Oh hey! In today’s New Thing To Be Rightfully Outraged Over we’re going to go with Halloween costumes that glorify sexual assault.
Yeah, you read that right.
Thanks to Mark Graham on Twitter, I was alerted to a GYN costume — which is cool. We love OB/GYNs! I wouldn’t have two healthy children here without one. However this one happens to have a name: Doctor Howie Feltersnatch.
Say it slowly, out loud: How-wie Felt-her-snatch
In the wake of the unbearably painful Larry Nassar trial, in which the Team USA Gymnastics doctor was convicted of molesting at least 250 young girls and women over many years, I couldn’t be more disgusted. In the wake of #MeToo. In the wake of #TimesUp.
I mean, here we sit, right now this very second, listening to a national debate over whether attempted rape is just “boys will be boys” and hearing women themselves defend sexual abuse with “what boy hasn’t done this in high school?” IT. IS. NOT. OKAY.
I love Spirit Halloween stores. My Halloween-loving daughter practically lives there each October. I get that there’s a certain degree of irreverence when it comes to Halloween (and I say this as a longtime fan of the West Village Halloween Parade), and that sometimes we go right up to the line in the name of humor. But this costume? This totally obliterates that line.
But if only it were the only one.
While the Dr. Feltersnatch costume is showing a “sold out” on Spirit’s site, you can still dress up in a Doctor Seymour Bush Gynecologist costume (also available in plus sizes!) because evidently one sexual predator option wasn’t creepy enough.
But wait, there’s more! Want to be a sexy sexual predator? Dress up as Doctor Ophelia Cumming. Just like the real California doctor and his girlfriend who are currently accused of drugging and raping women then filming it.
By the way, these costumes are not just at Spirit. A quick Google search shows the costume at HalloweenCostumes.com, PartyBell.com, GotApparel.com, World Costume, Funtober, Halloween Mall, and Spencer’s Gifts. It’s made by a company named “Rasta Imposta” which seems like it’s laden with its own issues, but that’s another post for another time.
Oh, and it’s on Amazon too.
FFS, people. Get with 2018!
If you want to do something about this, feel free to call the companies and respectfully (seriously) ask them to stop selling costumes that glorify sexual violence against women and girls. A friend of mine, in fact, had a very productive conversation with the head of Guest Services at Spencer Gifts, Spirit’s sister company.
If this upsets you by the way, don’t let anyone tell you “you don’t have a sense of humor” or “political correctness has just gone too far!” People who say those things are the people who need to take a good look at why they feel so defensive about costumes making light of sexual predators and rape culture.
Doesn’t it seem like only last week that we were shaking our heads about a “sexy” Handmaid’s Tale costume? Sigh. The good old days.
