Heidi Klum's Halloween costume

[SomethingOnce]

So, in AIBU the developing consensus is that it's not ageist and misogynistic. I would strongly disagree.

Thoughts?

www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/heidi-klums-halloween-outfit-is-amazing-8916911.html

I don't think she tends to go for scary things as a rule, more for a spectacle. It is an amazing make up job that's for sure. Misogynistic and ageist? I don't think so

I don't think its ageist or misogynistic either.

I think it depends, in the uk costumes are supposed to be scary. If it is implying that old people are scary then that is ageist.
I believe she lives in the US, where it's seen more as fancy dress. Simply a costume, no meaning behind it.

We're all heading the same way anyway (some will crack more than others). I don't think it's misogynistic (those old, white, female Park Avenue socialites in their designer outfits still look old despite their money) and let's face it, if it's "scary" that she was going for she succeeded. Maybe you think that the notion that ageing and wrinkles in and of itself isn't "scary" and if so, I tend to agree with you. However if Heidi Klum transformed, for real into this old lady overnight, that would be "scary". Hence the successful write up of her "costume". You never know what could have been running through her mind. She maybe trying to be subversive as in "good looking supermodel is always supposed to look a certain way and pfffff.....look at me now" kind of thing.
You need to explain why you think that the costume is ageist and misogynistic. Those are strong statements that you are making that could be coming from a "killjoy" point of view as opposed to "it's political correctness gorn mad" point of view.

I think it is just a mega rich star making sure her costume is better than any of her friends. Having sat in make up for hours (who my credit goes to) she has got what she wanted and made wow headlines.

Ironically growing old is probably her and her friends worst nightmare. Not that they ever will be brave enough to age, their wealth will ensure the best surgeon works his magic. How many Hollywood women actually look their age ?. But no matter how good we look on the outside, on the inside our organs are our biological age and how they are doing is the most important thing. I know I'm rambling but when did it become so uncool to age ?.

I think it is just a mega rich star making sure her costume is better than any of her friends

Yeah that. Most people don't go for the scariest costume more the most impressive here. I have to say I'm pretty damn impressed.

I wonder what she looked like upclose or if she actually fooled anyone?

Thanks for the replies, though I am disappointed.

As I said, I found it distasteful and struggled to fully articulate why, so I hoped for a reassuringly academic analysis that I could wholeheartedly agree with

I think a white person 'blacking up' would make me feel uncomfortable in a similar way, but maybe that would be ok after all. I might do it next year and see how I get on.

Being old is part of the human condition for all of us. The same way as if she had dressed up as a kid in pig tails or a giant baby.

White people don't turn black at some point.

But her face is her wealth/job. I suspect she is well aware that she has a shelf life. Maybe she was highlighting what people think is frightening (ageing) and actually saying 'it's not that bad'? (Hopeful face)

SomethingOnce, I'm really glad you posted this. I thought the exact same thing but wondered "AIBU?". I think there is an underlying ageism & misogyny to this - for halLoween you generally dress as something silly and not necessarily halloween-related (which this isn't), something obvious like a witch etc. etc. (which this isn't) or something scary/grotesque.... so she chose an old lady... what does that say?

The elderly are an oppressed group so dressing as a generic 'old person' is agist. Same as going as a generic 'disabled' person. She could have gone as someone specific and old and the makeup would have been as, if not more, impressive. As for misogyny, there is something more frightening about women aging in our society, hence even thinking about that as a costume.

Her twitter said 'I'm going into the future' so she went as herself as an old lady. Not some generic old lady. If she's taking the piss out of anyone, it's herself.

I don't like it at all but find it hard to articulate why also. I think I find it disrespectful. On the other hand while the UK tends to go for scary costumes,I think the US just dress up. I remember being puzzled that a relative of mine in America was dressing up as Elvis for Halloween. So possibly she's just dressing up as an elderly woman rather than a 'scary elderly woman.'

Still don't like it though.

Her twitter said 'I'm going into the future' so she went as herself as an old lady. Not some generic old lady. If she's taking the piss out of anyone, it's herself.

And she was dressed smartly, she was herself as a fancy old lady

I think you guys are reading in to it the "scary" thing which really isn't what most people go for Halloween in the states. Even for adults. Like I think Dorothy from Wizard of Oz is probably the costume I saw most this year on grown women.. (well "sexy" dorothy

"Her twitter said 'I'm going into the future' so she went as herself as an old lady. Not some generic old lady."

That does give it a different context, I agree.

It appears to be herself aged not a generic old person.
In America they just do fancy dress for Halloween not just scary fancy dress like we do here. If a British person did this I would see your point more.

I don't like it, because she's doing it for Hallowe'en. If she had done it as an exercise to see how she might age and still look good, then fine, but she associated it with Hallowe'en, which is all about scaring people and ghoulishness and that sort of thing, and so she's associating aging with that, which is a very negative way to view it, I think.

Mind you, I had to google images of her to see what she looks like normally.