Halloween costumes are supposed to be fun, but from the looks of a recent episode of ABC's What Would You Do, they can also be really controversial. In a video that has quickly gone viral, the network investigated how customers would react when children (who were actually actors) went against the grain and decided to try on costumes that are supposedly meant for the opposite sex. And I have to admit, I was more than a little shocked by the results!
In the beginning of the video, a 7-year-old child actor poses as a young boy who wants to dress up as Belle from Beauty and The Beast. As he innocently walks around the store in the costume, a stranger walks up to the boy's fake mom (also an actress) and puts in her two cents. "I think that you can't really wear a princess costume," the woman says to the little boy. "I know you like it, but that's for a girl. And you're not a girl, right?"
Producers also had another young actress pose as a girl who wants to dress up as Spider-Man and she got a similar reaction. "Was she like this all of the time?" a woman asks the girl's pretend-mother, before telling the girl that she "would look so much prettier in a dress." Are you kidding me?!
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In fact, out of all of the people they taped, only ONE woman had a remotely encouraging reaction, telling the girl's mother: "Spider-Woman! We need more of those." She continues telling the little girl: "If you are strong and you know who you are and you know who you want, people will respect you for it."
I know I probably shouldn't be shocked, but I was personally so surprised to witness that basically everyone had the same stereotypical reaction. I mean, what's the big deal? It's Halloween, a time when you're supposed to dress up as someone completely different than yourself. So why does it matter if a boy wants to be a princess or a girl wants to be a superhero? And who are these strangers to chime in and attempt to force their outdated views on these innocent kids?
I'm glad that there was at least one compassionate person who responded kindly and actually supported the child actor in her quest to be Spider-Man….but I only wish that more people–particularly parents, who have such a big influence on their kids' lives–would be as open-minded and accepting as she was.
Watch the whole video here:
Embedded content: http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=MFn81_HAvWg#!
Image via YouTube
