The Border Between Pretend and Problematic: Controversial Halloween Costumes
Photo from Marija Piliskic on Pexels.
Halloween is the one day of year anyone gets to dress up as anyone or anything they want. People, bugs, phrases, memes—all of the above. However, it's arguable that the costumes can get to a line that shouldn’t have been crossed, especially when considering sensitive topics.
Let’s take a look at some of the most controversial Halloween costumes of the 2020’s so far.
Julia Fox Dressed as Jackie Kennedy
For Halloween in 2025, actress and model Julia Fox was seen during her appearance at The Cursed Amulet Halloween party of NYC wearing what appears to be an imitation of the first lady’s dress during her husband’s assasination.
Jackie Kennedy has been seen as stylish and fashionable since she became a public figure, her style being part of the reason the Kennedy family’s public presence was so noticeable. The outfit was a matching blazer and skirt set, a vibrant but soft pink with black trim. After the tragic incident of President Kennedy’s assasination, she famously refused to clean the outfit on purpose to show the brutality of the actions performed against her husband.
When Julia Fox was seen in the dress, she said it was a “statement.” She went further on to explain that the juxtaposition of the blood and the dress itself is “haunting,” which is why (according to her) she decided to dress as Kennedy.
Although the action of Jackie Kennedy deciding not to wash the dress is considered powerful and iconic in a way, a large majority of fans/the media perceived Fox’s costume as disrespectful and arrogant; like she was making fun of the tragedy.
Jessica Alba as Nancy Kerrigan
Nancy Kerrigan was a figure skater who was assaulted in 1994 by an assailant of Jeff Gillooly, Tonya Harding’s ex-husband. Harding is also a figure skater who initially denied any involvement within the assault until offered a plea deal. Kerrigan was struck with a baton on the lower thigh, a clear effort to prevent her from competing in the 1994 Olympics.
Jessica Alba, actress and businesswoman, was seen dressed in a figure skater costume with a bloody bandage around her lower thigh. She was also accompanied by Kelly Sawyer, also a businesswoman, dressed as Tonya Harding who was pictured holding a bat.
Fans expressed their opinions in the comments of Alba’s Instagram post, saying things along the lines of “Immature. We expect better…” and “making a Halloween costume out of a victim of an attack.”
Martha Stewart as a homeless person
Martha Stewart, a TV host, dressed as a homeless person on Halloween. She was seen with makeup that made her face appear dirty and in warm clothes holding up a sign that read “I’m hungry, help me!!”
For obvious reasons, the costume is extremely insensitive and the media has some things to say. Actor and model Indya Moore spoke on the costume: “A rich woman dressing up as a hungry, homeless person brings more awareness to how out of touch and apathetic wealth makes people than it does motivates people to empathize and activate.” However, Stewart claims the costume was meant to bring awareness to homelessness and apologized after she faced backlash.
In all, it's clear that some things, although subjective, can push the limits of Halloween and its freeing and fun intentions to create something far more offensive then maybe intended. Halloween may be over, but the backlash from these costumes continues.
