What in Samhain…

such bullshit.jpg

Oy, I need to start having the intern go through your submissions. After innocently clicking “original” Sonia’s news tip about a Halloween costume she had seen, I clawed my big Mallu eyes out, AGAIN at all the inappropriateness I found. Owwww. Look for yourself, if you dare. —->

Recently, I mentioned to mutineer SJM that since he’s moving back to DC and I have a costume in mind, we should plan to do something fun for St. Pumpkin’s day, even if all we can come up with is adding to the cluster#^@% which is Georgetown on Halloween. The black and orange holiday is huge around here. Thousands converge on M st, in costumes both quotidian and cunning. This pink outfit merits neither of those words; this is plain annoying. If I see someone wearing the schmata on the right on the same street as my beleaguered, yet beloved Amma’s Vegetarian, I might have to rip off my bamboo earrings (at least two pair), hand Salil my Fendi bag (but keep my bad attitude) and invoke the “Manish Vij-Anti-Exoticism” law of 2005 as I beat a kutthi down.

From the website which sells this…thing:

Adult Hindu Costumes – This Adult Hindu Goddess Costume includes a Hindu Goddess costume satin coined top, wrap skirt, Hindu Goddess costume chiffon drape & coined headpiece. The Hindu Goddess Costume is available in Womens Standard.

I know I don’t have to ask you to correct me if I’m wrong, but when coins are used like that, isn’t it more of a belly dancing thing? Or also likely, a case of mixing up continents? When my little sister and I were young, we learned and performed Greek folk dances in authentic outfits which were lovingly made by all the Grandmothers at our church to resemble classic costumes of Crete, Macedonia, Peloponnesos et al…some of those ensembles had coin headdresses and trim similar to what you see on our…um…Hindu Goddess here. It’s like they weren’t even TRYING to exoticize accurately. Sheesh.

But who cares about that– it’s on sale! Click here and you can save 20% by purchasing your Hindu Goddess Costume now (don’t forget to wear it with the retch-inducing nude pantyhose). For just under $32, you, too, can wear an outfit even Diwali Barbie wouldn’t touch. The best part? My wrath and beat down are FREE, especially if Mr. Walker is my other escort for the night.

65 thoughts on “What in Samhain…

  1. The whole thing is a mess. I can’t decide if it’s worse than the blue-eyed Diwali Barbie. Ok ok, I know that some desis have blue eyes, but seriously.

    I kind of think it would be funny to get all my friends to dress up in the costumes that “match” their culture. Like, have my Japanese girl friends dress as geishas, etc. Just for kicks.

    Good call, RP.

  2. Manju, that’s snicker not nice guffaw. πŸ˜‰

    In all seriousness, if there’s one thing Pardesi Gori is, it’s knowledgable. I’m sure that a) she wears authentic outfits and b) she’ll chime in shortly.

  3. If I ever find a girl then I’d totally buy that for her…to wear around the house. If she complained I’d just say, “but you’re my goddess.” πŸ™‚

  4. Based on costumes previously owned by yours truly they’ve mixed up “Jeannie”, “Cleopatra” and what looks like the top of an outfit I owned in 1984 and a toga I may have worn bck in college. This one is much better done.

  5. This one is much better done.

    costume says this…

    Please Note: The bra top portion of this costume runs small, if you are larger than a B cup we do not recommend this costume

    this costume is for asian women only looks like

  6. Or just women with small boobies!

    well then no body would be interested in seeing them wearing this costume πŸ™

  7. I think renting halloween costumes is a bit of a cop out anyway, it’s like driving up to the top of a mountain. Yeah great you got it, but where’s the fun in getting there. The creativity in piecing it together?

    In all seriousness, if there’s one thing Pardesi Gori is, it’s knowledgable. I’m sure that a) she wears authentic outfits and b) she’ll chime in shortly.

    and c) she’ll be very polite and not insult anyone

    ANNA, all those hyperlinks made me dizzy.

  8. If I ever find a girl then I’d totally buy that for her…to wear around the house. If she complained I’d just say, “but you’re my goddess.” πŸ™‚

    You’d have to ask nicely. πŸ˜‰

  9. They’re probably selling off the “Indian” costumes from that Xena tv series. Wasn’t there some controversy about the portrayal of Indian gods on that show ?

  10. and c) she’ll be very polite and not insult anyone

    Perhaps. Perhaps not. I think part of being polite is being able to understand when and why you’ve upset others and then apologizing while vowing to not repeat similar, because you care enough about interacting with them that you don’t want to offend. Insults aren’t always obvious. Tone is often what does the damage. Constant commenting to the effect of, “I’m more authentic than you” is neither welcome nor appropriate here; it’s also not the way to make friends.

  11. When in doubt, wiki:

    Samhain is the word for November in the Irish language. The Scottish Gaelic spelling is Samhuinn. The same word was used for a month in the Celtic calendar, and in particular the first three nights of this month, the festival marking the ending of the summer season, and the end of the harvest. Elements of the festival may continue in the traditions of All Souls’ Day and Halloween. The name is also used for one of the sabbat feasts in the Wiccan wheel of the year.
    …With Christianization, the festival in November (not the Roman festival in May) became All Hallows’ Day on November 1st followed by All Souls’ Day, on November 2nd. Over time, the night of October 31 came to be called All Hallow’s Eve, and the remnants festival dedicated to the dead eventually morphed into the secular holiday known as Halloween.

    I’ve also heard it used as an expression, similar in usage to…”WTF?”

  12. especially if Mr. Walker is my other escort for the night

    This Mr. Walker on the other hand only drinks milk at a bar. He does wear a costume though… πŸ˜‰

  13. this costume is for asian women only looks like
    Or just women with small boobies!

    or for lech-uncle with the eyes down beta’s cleavage. “Beta! how ju’ve grown!”. Although lech uncle’s muffintop will look quite odd with that midriff baring lengha.

    that being said. i orta confess – i could be an uncleji myself to some of these sprats – but no moobs yet beta!

  14. or for lech-uncle with the eyes down beta’s cleavage. “Beta! how ju’ve grown!”. Although lech uncle’s muffintop will look quite odd with that midriff baring lengha. that being said. i orta confess – i could be an uncleji myself to some of these sprats – but no moobs yet beta!

    SAMHAIN?!!!

  15. SAMHAIN?!!!

    Oops, sorry wasupppppppp! When I wrote

    I’ve also heard it used as an expression, similar in usage to…”WTF?”

    I meant I’ve heard the entire phrase used, just as I had done in the title to this post. πŸ™‚

  16. That model looks like she means business. She just might snap your neck if you laugh at her costume… Maybe we’ll see that outfit in the next WWE Smackdown…

  17. I meant I’ve heard the entire phrase used, just as I had done in the title to this post. πŸ™‚

    As in “What in sam hill is going on in here”? I remember Yosemite Sam saying ‘sam hill’ which sounds similar to ‘samhain’. Never heard Samhain though perhaps cuz I live out West- varmints, sagebrush, saloons and all that.

  18. The manikin (not just the dress) looks weird. Doesn’t one of the legs look way longer than the other one?

  19. Uh, she doesn’t look like she’s ready to mess with anyone at all. Actually, the look on her face is kind of pathetically vulnerable. Disturbing on multiple levels.

  20. i dunno…. the arch on that left foot is no joke. i can rock stilettos of that magnitude only if propped by an equal degree of drunkeness (or the promise of). sober, i couldn’t mess with it, or her.

  21. espressa, forget stilettos—find a bharatnatyam dancer switching from brahmari twirls to stomps and back. If that model can bring that heel down with enough force to match a mrdangam’s ringing dha, as to crush an asura, and then back up to the same arch, stomping with the other foot, and repeating as fast as you can enunciate, all while under pounds of kanjeevaram, bells, flowers and jewels—well, then I’ll see about this dangerous goddess stuff. Til then I’m not exactly scared.

    Though I am fond of my catwoman boots, despite being dead sober in them.

  22. point taken: bharatnatyam is much more impressive than stilettos. i can do neither, thus my awe stands. but you’re right, she’s no asura stomper.

  23. Last Halloween, I dressed my Puerto Rican best friend in a sari, and down to M street we went. She was complimented by several desis, so I figure if you want to dress desi, you’d better do your research. These costumes online are the adult equivalent of the children’s character mask + plastic smock with character’s picture on it’ combos of our early trick-or-treating days. They basically suck and are hugely inaccurate. Did you see the geisha costume? http://www.costumecraze.com/BTRAD19.html?c=celebros,BTRAD19

    Horrendous. She looks more like Belushi’s Samurai from SNL.

    Anyway, Halloween in Georgetown is always a treat for me, so I’ll see you there ANNA. My boyfriend and I will be the ones dressed as Kelly and Ryan from The Office (it just seemed obvious!).

  24. so that’s what pardesi gori looks like.

    No, Manju, that’s not what I look like. Thank Viddhata.

    I know I donÂ’t have to ask you to correct me if IÂ’m wrong, but when coins are used like that, isnÂ’t it more of a belly dancing thing?

    Nope, not exclusively. Some nomadic and semi-nomadic people of India sew their wealth onto their clothing because they are not keeping their money in banks. This was done hundreds of years ago, probably thousands even, yet some people are still living like that today.

  25. This is the best they can do for a “Hindu Goddess” Halloween costume? Shouldn’t it have a garland of skulls and a few additional arms??

    Slightly off topic and slightly not, although a Kali costume would be a MUCH better Hindu Goddess costume if you must have one at all, these days any costume for one of the female persuasion has to be “sexy,” hence the giant slit in the skirt, coins everywhere and New Age poof hair. Besides the horrid cultural misappropriation, this is just more of the “women dressing like strippers on Halloween” trend. Want more proof? Check out the 12 year old sexy nurse.

    This is a sad, sad year for Halloween costumes indeed.

    /dressing like a serial killer for Halloween //they look just like everyone else

  26. Nope, not exclusively. Some nomadic and semi-nomadic people of India sew their wealth onto their clothing because they are not keeping their money in banks. This was done hundreds of years ago, probably thousands even, yet some people are still living like that today.

    But, one would assume a goddess didn’t need a bank. Or money, for that mattter.

  27. Ah but pictures of Laxmi Devi often portray here with coins falling out of her hand…

  28. Ah but pictures of Laxmi Devi often portray here with coins falling out of her hand…

    Ah but that is because Lakshmi Devi is the Goddess of Wealth…so the pictures indicate her giving wealth to her devotees.

  29. Ahhhhhhhhhhh…. but it’s Holloween.

    This is true. Pregnant nuns and Devis with coins are the norm. Well, in SF anyway.

    Having done both…but I made my own costumes.

  30. Since ur name is Venu, why not dress up like Venu Gopal?

    Shyam teri bansi bajai dhire dhire…..

  31. did that too. But, coloring your body blue is a pain. What is really want to do is Shiva one day.

  32. I know, right? Despite the fact that I’ve viewed it dozens of times while monitoring this post, I STILL cringe whenever I catch a glimpse of it. shudder