‘Baby Rabbi’ Tops Worst Halloween Costume List
The Houston Chronicle has done a little pre-Halloween window-shopping and found some children’s costumes that parents should think twice about. The paper’s parenting blog deems them uncomfortable, over-sexualized or, as in the case of one Jewish-themed costume, culturally insensitive.
In the over-sexualized department, most of the costumes are for girls — as might be expected — and many have either extremely short skirts or no skirts at all. The Shmooze agrees that a tween should not be dressed as though ready for roleplay as a French maid, sexy schoolgirl, or Santa’s helper. Likewise, a little boy should never be seen in a pimp suit and hat straight out of a 1970s blaxploitation film.
The suede leather “Sweet Native Girl” mini-dress costume is a twofer, fitting both the over-sexualized and culturally insensitive bills.
The other outfit deemed culturally insensitive by the Houston Chronicle is called “rabbi baby bunting.” It includes a miniature black coat and hat with long, curly peyes attached to it.
Sure, some people might object to this blatant stereotyping. (Where, the Shmooze wonders, is the non-Orthodox variation on this costume? And how about a version for little girls?)
Plus, the costume is bound to look ridiculous on a kid not yet old enough to grow much hair on his head, let alone produce exceedingly long sideburns. On the other hand, is it ever too early for a Jewish mother to prepare her son to grow up to be a rabbi — that is, assuming he’s not going to medical school?
A message from our CEO & publisher Rachel Fishman Feddersen
I hope you appreciated this article. Before you move on, I wanted to ask you to support the Forward’s award-winning journalism during our High Holiday Monthly Donor Drive.
If you’ve turned to the Forward in the past 12 months to better understand the world around you, we hope you will support us with a gift now. Your support has a direct impact, giving us the resources we need to report from Israel and around the U.S., across college campuses, and wherever there is news of importance to American Jews.
Make a monthly or one-time gift and support Jewish journalism throughout 5785. The first six months of your monthly gift will be matched for twice the investment in independent Jewish journalism.
— Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO