'Mexican Man' costume offends Latino shoppers, community groups

Oakland Tribune ^ | 10/28/2009 | Sean Maher

[DogByte6RER]

'Mexican Man' costume offends Latino shoppers, community groups

By Sean Maher

EMERYVILLE — A costume dubbed "Mexican Man" has offended Latino shoppers and community groups after being discovered at a Halloween chain store.

The photo on the costume packaging shows a man with a thick mustache wearing a poncho and a sombrero. Oakland resident Monica Plazola said she discovered the costume last week at the Spirit Halloween store in Emeryville, which she was visiting with her two children, ages 7 and 9.

"We were there at the store, with all kinds of costumes, and that was the only one identified racially," she said. "I was really surprised that kind of costume existed in this day and age. I was kind of stumped on it."

Her husband, Carlos, said he could not remember the last time he'd seen something so blatantly stereotypical.

"It's incredibly offensive," he said. "I can't imagine them reducing any other culture to a costume like that and calling it by that ethnic name. Reducing a culture to such a stereotype is harmful and insulting. I can't imagine a Chinese man or black man being put out there and it being OK."

Mara Chavez, deputy director at Centro Legal De La Raza in Oakland, said her organization discovered the costume when the Plazolas sent them the photos. The group is asking Spirit Halloween to pull the costumes from the shelves.

"These costumes need to be taken out and not sold," she said. "As Latinos, we are a big percentage of consumers here in the state of California, so it is to their best interest to not depict such insulting costumes. It affects them in terms of their profits as well."

The manager of Spirit Halloween in Emeryville confirmed the availability of the costume but declined to comment...

[DogByte6RER]

Tacky...not my first choice for a costume.

[goodnesswins]

Oh, poor baby....

[DogByte6RER]

Lots of Mexican themed costumes at the Spirit website:

http://halloween-costumes.spirithalloween.com/search?p=Q&lbc=spirithalloween&uid=344982533&ts=custom-v2&w=mexican%20costume&af=&method=and&view=grid&isort=score&cnt=500

[takbodan]

Maybe it was the, “Frito Bandito.”

[dfwgator]

[a fool in paradise]

“I can’t imagine them reducing any other culture to a costume like that and calling it by that ethnic name”

http://halloween-costumes.spirithalloween.com/search?view=grid&w=gypsy

[Stentor]

Social and cultural tails continue wagging the dog.

[Lonesome in Massachussets]

Viva con Dios, amigos. We don't need no stinking green card.

[a fool in paradise]

It IS pretty tacky...

[AZFolks]

I just don’t care who gets offended. When I was a kid my dad was a member of the Sons of Italy. They protested that Liggett and Meyers cigarettes sponsored Elliot Ness. Dad said if they didn’t like that they should do something about Italian involvement in organized crime. I am sick and tired of outrage from anyone, including my own. Lets just grow up.

[KarlInOhio]

"We were there at the store, with all kinds of costumes, and that was the only one identified racially,"

When did Mexican become a race?

[a fool in paradise]

I'm gonna go as a Senator this year:

[Obadiah]

Evey Holloween I answer my door dressed as a White Guy. Seems nearly everyone is offended by that too!

[Cicero]

I think it’s time to stop discriminating against ghosts and pumpkins, myself.

[ChildOfThe60s]

I find Clinton and Obama masks offensive. Does the media want to give me air time?

[a fool in paradise]

I'm outraged. She won't attend my Halloween party.

[SJSAMPLE]

Cheech Marin from “Nice Dreams”, or a look-alike.

[goodnesswins]

HA...reminds me of my days in LATIN Club in High School....TOGA Night!

[Sloth]

"We were there at the store, with all kinds of costumes, and that was the only one identified racially," she said.

"Mexican" is a nationality, not a race, you colossal dipwad.

[a fool in paradise]

You'd think that the French people are only good serving master as a maid...