick up better options on their own if they wanted to go this route.
ReplyDeleteI personally don't find it offensive. Like any of the other celebrity costumes out there they have put themselves in front of the public eye. They need to take the scrutiny along with the cash they make from being famous.
bisous
Suzanne
I'm sorry, but who's Caitlyn?
ReplyDeleteThe male Olympic champion from the 1970s, then-known as Bruce Jenner, before she transitioned to a female identity. Also known as the step-father of the Kardashians.
DeleteI think it depends on the person and reason its being worn.
ReplyDeleteIn my case I would find it offensive, if you're putting it out there to be mocked its just wrong.
I think offensive is a relative term--what offends me may not offend you. I'm not offended by it outright, but I do find it tacky and tasteless.
ReplyDeleteGood answer, Emma.
DeleteFirstly, I love that the costume is so bad that the makers felt the need to put a banner on it telling people who the costume is supposed to portray :)
ReplyDeleteSecondly, as others have stated, I think its offensiveness is dependent upon who is wearing it, and who is viewing it. Personally, I think almost everyone who wears it will be doing so in a mocking manner.
All I know is, I'm not going to be wearing it this October!
I agree with your prediction that it will be worn by transphobic men seeking to mock Caitlyn.
DeleteAlthough I see what other comments mean about it depends on who is wearing and viewing it, I can only find it offensive. I think it makes fun of transgender people and Caitlyn Jenner at a time that we should be tolerant and open-minded about transgender people and those going through transitions.
ReplyDeleteI like the comment about the costume being so bad the makers had to put a banner on it telling people who the costume is portraying. It's a poorly and cheaply made costume.
http://passportcouture.com
Thanks, Brooke, for your thoughts and compassion toward the transgender community.
DeleteAbsolutely. I grew up in a small town that was very conservative and I did not fit in. So, now when I see people rejected because of what they are, not who they are it really upsets me. I want to know who you are as a person. Are you a good person who wants to do good for others and is tolerant? Then let's be friends. I'm glad I found your blog to learn more about the transgender community and hopefully show others how they can be more accepting.
DeleteBrooke, if you were here now, I'd hug you!
DeleteI think this is a classic example of something that's not funny because it's "too soon."
ReplyDeleteIf we already lived in a society in which trans people lived in freedom from persecution, then sure, this would probably be no less sensitive than any other celebrity costume. Maybe even if we were just further along that journey as a culture, it would be tacky but not empirically offensive. But yeah, we're not there yet.
As a student of social science, however, I do think that it's possible for phenomena like this to have a different macro-social-psychological effect than you'd imagine. Even though the individual people buying and wearing and laughing at this costume are probably mocking douchebags, there's a lot of research indicating that cultural ubiquity has a HUGE unconscious effect on what we culturally find "normal." This costume company claims that this is just another celebrity costume, and in a roundabout way, it will probably lead to a generation of people picking up on the subconscious notion that a trans celeb is just another celeb, thus normalizing trans status. So even though selling and wearing this costume is pretty categorically a dick move, that doesn't mean that it won't, on a long enough timeline, unexpectedly help the cause. :)
Brilliant observation. Not only do I agree with you, I had the same thought and hope. For decades, we've been "hidden" from public view and that was bad. Becoming visible, even from insults, has the potential to create positive good in the psychological way you describe. Thanks!.
DeleteYes it is definitely offensive for sure. I guess she could just shrug it off, but I think she will find it kind of repulsive.
ReplyDeleteAllie of ALLIENYC
allienyc.com
Personally I think that you nailed it when you said that it depends on the person and the context that they're wearing it in. So long as someone wasn't transphobic or doing this in a purposely mean/mocking/hateful way, I don't much harm it it. Men and women alike have been wearing costumes typical associated with the opposite gender for Halloween for decades and this is just an "of the moment" take on that.
ReplyDelete♥ Jessica
I think this costume is kinda lame but being ignored from society, being forced to hide is the real offensive thing for every human being. Most of people won't give this costume any attention. This costume makes me actually think Caitlyn's open life changing process gesture became iconic, I hope I can explain myself since english is not my first language...but it is something everyone acknowledges, so we can also look at it from a positive point of view...hopefully in a short amount of time more minds will get open. Hugs
ReplyDeleteFashion and Cookies - fashion and beauty blog
Beautiful thought, Vale, and nicely expressed. Thank you.
DeleteI don’t find it offensive or transphobic, just a silly costume about someone who has been in the news quite a lot lately. It doesn’t seem any different to me than the Lindsey Lohan or Martha Stewart jail jumpsuit costume or the Jon & Kate + 8 couples costumes from years back. I don’t feel like the costume is mocking a group of people, just one single person (Jenner) who chose to place him/herself in the limelight. I can see how the person wearing it could be offensive, but I think that has more to do with the individual than the costume itself.
ReplyDeleteWhat I find offensive is that price! My goodness, that is ridiculous. I don't 'get' half of the costumes out there, they are costumes not representations, otherwise I would have to take issue with the sarape and sombrero that is the Mexican costume. You would be really hard pressed to find that outfit in Mexico. I think it is costumes like these that keep me making the kids their costumes or just ordering what I want online, I hate going into those shops and seeing things that are just so out there.
ReplyDeleteGood point, Michelle. Most commercial costumes are crappy and overpriced.
DeleteI'd call it pretty transphobic, but I'm also happy to listen to any (trans) folks who feel otherwise. Obviously the "trans community" isn't a monolith, so I like seeking out a variety of trans writers to see what they've said about a particular thing that gets my attention. To me, it's less specifically transphobic because it's mocking Caitlyn--I see it more as making fun of all trans women who don't "pass" in the traditional sense, and it just makes me sad and tired.
ReplyDeleteI agree. Thank you for your thoughts and compassion.
DeleteI'm not a fan of these cheap costumes anyway- any of them. Isnt haloween supposed to be ghosts and goblins and witches and stuff?? I rememeber when there was a trend of people dressing like Brittany Spears for haloween- Whats with the 'sexy outfit' for haloween... thats more creepy to me than a ghost :) We give out raisins to kids that come by and I always appreciate the home made costumes that the kids have fun with vs the walmart crap... just sayin..
ReplyDeleteI think it's tacky, but then again, so are just about all other store bought costumes. Especially when you look at what I imagine they're probably charging for that (like in the neighborhood of $75+)
ReplyDeleteThen again, my idea of costuming is putting on a costume of something I admire or want to look like.
This? This is just insulting, to both Caitlyn and that poor model.
A burly dude dressed up in women's clothing (like a Marilyn Monroe white dress) is usually kind of funny. This, to me, is not the same thing and what the other commenter called a cheap shot, and I don't find it funny. If I saw someone wearing it, I'd probably not be able to refrain from calling them on it. Celebrities do open themselves up to a certain degree to be made fun of, but this just says, "Caitlyn is still a man no matter what HE'S wearing."
ReplyDeleteI think Cammila's comment was spot-on, though, and hope that comes true.
On one hand I find it highly offensive in that it's making light of a transgender human being who had the courage to step up in front of the entire world and proudly be who she is. On the other hand the Jenner/Kardashians have made themselves targets for mockery based on their choice to put all of their nonsense on display. Regardless, it is a totally ridiculous & cheap looking costume.
ReplyDeleteDebbie
www.fashionfairydust.com
I don't know if you saw this but what do you think ? http://www.news.com.au/entertainment/celebrity-life/johnny-ruffo-slammed-by-social-media-users-after-posting-crude-photo-about-caitlyn-jenner/story-fn907478-1227516060442
ReplyDeleteI hadn't seen it and don't know who this actor is. Thanks for calling it to my attention.
DeleteIt's strange for me to see anyone defending a transgender person. Before Caitlyn, the only attitude I'd seen toward us was ridicule, disrespect and hatred. This change is causing me to re-adjust my outlook.