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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

Aibu inappropriate Halloween costumes

78 replies

Lemonllama · 27/10/2023 09:31

Am I alone in thinking some parents use Halloween dress up days to show how "cool" they are by dressing up their kids as inappropriate characters?

By inappropriate I mean characters off of TV shows and films that they have never seen. Just seen a 7 year old dressed up as a character with a bottle of wine and fag off a TV show that she hopefully has never heard of . I find it odd, won't the children have to explain all day who they are?

How is a 3 year old meant to tell people she is meant to be Mrs hinch or a politician ect . It's just for the parents clout and to post all over Facebook.

OP posts:
DrinkingMyWaterMindingMyBiz · 27/10/2023 09:35

It’s weird and not something I’d do with my own kids, but social media parents will do what social media parents do and I’m used to that by now, so I’m a bit “mehh” about it. In the words of my teenager, it’s not that deep.

CaveMum · 27/10/2023 09:37

Totally agree. A few years ago a friend of DDs (they were 7 at the time) was dressed by her mum as Amy Winehouse, complete with messy beehive, smudged makeup, and a fag and bottle of wine in hand 🙄

Don’t get me started on the horror film character costumes for kids either!

What happened to putting on an old sheet and going as a ghost, or (as I remember doing as a child of the 80s) wearing a bin liner as a dress to be a witch!

DiscoBeat · 27/10/2023 09:38

When my two were little they would never have been a character they hadn't seen as they always chose characters they knew. Apart from the clown from IT one year when DS was about 10, but he had heard about it so chose it.

VisiblyNot25 · 27/10/2023 09:38

I agree, I really don’t like kids being used as social media props. Different if it’s an older kid who has come up with the idea themselves for a bit of a joke.

DeliahSmilah · 27/10/2023 09:40

A child dressed in a shiny tracksuit with a blonde wig, big gold chains and a cigar was spotted on holiday last weekend ( also saw some Liverpool shirts and pumpkins which were also horrific)

SlashBeef · 27/10/2023 09:42

Agreed. I saw several Chuckies at a recent Halloween party for 2-5 year olds and did briefly think wtf. None of them will have seen that film (I hope..) so do they even know what they're dressed up as?? 🤷‍♀️

But clearly there's demand for those types of costumes so meh!

grumpycow1 · 27/10/2023 09:43

yanbu. I unfollowed someone on Instagram today for dressing her little daughter (maybe age 7 or 8) in a Taylor Swift on stage costume - it was hot pants, sequins, heeled silver boots and red lipstick. It was really weird.

TheNameIsDickDarlington · 27/10/2023 09:45

Yes people do it for world book day as well and I find it infuriating. You're child is not a bessel for you to use to show how "edgy" and "cool" you are.

For last World book day a parent in our town dressed their kid up as Pennywise from It! I was pretty disgusted, firstly because they dressed the child as the film version which is not how he is described in the book so it's hardly a world BOOK day costume. Also this kid was about 6 so definitely hadn't read the book, and I doubt the parent had either otherwise surely they'd see what a tasteless idea it is!

grumpycow1 · 27/10/2023 09:45

I mean at least the little girl knew who it was but still, it felt inappropriate. Everyone of course was fawning over how cool the mum was.

Original poster
Lemonllama · 27/10/2023 09:58

Schools in our local area have dress up day today. Like it's bad enough on Halloween, but people are sending their kids to school with fake wine and fake cigarettes as a character from an obvious adult focused TV show. It's grates on me sooo much.

OP posts:
Lokipokey1 · 27/10/2023 10:01

Try a 7 yo dressed as Christian Grey for world book day complete with plastic handcuffs on his belt! This was circa 2013 when 50 shades was at its height. It was pretty gross.

Original poster
Lemonllama · 27/10/2023 10:04

Wtf that's insane

OP posts:
itsgettingweird · 27/10/2023 10:04

CaveMum · 27/10/2023 09:37

Totally agree. A few years ago a friend of DDs (they were 7 at the time) was dressed by her mum as Amy Winehouse, complete with messy beehive, smudged makeup, and a fag and bottle of wine in hand 🙄

Don’t get me started on the horror film character costumes for kids either!

What happened to putting on an old sheet and going as a ghost, or (as I remember doing as a child of the 80s) wearing a bin liner as a dress to be a witch!

Totally agree.

Witches
Cats
Ghosts
Pumpkins
Skeletons

All acceptable and all Halloween.

We went to a theme park the other day and the number of cheerleaders/ school girls with blood gained outfits was quite an eye opener.

My ds and his mates (late teens) all asked if it's the new school uniform rebellion craze 🤣

itsgettingweird · 27/10/2023 10:05

Lokipokey1 · 27/10/2023 10:01

Try a 7 yo dressed as Christian Grey for world book day complete with plastic handcuffs on his belt! This was circa 2013 when 50 shades was at its height. It was pretty gross.

Shock

What ever happened to common sense 🤦‍♀️

Original poster
Lemonllama · 27/10/2023 10:10

My daughter wanted to be a vampire and it was so hard to find one appropriate for a 7 year old. It was all corsets and thigh splits and fishnets. I was scrolling through Amazon in shock at some of the costumes including the cheerleader outfits and they start them in toddler sizes

OP posts:
AmazingSnakeHead · 27/10/2023 10:12

Lokipokey1 · 27/10/2023 10:01

Try a 7 yo dressed as Christian Grey for world book day complete with plastic handcuffs on his belt! This was circa 2013 when 50 shades was at its height. It was pretty gross.

This is insane. What??

It's so sad when they've not been allowed to choose, and it's so embarassing for the kids when they have to explain that they don't know who the person they're dressed up as is.

40andlovelife · 27/10/2023 10:14

Adults dressing up for Halloween in what ever they choose to dress up in is cringey as hell. In fact fancy dress of any kind for adults is cringe.

SleepingStandingUp · 27/10/2023 10:14

DeliahSmilah · 27/10/2023 09:40

A child dressed in a shiny tracksuit with a blonde wig, big gold chains and a cigar was spotted on holiday last weekend ( also saw some Liverpool shirts and pumpkins which were also horrific)

Pumpkins for Halloween, how is that horrific??

ginasevern · 27/10/2023 10:17

@Lemonllama

Aren't the schools saying something about kids turning up with (albeit fake) bottles of wine and cigarettes? Even when I went to school decades ago this would have been at the very least disapproved of.

VeridicalVagabond · 27/10/2023 10:19

My daughter has always wanted to be completely baffling things for Halloween, I think it's much more fun to allow them to be whatever weird thing they come up with than dressing them as something they'll never have heard of.

My favourite of my daughter's was when she very earnestly, age 5, told me she wanted to be a jar of Branston pickle. So. That's what she was.

MrsSkylerWhite · 27/10/2023 10:19

The Saville thing is truly sick. Why the hell would anyone want their child to be associated with that?

SleepingStandingUp · 27/10/2023 10:24

I don't get how these things are Haloweeny? How is Taylor Swift or Amy Winehouse a Halloween costume?

Please note: Branston Pickle is a perfectly acceptable Halloween costume. Obviously. No judgement at things actually picked out by weird kids 🤣

emwithme · 27/10/2023 10:37

I inadvertently dressed my (then) toddler as Chucky on a couple of occasions...just dungarees and a stripy top. It wasn't until she got ketchup on her face eating that I twigged who she reminded me of.

She still has no clue who Chucky is but I'm far more careful with which tops she wears with denim dungarees!

Aphroditee · 27/10/2023 10:41

Lemonllama · 27/10/2023 10:10

My daughter wanted to be a vampire and it was so hard to find one appropriate for a 7 year old. It was all corsets and thigh splits and fishnets. I was scrolling through Amazon in shock at some of the costumes including the cheerleader outfits and they start them in toddler sizes

Avoid Amazon, they rarely have age appropriate Halloween costumes.

Try Tesco, Asda, Sainsbury’s, Matalan etc..

Wonkasworld · 27/10/2023 10:42

Lokipokey1 · 27/10/2023 10:01

Try a 7 yo dressed as Christian Grey for world book day complete with plastic handcuffs on his belt! This was circa 2013 when 50 shades was at its height. It was pretty gross.

😂