Ashley Benson (don’t say “who?”) stepped in controversy yesterday with this Instagram photo. As you can see, the current caption on the photo is “Help! Can’t decide on my Halloween costume this year! What do you guys think of this lion costume? @yandy #thanksyandy #halloweencostume.” Non-controversial, right? She’s thinking about dressing up like a sexy lion. Except this wasn’t her original caption. Her original caption was “Help! Can’t decide on my Halloween costume this year! What do you guys think of this cecil the lion costume? @yandy #thanksyandy #halloweencostume.”
Let’s just take a moment and acknowledge that it’s not like she’s wearing an actual lion skin or anything. Let’s also acknowledge that there are plenty of lion costumes out there, and I’m sure many, many people are going to do variations on a “Cecil the Lion costume.” Still, is this ignorant? Is it cruel? Her IG followers seemed to think so, because they were slamming her all night, even after she changed the caption.
E! News points out that Ashley got this costume from Yandy and the one she bought was simply labeled “Lion Costume.” Now, Yandy DOES have a Cecil the Lion costume for sale – go here to see. Yandy notes: “20% of the proceeds of our limited edition, Cecil the Lion costume will be given to a Global Conservation Organization to support global conservation initiatives.” So is that offensive? I don’t think so. I don’t think I would be offended if I saw anyone dressed up as a lion and they called themselves Cecil. Now, if the costume was, like, covered in blood… it wouldn’t offend me as much as I would just think that it was in really poor taste. So was all of this just a tempest in a teapot?
Ashley’s Instagram, WENN.
OUTRAGE!!!!!
I think it’s in poor taste if she meant for it to be Cecile. I think we all can agree what happened to Cecile was disgusting. I still don’t know why that dentist didn’t get jail time.
More bad animal news… 14 elephants were found poisoned in Zimbabwe, some with their tusks cut off. I don’t want to link because I’ll cry. Poachers poisoned oranges that the elephants ate. (And vultures that eat the carcasses die of poisoning too.)
Horrifying. I can’t wrap my head around the disrespect and destruction that animals receive.
Because there is no opportunity for economic advancement in a lot of these countries. I’m not in any way condoning the killing and poaching of animals, but it’s easy for us to look and judge because we have plenty of ways to make money. The tour guide/poach guide folks in these countries have fewer opportunities and need money to feed their family. In certain ways, one may justify it with a standard food chain argument.
I hate it. If makes me cry every time. But until there are more legit opportunities in these countries, there will always be people doing things they may hate if it is required of them to survive.
Just my thoughts. Don’t hate me.
And quietly, I did say “who?” And I still say “who?”
Lama Bean, you aren’t wrong. Poaching in Zimbabwe is a lucrative business. I think that’s as equally infuriating as actually killing a beautiful animal just for its tusks for some decorative trinket that isn’t necessary by any measure. At the same time, I don’t think there’s any justification for poaching in the sense that governments know what the solutions to stop it are, and consumers of ivory can make an active choice to spend money investing in the people of countries like Zimbabwe in ways other than bribing poachers. There are no excuses.
Stupid all around. Her, the costume, the people selling it. When did Halloween stop being about fun, fall and clever costumes and about how many people can I offend at the party? Even in real life the attention wh0res are everywhere.
Let’s Take Back Halloween!
*smashes pumpkin*
Gold!
https://damnstraightneednotapply.files.wordpress.com/2014/10/vintage-halloween-costumes-creepy-kids-scary-retro.jpg
Let’s go back to this!
I call the eyeless wraith on the right! Which will you be?
Post-apocalyptic one on the left!
Love it mimif!
and if it’s not about how many people you can offend, it’s how to be SEXAYYYYY in any costume.
have you seen the “sexy subway rat” costume? because there’s nothing sexier than a rat carrying a dirty slice of pizza down some filthy stairs to the subway.
I’m with mimif (like that’s news to anyone…)!
Oh ffs that is the most pathetic excuse for a costume I have ever heard of. I used to love Halloween until Heidi Klum stole it away from me.
Ps I love you too, my lil doofus. 😘
I hate the sexy costume trend! It is just so boring.
Best costume I ever saw was a girl in an astronaut costume. She had these special moon boots that were suspended on cords over little cages. It made her bounce like a moon walk when she stepped. Not “hot” at all, but all the guys were like DAMN, that is a cool costume.
YASSS that’s what I’m talking about! One year my friend went as a Kitchen Viking and made his costume out of vintage baking stuff. He fashioned a kilt (complete with wiener guard) made out of crusty old baking sheets and a dangly belt with oxidized forks and spoons, an awesome Viking helmet from two rolling pins and a bundt cake pan, a sword made out of egg beaters and a shield out of an old oven…he even made shin guards and arm bands. I went as a drowned mermaid and I made my entire costume out of real seaweed. We had so much fun putting them together and going to the parties. That’s my idea of Halloween.
Oh dear. I think I just GOOP’d the ffff out.
lmao mimif…you DID GOOP out! but in good, non-pretentious way…more like in an awesome-funky-art-teacher way.
Eh. I could see the offense if the costume somehow referenced the killing, but this doesn’t. It’s just a lion. Cecil is probably the most famous lion around right now, so that’s what she went with. I can understand the offense, but in terms of offenses, it’s minor. But I judge it against the Bill Maher Crocodile Hunter thing from a ways back. That was classless.
No controversy aside from the glaring reality that this is an incredibly cheesy *Sexay Lion* costume. Would have been amazing if she was dressed in a full fur lion costume like something a mascot would wear. But no, of course it’s just a sexy body suit with a fur-trimmed hood.
Lion my ass.
lol! you have successfully made me choke on a bit of my coffee 🙂
Cleavage and lions make so much sense together.
Hands up, I said WHO? Then two things: Bananarama. 1985.
Also, Cambridge Clutch Pose (should that be trade-marked)?
WHOOOOO (entire Owl Level Head Tilt)
no idea who she is, either…but I don’t want to incur the wrath of Kaiser.
I’m glad to see you have no such qualms. 🙂
I also am ignoring directive. Who?
As I have a teen, I can tell you she’s one of the stars of Pretty Little Liars.
Thanks Kori. All I can remember her from is that terrible Spring Break movie and her maybe relationship with James Franco, but that was years ago. It’s good to know she has some other stuff going for her.
Until she actually makes a name for herself in other ways, I will still say WHO? whenever I see her face. To me, she could be any of the other 20 something starlets out today.
another WHO?
I hate Halloween because of this kind of humor. To each their own, but I just don’t think it’s funny. I thought the painful, lingering death of that beautiful animal was heartbreaking. I don’t know how people have the heart to laugh at it.
Neither do I. That beautiful creature was tortured to death. Why that dentist isn’t in jail dumbfounds me.
Me, too.
You guys are my people. Thanks for saying it simply…and better than I could have.
❤️
I call Halloween Slutty blackface, “It’s just jokes you guys” cringe season, it’s like a national pass to be a tactless (often heartless) *sshole under the guise of costume
Yes. The “it’s not really mean/racist/sexist/gross because it was a jooookkkkkeeee.
I don’t hate halloween because candy. I agree it’s the time of year for people to be more tasteless and crass than usual.
Mmmm…candy. 😉
Thirst
And the internet points the finger again, and OUTRAGE, and we can just judge people and make them feel horrible about themselves.
sick of it.
I’m with you.
who is the attention-desperate blonde?
should I know already? lol
Another Hollywood starlet who has a circle of sycophants that laugh at everything she does and then is shocked to get a real response when they step outside of their comfort zone.
Perhaps social media will destroy the “careers” of this stupid young “starlets”
“These stupid young starlets” not “this stupid young starlets”.
Well, you can do plenty of things to remember Cecil or do something for lions etc.. not dress up as one, I think it is slightly offensive, even though the money goes to a good cause.
“Ashley Benson (don’t say ‘who?’)”
Ummmm okay.
But seriously, who?
Dumb person thinks dumb idea is cute/edgy/original. Dumb does dumb.
Well, I am going as a dead dog for Halloween, because my friend who does drag is going as Miley Cyrus and some of us girls are going as THE “dead petz,” so who frigging cares… I’ll see you in the “terrible person who offends everyone” jail, Ashley! 🙂
Absolutely nothing to get outraged about – move along people!
I have a friend that is going to be Cecil’s avenging brother Jericho. Lion costume with a shredded bloody lab coat and carry a dummy head that is the dentist/lion murderer. Poor taste??? Um yes…but I think that is what should happen to that sick f**k, feed him to Cecils brother.
I can get behind that.
Is this seriously a post? This is like asking should we be outraged if someone dresses up as Marilyn Monroe because she is also dead. OUTRRRRAGIOUS *Judge Judy voice followed with an eyeroll*
Except Marilyn Monroe wasn’t illegally lured out of a safe haven, shot with a bow and arrow, allowed to suffer and bleed for 21 hours until she was finished off by a gun. Otherwise, great comparison.
It’s inappropriate because costumes are about fun and celebration and being a little naughty. Cecil’s murder and the whole hunting business is distasteful, so there’s a huge disconnection there.
I think her eyebrows and eye makeup are far more offensive.