World War II Evacuee Costume Shouldn't Be Offensive

on October 31, 2011 at 4:21 PM

Costumes ... they're fun, aren't they? I love the chance to sex things up a little bit when Halloween rolls around. Of course, some people like to opt for the more controversial getups, like Casey Anthony or an Occupy Wall Street protester. But those little gems are nothing compared to the World War II evacuee costume I stumbled upon the other day.

Complete with navy dress, flats, satchel, and beret, this one at first glance seemed like the absolute most wretched thing ever. Is this poking fun at the Holocaust?! I wondered. As a Jewish woman, I was mortified, to say the least. Then I did my research and realized this costume is totally fine.

Go with me on this one ...

Initially people across the Interwebs (me included) were up in arms about what we thought was a horribly offensive Halloween outfit channeling Anne Frank. But in reality, this costume -- which is only sold across the pond in Britain -- is meant to be a learning tool for schoolchildren.

See, in the U.K., students celebrate something called Evacuee Day. Throughout school halls, kids dress up as those evacuated from the country during WWII after London was bombed. This costume and others like it allow parents to purchase the whole look at once (and save some DIY crafting time), and as blogger Nick Douglas explains it, a way to teach using "empathy" in the classroom. No harm, no foul -- right?

I've got to admit, the whole concept still sketches me out. If an American child were to wear something like this to school, I doubt they'd be treated with kindness. I can try to envision that child being out and about on Halloween night as their parents attempted to explain that the costume was meant to commemorate a moment in history and NOT supposed to be offensive. But honestly, I can't imagine it going well over here.

Nevertheless, the evacuee costume uproar does make me think. Headdresses, kimonos, and other cultural references are everywhere on nights like tonight. Revelers are constantly impersonating people they may know nothing about. The insensitive choices we sometimes make in the spirit of "good fun" often aren't really funny at all. Halloween shouldn't be any exception.

What do you think about the World War II evacuee costume?

Image via online-fancy-dress.co.uk

About the author Emily Abbate

is a blogger and Editorial Assistant here at The Stir.

Filed Under: costumes, halloween

Comments (13)

Nonmember comment from Guest

on Oct 31, 2011 at 4:42 PM

So you've never seen/read The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe? Did you think those kids were going on a class trip or something?

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micheledo

on Oct 31, 2011 at 4:53 PM

It doesn't bother me and I would think some survivors would be honored to see a child dressed that way. I guess my thinking is what child will want to dress as a WWII evacuee? Only one who has studied history and is fascinated by it. Children with no knowledge of it aren't going to be begging to dress up like this.

Nonmember comment from Hannah

on Oct 31, 2011 at 4:56 PM

An Evacuee was a British child, school age and under, who was sent from their city home to a place of safety in the countryside for the duration of the War. This was because the German Airforce were bombing the **** out of the cities in question. It has no anti=Jewish connotation whatsoever and evacuee children were NOT Jewish (well they might have been in some cases but their religion was purely incidental to their status as an evacuee). Its a pretty rubbish costume anyway as costumes go but we DO remember the evacuees here as a way of reminding children today how lucky they are not to live in fear of being bombed, night after night after night, in the way these children lived. I mean no disrespect to Americans but they did not live through the War (unless the migrated from here) in the same way as Europeans/British did and so it is to be expected their perspective would be different. This is NOT an offensive costume.

Mrs.Duncan85

on Oct 31, 2011 at 5:03 PM

Well the costumes are referring to English children who were sent out of London to more rural areas because it was safer (The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe) and not Jewish children sent to concentration camps. Right time period, wrong group of people. It would be weird for an American child to wear it because it isn't culturally relevant to us (unless your grandparents were English). It would be an odd choice for Halloween, but not for children learning about WWII to participate in.

Facebook comment from Kris Gamble

on Oct 31, 2011 at 5:57 PM

Honestly, the first thing I thought of when you said evacuee costume was the children in Britain. This sounds like a problem with you not knowing a piece of history, not a controversy.

Facebook comment from Kaeleigh Campbell

on Oct 31, 2011 at 8:10 PM

My god, why do Americans think mortified means horrified? Were you embarrassed by the costumes? No. You were shocked by them.

Facebook comment from Naomi Blue

on Oct 31, 2011 at 10:07 PM

I'm an American and I wasn't horrified or embarrassed or shocked by the costume. I thought it is kind of cute.

GlowWorm889

on Oct 31, 2011 at 11:13 PM

Actually, when I saw the picture, I thought of the children in Britain, not those under German rule.

mummajenni

on Nov 1, 2011 at 2:10 AM

Someone is bound to be offended by any costume. I'm offended by zombies. But... Maybe I should be more open minded. Maybe I should learn about zombies and their culture, and then I'll be more accepting.

Btw, the whole confusion over these evacuee costume and Anne Frank is the most laughable thing I've read all night! What do they teach you all in school these days? Is this a consequence of NCLB? Embarrassing.