Halloween… a time when people dress up as scandalous devils, creepy clowns, superheroes, villains, or an assortment of different animals. However, children and adults are bending the rules for Halloween this year. Straying away from the typical costumes, more realistic and controversial ones, such as the infamous serial murdererer, Jeffrey Dahmer, are rising in popularity.

    A controversial subject he is, a killer who targeted men of all ages ranging from 14-33 years old. He impacted the lives of many families, all of which are still grieving from his brutal attacks. With the murder of 17 victims, many people became intrigued in him and his backstory. Dahmer quickly became a subject of media because of his attacks– drugging his victims, committing sexual crimes, experimenting on the victims in different fashions, taking polaroid pictures of them. As Netflix releases Dahmer, a new Jeffery Dahmer show, with Evan Peters taking on the role, the case of such a disgusting person has become the talk of the town. 

   With so much talk, some people who watched the notorious Dahmer show on Netflix, found the story entertaining. Impersonating and dressing up as him, the difference between reality and fiction blurred. Though the show could have some light moments to shadow the darkness of this terrible person, dressing up as him draws the line between funny and harmful. 

   Many people tend to forget that Jeffery Dahmer wasn’t a fictional character, like The Joker or The Boogie Man. He was a human who inflicted pain and torture on other humans. Dressing like him is very disrespectful to not only the families of the victim but the victims themselves, as many people are dressing up as the victims, taking polaroids that resemble the way they passed away and then posting the photos on social media. 

   The lack of respect in costumes this year is reaching an all time high. Even after the families of the victims pleaded to the public to not dress up as Jeffery, due to everlasting trauma and reminders of such treacherous events, the people of social media simply bypassed the request of the families. 

   This Halloween shouldn’t be a reminder of the traumas of the past, it should be about parties, candy, and having fun. Transforming such a dark topic into something comical, does not make it less dark, but ignores the importance of the situation. Dressing up as Jeffery Dahmer, or any other controversial costume at that, does not erase the past, it does not fill the gap in the families hearts, and it should not make people laugh. This isn’t about “being sensitive,” it’s about showing respect for the victims, all 17 of them.