What is a Halloween without outrage over frighteningly offensive Halloween costumes?
This year, one of the worst and most misguided costumes belonged to DJ Clue, who dressed as comedian Bill Cosby and an unconscious rape victim. The costume included a cocktail, prescription bottle, and a hand (which is meant to belong to Cosby) reaching into the victim's blouse.
The awful, offensive costume grabbed the attention of rapper Nicki Minaj. She posted an image of the costume, which she grabbed from music producer and radio personality DJ Clue's Instagram account. DJ Clue captioned the photo, "This gotta stop #PillCosby," along with several laughing emoji.
Almost immediately, Minaj was hit with backlash from fans for posting the image on her own account. One commenter called the picture "disgusting." Another said it was, "so f—ed up." And yet another wrote, "This isn't what Halloween is about."
But here's the thing: Minaj did not endorse the costume or image. Instead, she captioned it, "Our generation is so desensitized."
If anything, Minaj was sharing her own disgust for a costume that makes light of rape victims. Specifically, the more than 50 women who have come forward over the years accusing Bill Cosby of sexual assault, only to be silenced.
Regardless of her intention, some commenters believe that a costume this offensive shouldn't be given any attention — not even for the sake of shaming — especially when it's shared on the Instagram account of a celebrity with more than 37 million followers.
Minaj hasn't spoken out about the backlash.
For his part, Bill Cosby is now the subject of a lawsuit from a woman who alleges that Cosby abused her when she was a minor in high school, from 1983 to 1987. And recently, 27 of the 50 women who've accused Cosby over the years sat down together for a Dateline special to share how Cosby's abuse changed their lives forever.