October is in full swing, so prepare to welcome back pumpkin spiced everything and a new lineup of culturally appropriative costumes.

While some cultures have autumnal holidays welcoming the harvest, or remembering deceased relatives, here in the US we glorify death and obesity. Where else would kids be encouraged to fill bags with candy while dressed up as a nightmarish creature?

America’s obsession with putting on masks and using other cultures for personal benefit is brutally obvious on Halloween. Kids and adults alike get the chance to dress up in whatever they like for the night, trying out another persona.

Most younger kids steer away from culturally offensive costumes, choosing instead to represent their dream career or favorite super hero.

However, once away from the cute Halloween costumes of childhood, costumes veer toward overtly sexual or clearly offensive, or both.

Such costumes as “Voodoo Seductress costume” and “Sexy piñata” are just some of the unfortunate outfits being sold at halloweencostumes.com.

Along with these clearly offensive costumes, the site offers a guide to women specifically on how to feel confident in this year’s costume.

Posted on the site is the following advice: “Confidence is basically the key to being successful, even when it comes to picking out a sexy Halloween costume. Remember, believing in yourself is the sexiest accessory a girl could possibly possess. Of course, everyone is going to want to talk to the girl wearing a hot costume and exuding a whole lot of confidence.”

When I read this patronizing quote I couldn’t help but feel gross and ashamed.   

Here I am being told that without a “hot costume,” and a whole lot of confidence, I won’t be able to find someone to talk to.

While the men’s costume page gives tips on how to be comfy, on the bottom of the women’s page, I was told to, “be sure to fluff your hair one final time, strap up your stilettos, and get out there and show off that gorgeous costume.”

One might think that if you don’t want to be offended this Halloween, then you can control what you see or experience. But that is the one thing Halloween prohibits you from doing. Halloween is in your face, jumping out at you, there’s nowhere you can hide.

Advertising everywhere is focused on sexualizing women and young girls and providing boys with a huge array of normal, fully-clothed, costume options.

Culturally offensive costumes are equally as obvious. Just because someone doesn’t mean to be offensive, doesn’t mean that someone doesn’t have the right to be offended.

The issue of inappropriate costumes has created a lot of controversy over the past few years, but America’s obsession with fats and sugars found in Halloween candy has been widely accepted.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m a huge fan of anything sweet, and I would probably live off candy if I could, but maybe in a country with such a high obesity rate, gluttony shouldn’t be celebrated.

According to the CIA World Fact Book, the US is the 12th most obese country in the world. This is especially upsetting because we are also one of the wealthiest countries, and we should be able to afford healthy options and a balanced diet.

According to the National Retail Federation, kids consume up to 7,000 calories on Halloween alone, the same as 13 Big Macs, and an average of three cups of sugar.

Halloween seems to be the perfect example to point to when stereotyping Americans as obese, violence-craving, politically incorrect loons.