Another day, another clueless and offensive fancy dress costume hits the news.
This time it was a couple of AFL players dressed up as convicted paedophile Rolf Harris and one of his young victims.
Because, you know, paedophilia is obviously hilarious:
Shocking? Yes. Offensive? Yes.
Unusual? Not even close.
It’s depressing to admit, but paedophilia costumes are just the tip of the inappropriate fancy dress iceberg. Celebrities turn up to parties in blackface. Every second person at a music festival wears traditional Native American headwear as FASHUN. Prince Harry actually dressed up as Hitler.
WHAT IS GOING PEOPLE?
Some people are clearly a little confused about what’s okay and what isn’t when it comes to fancy dress, so we’ve devised a little system for you.
All you have to do is apply these simple questions to the outfit you plan to wear.
1. Has the person you are dressing up as committed some kind of mass genocide?
Do not dress up as that person.
2. Has the person you are dressing up as committed a nonfictional violent and/or sexual crime against another human being in the last 100 years?
The dude from the Scream movies: Yes. Joseph Fritzl: Do not dress up as that person.
Jack the Ripper: Yes. Ivan Milat: Do not dress up as that person.