People get pretty creative to come up with the best Halloween costume, but sometimes creativity can take a wrong turn and actually become a little offensive. There are plenty of slightly weird and not-quite-right Halloween costumes out there (sexy baby, really?), and though we’re all up for not taking yourself too seriously, there’s a fine line between what’s witty and what can be considered inappropriate.
Case in point: to some, costumes that poke fun at typical items in Latin culture — like a piñata or a Day of the Dead skeleton — can be fine, but to some others, it might be disrespectful. Here are a few costumes you might want to think twice about wearing — and while you’re at it, here are a few you should definitely wear.
1. Latina Dancer Costume
Similar versions of this costume, inspired by Carmen Miranda’s “The Lady in the Tutti-Frutti Hat,” have perpetrated many stereotypes about Latin and Brazilian culture for almost 80 years. Can this be the year we move on from the cultural appropriation and focus on appreciation?
2. Sexy Colombia Soccer Player Costume
Correct us if we’re wrong, but no one in Colombia really plays soccer while wearing a crop top and underwear with the country’s name printed on the butt.
3. Day of the Dead Costume
Día de los Muertos is a Mexican holiday dedicated to honoring dead ancestors, and though you might have thought it was interchangeable with Halloween, it’s not.
4. Sexy Shooter Happy Hour Costume
It’s the sombrero that makes this costume questionable.
5. Tequila Princess Costume
What even is a tequila princess? Princess Elena of Avalor is a much better option!
6. Sexy Piñata Costume
Whose idea was it to make a piñata sexy? Everyone knows what happens to piñatas at parties, right?
7. La Adelita Costume
Adelita is the nickname given to women who fought alongside men in the Mexican Revolution from 1910 to 1920. Portraying these women by wearing a super revealing and sexualized outfit disrespects everything the Adelitas fought to achieve.
8. Taco Dress Costume
Hey, we’ll never say no to a good taco, but we’re going to pass on this sexy option — again, what’s with the hat?
9. Women’s Matador Costume
Yeah, there’s no way you could go against a bull in a bustier, miniskirt, and heels.