I think Halloween is in a way outside of normal rules and that it's the one time you can escape the norms of society and your own identity and be anything or dress as anything and that anything in history is open for depiction. I don't think a costume is an endorsement of the era in which it was prevalent or the idea it may represent in modern times. I think it's almost like an anthropological and cultural gallery showing tidbits of characters in the entire history of humans.
I cringe at the racial caricatures personally and would never wear one and hope my friends wouldn't, but I hate the idea of restricting or censoring any part of Halloween. If I were to get offended by one thing (and I think I'm just more annoyed than offended) it's the way women (and even girls) have few Halloween options that aren't hyper-sexualized. I don't remember this being the norm until the last maybe 10 to 15 years. It certainly wasn't the case when I was a child or even in my teens or twenties. To me this drastically limits what we are allowed to be. Even so I don't think banning or protesting "slutwear" is the answer. The vagina doesn't bother me either. It's just a body part.
On Your Halloween Costume: A Bigot
I think Halloween is in a way outside of normal rules and that it's the one time you can escape the norms of society and your own identity and be anything or dress as anything and that anything in history is open for depiction. I don't think a costume is an endorsement of the era in which it was prevalent or the idea it may represent in modern times. I think it's almost like an anthropological and cultural gallery showing tidbits of characters in the entire history of humans.
I cringe at the racial caricatures personally and would never wear one and hope my friends wouldn't, but I hate the idea of restricting or censoring any part of Halloween. If I were to get offended by one thing (and I think I'm just more annoyed than offended) it's the way women (and even girls) have few Halloween options that aren't hyper-sexualized. I don't remember this being the norm until the last maybe 10 to 15 years. It certainly wasn't the case when I was a child or even in my teens or twenties. To me this drastically limits what we are allowed to be. Even so I don't think banning or protesting "slutwear" is the answer. The vagina doesn't bother me either. It's just a body part.