With Halloween less than three weeks away, this is a good time to share a few things about what you shouldn't do on Halloween:

1) Someone's race, ethnicity, culture, religion, or a stereotype of any of those things is NOT a costume. Don't do it. /1

2) It's not cute or funny to dress up as someone who is incarcerated. It's also not cute or funny to poke fun at folks with mental health issues. Don't do things like wear straitjackets. /2

Dressing up as "Covid" isn't funny. Many people have gotten sick; many people have died; many people have friends, family; co-workers; colleagues, etc. who have died. /3

Do NOT paint your face or skin to resemble a person of a race/color different than yours. If people don't 'get' your costume without painting your face/skin, your costume is bad. /4

Your costume shouldn't be shaming or making fun of someone's body. You also don't need to be objectifying someone's body either. /5

Avoid anything that's transphobic or in any way making fun of LGBTQ+ individuals. People's lived experiences aren't something to joke about. /6

Don't dress up as a homeless person or any version of a homeless person. These are people who don't have access to a basic human necessity, and to make fun of that is atrocious. /7

There are so many others I'm missing, but a helpful hint is this: If your costume can be viewed as harmful/hurtful/problematic, it's probably best to not wear it. And if you've worn something problematic in the past, it's best to acknowledge it and do better moving forward. /8