Skip to content
Search AI Powered

Latest Stories

Halloween Store Forced To Respond After Fake 'Gay Guy' Costume Makes The Rounds On Twitter

Spirit Halloween storefront
Ben McCanna/Portland Portland Press Herald via Getty Images

Spirit Halloween keeps having to respond to photoshopped 'Gay Guy' costume.

If you're ever in a quandary as to what to wear for a costume party during All Hallow's Eve, then Spirit Halloween is the store for you.

With over 1,400 stores across the country, the seasonal pop-up retailer has every creepy prop, costume, and decoration to suit your needs.


What the store doesn't have in stock, however, is the "Gay Guy" costume.

The fake outfit that is not sold at any Spirit Halloween location appeared on Instagram alongside other mocked-up merchandise, according to Queerty.

The photo of the fake "Gay Guy" costume shows a Photoshopped image of a young White male with bleached hair wearing a tank top and jeans and draped in a large Pride flag.

@beyondalxander/Twitter

The photo made its way over onto Twitter where it went viral.

Some got the joke, while others didn't.

"My culture is not your costume," wrote Twitter user Andrew Alexander.

Others who were convinced that Spirit Halloween was hawking the "Gay Guy" merchandise lambasted the retailer on Twitter.

After being barraged with complaints, the store's Twitter account emphatically maintained the product was fake and not conjured up by them.

On October 21, they declared once and for all:

"Hey! This is not something we carry or have carried before."

Clearly, once was not enough.

On October 23, the retailer once again announced:

"This is not an officially licensed costume from our company."
"Photoshopping our packages seems to be trending at the moment. We will be passing this to our review team."
"Thank you for bringing this to our attention."

Rest assured, discerning Twitter users responded with wisecracks.


Jokesters found Spirit Halloween's predicament delightfully hysterical and stirred the cauldron by adding their own costume ideas using gay stereotypes.

These examples are fun and hilariously accurate.

We know these people.

The meme also inspired a sub-genre called "Gay Loser."

The fake costume giving a nod to HBO's period comedy, Our Flag Means Death–which was lauded for its LGBTQ+ representation–is especially clever.

The theme expanded by dropping the "Gay" descriptor to show the Republican Florida Governor, Ron DeSantis–who signed the controversial "Don't Say Gay" bill on March 28, 2022.

He clearly was not a winner in most people's eyes.

Finally, our favorite out rapper Lil Nas X was dragged into the online frivolity and was teased for the orange outfit he wore to the Variety Hitmaker Brunch in 2019.

This fake item was labeled, "Gay person in terrible outfit."

We still love you, Nas.


When it comes to Halloween 2022 costume ideas, there is definitely no shortage of inspiration.

More from Trending

Screenshots from Priscilla Houliston's TikTok video
@the1870studio/Tiktok

Woman Who Bought An Old Church For Under $40k To Live In Explains How She Did It

It's becoming increasingly difficult and expensive to find a home for those who do not already have one or who are in dire need of an upgrade.

TikToker Priscilla Houliston is here to teach us another way: seeking out old churches and other obscure properties that can be re-zoned as a residential home property.

Keep ReadingShow less
Pete Hegseth
Joe Raedle/Getty Images

Pentagon Just Banned Press Photographers Over 'Unflattering' Photos Of Pete Hegseth—And The Internet Got To Work

The internet reacted exactly as you might expect after the Pentagon announced it would ban some press photographers from briefings about the Iran war due to their "unflattering" photos of Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth.

Here's a silly one, just because.

Keep ReadingShow less
Screenshots from @italiangirl1130's TikTok video
@italiangirl1130/TikTok

Italian Exchange Student's Reaction To American Host Mom Taking Him To Olive Garden Is An Instant Classic

A joy that not nearly enough people get to have during high school is hosting an international student who comes to visit for either one semester or perhaps even an entire year to experience the world and the educational system from another country.

Tiktoker Rhonda, who goes by @italiangirl1130 on the platform, currently has the pleasure of hosting Alessandro, and her family has already filmed a variety of antics on the platform, trying to give the teen the best American experience they can.

Keep ReadingShow less
Screenshots from @ali.fragster, @pluto_theservicedog, and @thatflippingagent's TikTok videos
@ali.fragster/TikTok; @pluto_theservicedog/TikTok: @thatflippingagent/TikTok

Woman's Video Shooing Kid At Disneyland Away From Her Service Dog Sparks Heated Debate

A massive debate has taken over TikTok about who needs to be protected, children or service dogs or both, and it all started with a video taken at Disneyland.

TikToker @pluto_theservicedog frequently posts videos of her travels with her service dog, Pluto, and she also creates informative videos about how the general public should interact with service dogs.

Keep ReadingShow less
Hudson Williams (left) and François Arnaud (right)
Swan Gallet/WWD via Getty Images; Gary Gershoff/Getty Images

'Heated Rivalry' Stars Call Out The Show's Toxic Fans And Their 'Hateful Love' With Blunt Statement

Heated Rivalry stars Hudson Williams and François Arnaud took to social media to call out hateful comments from some of the show’s fans.

Both Williams, who plays Shane Hollander in the series, and Arnaud, who plays Scott Hunter, have recently been the targets of a wave of hostile online commentary. Their message addressed viewers who were trying to pit the actors and other cast members against one another.

Keep ReadingShow less