NROP: The only Goldie-approved Halloween costumes of 2020.

Halloween costumes

This year, I find myself asking questions I normally would not care to ask. “How is Black Friday going to look like this year?”
“Is Halloween canceled?”

Black Friday is not something I ever participate in due to its famous crowd craziness. How will we survive without someone getting trampled when the store doors open? How will people be able to snag the hottest of deals if they will not be allowed to engage in physical fights? When asked, people shrug and say they guess most of the shopping will be done online. I mean, I have been wondering about that for years – why people prefer to put themselves through in-person Black Friday. I guess it is the adrenaline rush they seek (and potentially some exclusively in-person deals). Many stores have already announced that they will be closed on Thanksgiving Day this year, which I think is a good thing – giving people the ability to celebrate with their families (or friends or alone) without having to rush out early to go to work. No, I do not plan on going Black Friday shopping, but am curious from the “people-watching-perspective” to see how it all unravels this year.

The second thing I do not care much about is Halloween. Of course, as a kid, I thought it was great to receive free candy. Now, I do not trick-or-treat or go to Halloween parties. I can afford to buy my own candy. (Suddenly, I realize why my parents did not think asking random people for candy was necessary.) And I can afford my own booze if I want a party. Recently, while getting a haircut, I asked my hairdresser what they were doing about Halloween. The answer was unexpected – an egg hunt! Since Easter was kind of canceled this year, anyway, they thought it might be a good idea to use those leftover eggs and to keep everyone safe at the same time. What a neat idea!

Girard, a city in Ohio has opted for a drive-through Halloween. For two hours on October 31st, residents of the town (with ID supporting that) will be able to pick up candy for their kids (bags will be placed in trunks). The kids (up to 6th grade) must be present in the vehicle. The officials budgeted for $13 worth of candy for each kid (they are expecting around 1,000 children). How fast can I get a residence and ID in Ohio? Can I also borrow one of your kids? Suddenly, $13 worth of candy seems like something I would love to have in my house but would probably not waste my money on. OH WOW! The Roger & Gloria Jones Children’s Center for Science & Technology will be donating some science packages to go with the gift bags. (How cool?!)

Struthers (another city in Ohio) leaves Halloween planning up to their citizens. However, they do ask that those who would like to participate have the light on the outside. I think that is smart and should be something we keep for the future. That way, we would know who is in the spirit of Halloween and who would prefer to be left alone.

In Newton Falls (Ohio), people are asked to have the candy on tables placed outside their homes. That is a good idea in theory, but I am not sure if it will work out in practice. (Will the first group of kids take it all or leave enough for others?)

CDC lists a few great “lower risk” activities that you might want to give a try this year [the source page (https: //www.cdc. gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/daily-life-coping/holidays. html) seems to have disappeared since 2020]:

  • Carving or decorating pumpkins with members of your household and displaying them
  • Carving or decorating pumpkins outside, at a safe distance, with neighbors or friends
  • Decorating your house, apartment, or living space
  • Doing a Halloween scavenger hunt where children are given lists of Halloween-themed things to look for while they walk outdoors from house to house admiring Halloween decorations at a distance
  • Having a virtual Halloween costume contest
  • Having a Halloween movie night with people you live with
  • Having a scavenger hunt-style trick-or-treat search with your household members in or around your home rather than going house to house

For a few weeks now, I have noticed various articles in my news feed concerning ‘inappropriate’ costumes that one should not dare to wear this year.

During my research for this post, I found out that in 2013, a high schooler from Illinois was asked to remove his costume because it … “promoted religion” and was offensive to some. The costume in question – Jesus. You would think that we would promote peace, mercy, and goodness instead of rejection and hatred.

As you can imagine, costumes that stereotype a certain culture/ ethnicity are a big no-no. No cowboys (why?) or Indians or geishas. Of course, no blackface, either. Make sure you also do not dress as a woman if you are a man or a man if you are a woman because that is insensitive to transgender people.

During the limited world travel that I have done, I have always tried to immerse myself in the culture. At least a little bit. I ate their food, observed their customs, and learned a few words and phrases in their language. That was to get to know people better. People who were “different” from me yet the same (we all have the same set of emotions, for example). I did all of that out of respect for them and their culture. In no way was I trying to become one of them. (Although, if I was to stay there long enough, what would be wrong with that?) From a couple of the countries, I brought clothes that are representative of the countries’ outfits. Why? As a souvenir. Whenever I look at them, I think of all the fond memories I made back in those places. When I put them on, I close my eyes and transport myself there. It is an amazing feeling. If anything, this is to pay tribute to those countries and their people.

Over the weekend, out of curiosity, I happened to walk into a Halloween-themed store. It was well-stocked with costumes of a wide variety. There were also Halloween yard decorations available, smoke machines, and other spooky things. No, I did not buy anything, but I did look at what was available. For research. (If I were one to dress up, I would be afraid to leave my house for fear of getting stoned to death due to my outfit offending someone.)

Shelves were filled with very stereotypical costumes – jewelry and make-up for women, sexy, tightly fitting outfits for women, and scary costumes with powerful weapons for men. One could ask for a boycott of this store for its gender stereotyping. But you know what? If a woman wants to be a sexy nurse and a man wants to be Hannibal Lecter, why cry about it? Are we not supposed to be having fun on Halloween?

I bet some people will try to dress in a costume representative of the pandemic, and there will be someone there to point out all the people who died due to the virus.

An Associate Vice President of Quinnipiac University believes that a costume of a promiscuous nurse is as offensive as the “N-word.” What?

If you would like to hear about my first-ever Halloween costume, check out one of my #ThrowbackThursday’s posts.

Have you been watching football (NFL) games recently? Some players have Black Lives Matter slogans on the backs of their helmets. I am not sure what this is supposed to achieve, but to each their own.

“Wearing a T-shirt that shows your support to a protest, vigil, or just around town is one thing. But don’t try and turn the current fight for racial equality into a current events-themed outfit for your Halloween gathering or worse, emblazon the slogan on an otherwise-unrelated kids’ outfit. That’s offensive, not supportive,” says an article on GoodHousekeeping.com. I am so confused.

To conclude, there is only one costume that will not get you in trouble this year – YOU. Oh, wait, if you get in trouble all year round, Halloween will be no different. And then they wonder why I prefer to stay at home with me, myself, and I instead of going out and socializing.

I promise that if you dress as Goldie, I will not be offended. Please share photos of your costume with me. Prizes for the best one will be considered.

Read more: a fascinating article on the history of Halloween and more.

Stay golden,

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63 thoughts on “NROP: The only Goldie-approved Halloween costumes of 2020.”

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        1. I would sometimes dress for work if that meant I didn’t have to wear the usual clothes and I potentially got to get out of some work by taking part in contests. Lol

          Now that I work from home and it falls on a Saturday – I will probably skip it altogether. No kids trick-or-treating around here, either. Can’t complain.

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            1. It’s true. But I do try to look at the bright side of things and appreciate the positives of the pandemic (i.e remote work). Have you been looking for a job or are you alright with all of the 900 hobbies that you are currently working on?

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  3. I’m so glad my kids are beyond trick or treating. Not sure I’d welcome them going from house to house and I’m going to make sure we do something that night so we’re not home. It’s a Saturday, so I’m sure unless there is snow, one of the drive-ins will be doing scary movies.

    It’s funny that you mention the political statements people make. I agree, to each their own, but I wonder if they view it as a “I’m important enough that you need to know my opinion” or “I’m recruiting for our side.” I think there’s a time and place for political discourse and debate and I think that there are conversations we need to be having, but it’s the motivation that I question.

    It’s a lot like political yard signs. Am I supposed to see my neighbor with a Trump sign and think, “I know he bungled the pandemic, but Jim likes him, so I’m voting Trump!” or driving by a stretch of road with like 10 signs in a row for Biden and thinking, “I’m worried about his court packing, but somebody got out of their car and spent the time putting up 10 signs…that’s worth my vote for Biden!” Imagine all the raw materials we’d save and landfills we wouldn’t clog if we didn’t have political signs.

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  5. Fine to dress up as a accident victim, blood, brains and broken bones, we’re good with gore. A hot nurse or Aunt Jemima, Jihadist terrorist or Nazi officer? What? Are you crazy? All social norms should be off the table for such a worshiping of the undead. Devils? Sure. Christ? No way.

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  6. I have never been into fancy dress. Halloween I always considered to be a USA thing and then it became popular in the UK only difference the children did not want candy/sweets they wanted you to give them money. I stopped the sweets/candy and switched off the lights. Sad really as I do not like to be mean, but many households were very mean and aggressive when they answered the door rightly so if they are being asked from money.

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        1. As a kid, I liked getting money (mostly from my Grandma who had no idea what to get us and was somewhat lazy) because it would spur all sorts of dreams and ideas in my head. “What could I spend/save it for? I imagine all sorts of grand things. Now, money seems as the easy way out. Still, it’s a nice thought. But sweets are always a nice gift.

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  7. As always, thank you for thinking critically about these issues. It never ceases to amaze me how we are expected to blindly accept double standards without noticing their inconsistency.

    One of my best costumes was when I was 8 or 9… I had been learning about Native American tribes in history lessons, and wanted to dress up as a little Indian girl. If anything, having the freedom to do so made me feel less estranged from people of another culture. As a child, it made me genuinely curious to know what kinds of clothes a Native American girl would have worn and what her life might have been like. My mom and I sewed the costume ourselves, putting in as much detail as our skills would allow. It was a very educational experience. It saddens me to hear that today this would be considered stereotyping.

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    1. Double standards are so prevalent. The requirement that we don’t question things is what troubles me a lot. I mean, I guess we can question things, but we need to prepare for an answer that does not dispel our curiosity.

      Indeed. I would never think about making someone feel bad for trying to learn about my culture.

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  8. The pandemic has given people food for thought, even during Halloween. Inappropriate Cosplay costumes, religious, and gender transformations were accepted in previous years. Considering someone else’s feelings may be one of the few good things during Covid-19. I don’t trick or treat Halloween, but if I did, Id bling out a spiderman costume. My next fiction will be about that very thing, posting Hallows Eve.

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      1. I don’t like most things that crawl. It’s a learned response. Ladybugs, I can hold or touch. They are beautiful…I was conditioned to believe. All other insects cause me to run for the hills! 😂 Looking forward to your feedback on this one.

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  9. My children started out dressing as inanimate objects or animals for Halloween. My daughter’s first choice was a refrigerator, a cardboard box covered with white contact paper, complete with drawings and report cards stuck on the front with “magnets” and a collage of pictures of foods if one happened to open the door. The next year she wanted to be an ear of corn. (Paper mache looked good but a little stiff.)
    My son was a crayon one year and a turtle the next year, a costume made using his “flying saucer” a month before the snow began to fly. 😉 When their school has a circus themed party, our son went as a bag of popcorn and won the prize for his junior class. ❤

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  11. This is why one needs to be wary of good intentions too. Sigh. I’m actually looking forward to my first, “Halloween is optional” year. No little kids in the house, the first time in twenty years. Construction on the front entryway cement, so access isn’t possible. I can opt out. It is sweet relief. I’m tired of the costume hunt. I’ve been phoning it in for a while. Last year I was the green M & M, made possible because I discovered a large T-shirt of the green M & M. The best costume was when I was a small child. I dressed in an exotic Chinese costume that was actually an outfit from China. Adorable. I was a geisha one year too. I mostly avoided the super-slutty. Why is that even a thing?

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    1. You make a great point – instead of making assumptions, sometimes we should get to know other people’s intentions better.

      There are plenty of women who insist on grabbing men’s attention in any way they can. Halloween serves as a great excuse for doing so without being called names.

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  12. I cant help but laugh when these season comes along.. in this part of world Halloween is something from the movies oh and thewave of horror themed movies that suddenly dominate the airwaves…
    I cant even imagine what I would dress up as and what the heck is up with the candy?????? arent there concerns about kids getting funny candy from strangers and never being seen again or there’s lil rules to travel in groups for safety and adult chperones somewhere…
    ~B

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    1. How is it that your comments are… not aligned. One paragraph is more to the right than the other. Do you do that on purpose?

      I’m surprised that your country that is somewhat influenced by the US is not participating in Halloween. But then, maybe it’s the fear of messing with the spirits, etc, which I understand.

      Yes, there are chaperones and kids go in groups. However, there’s always opportunity for those who want to do some sort of harm. Sometimes the parents pay attention to… other parents and lose sight of their kid.

      It weirded me out when I found out that some people don’t buy candy but make it. Who knows what’s in there???

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      1. I have no idea about the alignment thing but it could depend with where you view the comment from… it looks aligned from this end.

        As for the Halloween thing I think the United Kingdom is the one which greatly influenced pretty much everything from SI units to spellings and the crazy robes and wigs judges wear hahaha anyway I dont think they were/are big on Halloween…

        razor blades in candy (sounds like a title to a story… if there isnt a book or movie already)
        ~B

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        1. In my WP notifications menu. This one looks like all the paragraphs are aligned but your “~B” is slightly more to the right. But it looks OK on the website. So, I guess it’s a WP weird thing. I was wondering if it was something you were trying to patent.

          I didn’t know about the wigs the judges wear. I always thought it was cool. Though rather funny.

          There would be no plot twist is such a story/movie.

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  13. hang on… does the link that’s supposed to take one to your throwback Haloween costume post lead us right back to this one, is that a trick, a riddle, did I miss something???
    *reads again*

    ~B

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    1. Thanks for pointing it out. It was a test to see who would click on it.

      In reality, I blame it on WP. If you looked at the link, it was a mashup of this post and the #Tbt one. When I hyperlink, I usually write text, highlight it, and then enter the direct link. However, WP tries to make that easier so that you can choose your own post. But, unlike in the old editor, I’m having issues with it finding the right post or linking correctly. I will try to remember it for the future and be more careful.

      Again, thank you for spotting it.

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      1. usually when I am linking to my own posts I just type in the keywords (and I like that it doesnt even have to be words in the title) and let WP dig it up for itself which works perfectly as long as I remember which exact article I am looking for ha!
        Havent had any issues with it (unless I did and no one pointed it out hahaha but wait no …I always get those pingback notifications so I know it worked)
        ~B

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          1. hahaha wait let me try and explain

            •first you highlight the linking text right?
            •then click on the link button next to the bold and italics options
            •then the linking pop up asking you to enter the link address
            •well that space also acts as a search bar and if you write the appropriate key words several articles from your site will be suggested for linking and you pick the one you want
            simple enough
            unless you use a different method?

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  14. A truly chaotic year for these kinds of celebration. I can’t imagine Black Friday though… I hope stores know what they’re doing… NBA players also donned a small slogan on the back of their jersey, at the top, and most of them had Black Lives Matter, if not other causes they supported. I think it helps to bombard our conscious of the issue that is still ongoing while we enjoy the sport/competition. 😮

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  15. Halloween isn’t a big thing in Europe, but I grew up doing the trick and treat thing during carnival. But rather then going to random people, we would usually go to shops. And we certainly didn’t do it during the night.
    I guess I dressed all kinds of, what is considered today as, inappropriate.

    Apparently nurses have been complaining in South Korea because a music video contained a girl dressed as nurse in it. Nothing too slutty, but the nurses felt like they are often thought of as sexy instead their actual profession.
    I do see their point a bit, so maybe we can do something about the ridiculous porn industry as well?!?!

    Dressing up as myself might not offend people, but they will still criticise.
    You’re right, Halloween is just like any other day 😉

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  16. Pingback: NROP: Persuasion in the Nude. – One day at a time…

  17. I, for one, stand with the ‘my culture is not your costume’ thing.
    I think the problem here is that white people, even if they don’t intend to offend, inadvertently exoticise other cultures. For example, if a white woman were to wear a sari to a costume party and tout it as her halloween costume, I’d be offended. A sari, and other traditional clothes for that matter, are not something that should be clubbed in with your vampire and your princess costumes for your fancy dress party. They’re not a ‘get-up’, they’re a daily piece of clothing and an integral part of life for many people. Exoticising them like that is akin to making fun of their culture.
    If you do want to explore another culture, there are respectful ways to do it as well. For example, if a non-indian friend were to don traditional clothes for, say, a Diwali party at my home, I’d appreciate it. You may even wear Indian clothes to a non-Indian event, but just don’t make a big deal out of it or tout it as a look-at-my-exotic-outfit thing.

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  18. First off have you looked at the price of a bag of candy these days. $13 might be a bag and a half… if you get the good stuff. I gave up passing out candy after my own ‘Little Monsters’ gave up that routine. My grands don’t even come around my house. I don’t even know what they did this year.

    As a teen we used to have costume parties, and as an adult I’ve been invited to a few. I like clever costumes best. Like a group who dressed as the characters of the original board game Clue (that didn’t have illustrations of those characters) so one could be flexible in regards to clothing options and weaponry. 🙂

    As for Black Friday shopping. While I’m not really that organized I shop all year round and avoid holiday shopping for the plague it is.

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    1. Yes, the price of candy is ridiculous. It magically goes up when there is a ghost drawn on the packaging (or Santa, or Easter bunny). That reminds me – I need to go candy shopping tomorrow – the sales will be insane!

      I like these smart costumes, too, but I’m not good at trivia, so I can’t always make the connections.

      There ya go! Plan ahead and stay away from these crazy crowds.

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  19. A ?Random Raid! to repay your recent one…

    Your ‘CDC’ link doesn’t go where I think it should. I tried searching the site for the page, but couldn’t find it, not even in their ‘archive’ section (and that was a trial: their ‘advanced search’ function seems broken, wouldn’t accept input in the ‘search for whole word’ field except on a character-by-character basis. I swear, technology is getting worse, not better).

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  20. Pingback: NROP: Trunk or Treat?! – One day at a time…

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