Halloween is less than a month away, which means that there is a limited amount of time to find the perfect costume. Retail stores are promoting super hero costumes because of 2016 films like “X-Men,” “Batman vs. Superman” and “Captain America: Civil War.” These are expected to be wildly popular among high school and college students. Characters from action movies “Deadpool” and “Suicide Squad” are also rapidly gaining popularity in the costume industry.
Children’s costumes have been considerably innocent in previous years and may have included things like animals, witches, firefighters and princesses. However, small children’s costumes are becoming riskier as the industry bridges the gap between child and young adult characters. Even with movies like “Finding Dory,” “Frozen” and “The Jungle Book” to model costumes after, shows with a little more action and violence like “Star Wars” and “The Hunger Games” are having a big influence on children’s’ costumes.
Jason, Freddy Krueger, Cruella Deville and Michael Myers, long-time villains with continuing influence on the industry, are expected to reemerge this year. Horror movie character, It the clown, may have to take a back seat this Halloween because of a nationwide clown hysteria. There have been ‘killer clowns’ threatening children and attacking residents, which poses real danger for this year’s trick-or-treaters. Police reports have been made concerning the attacks, and people who mocked the concern by dressing as clowns have actually been arrested or even fired from their jobs.
When purchasing this year’s Halloween costume, consider whether or not it might lead to a physical conflict or even result in jail time. Racially offensive and religiously problematic costumes should be avoided at all costs. There are plenty of terrific and exciting costumes emerging for any Halloween party or trick-or-treating event that aren’t offensive and won’t pose any danger. Be mindful of surroundings and make sure this year’s costume choice is made all in good fun.
by Shelby O’Neal
