We've all seen our fair share of offensive Halloween costumes. A grown man dressed as an infant? Check. A young girl dressed as a half-naked Miley Cyrus? Yup. A massive inflatable boob? Of course. But forget what you think and what you've seen because absolutely, without a doubt, the most offensive Halloween costume of the season has arrived. There is officially an "Ebola Containment Suit" Halloween costume for sale — you know, just in case you haven't already lost faith in humanity.
Sure, Halloween is meant to give you the opportunity to be a little racier than one would normally be. The holiday allows for certain things to be acceptable that usually aren't otherwise. A slutty nurse costume in any other setting is just weird, right? Right. But are we honestly so blinded by all the things that are acceptable on Halloween that we think poking fun at a worldwide epidemic that has killed thousands of people is acceptable in any context?
There are some things that are never meant to be turned into jokes and, even worse, a chance to make money. There are some things that you don't make light of by creating a Halloween costume from it and throwing it on for a party as a chance to create a clever current events reference. In a culture that is desensitized to most things (violence, sex, etc.), where do we draw the line? Clearly, some people don't have a clue.
And to the company that is selling the costume, Brands On Sale: Shame on you.
But as Think Progress pointed out in an article, Brands On Sale most likely knows what they're doing, and might have thought about the consequences of selling the $79.99 (yes, it really costs that much) costume a little more than we might initially believe. After all, have you ever heard of the site before now? Probably not. So is it all just a disgusting PR stunt? Maybe.
If you're wondering, Brands On Sale has an entire "offensive costumes" section, complete with a selection of "funny penis costumes," "sperm costumes," and one giant, adult-sized tampon costume. Why? I'm not sure. But I guess here I am writing about it, browsing around their site, and adding to what I can only assume is more page views than the site has every had before.
Elaborate, successful attempt to gain site visitors (and, therefore, potential customers) or not, the Ebola costume is wrong. Period. There is no occasion or holiday that would make it appropriate and no justification that would make such an insensitive, crass attempt to make money acceptable. So even if you do find yourself on the Brands On Sale site, for the love of all that is good: Don't buy anything. Please.
Images: Giphy
