Controversial costumes and near-the-knuckle dress-up have been thrown back into the media spotlight following a group of Australian students who dressed as members of the Ku Klux Klan with a ‘cotton picking’ slave.
The party theme was ‘politically incorrect’, taking the popular bad taste theme to its next natural conclusion.
However, the students from Charles Sturt University, who had posted multiple pictures of themselves to social media, have now found themselves to be subject to investigations after the vice-chancellor of the university condemned their actions. The social media posts have now all been removed.
“Charles Sturt University will not tolerate this offensive behaviour,” said the university’s vice-chancellor, Andrew Vann. “It does not reflect our university values and we strongly condemn these actions. CSU is currently investigating these incidents and social media posts.”
Controversial and ‘bad taste’ costumes are popular choices, with many major suppliers offering a range of dress-up designed specifially to shock and draw attention. The topic has been the subject of much media attention over the years, with recent highlights including Tesco’s fox hunting costume and Adele’s Titanic tribute.