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rayrice-costumeWe definitely saw this coming. The level of insensitivity that people have goes off the charts during Halloween. It seems that most are trying to aim for costume with offensive pop culture references to ruffle the feathers of many, as one snap of a photograph transcends them into a viral rabbit hole. This could certainly be said of the White couple in the photo above, who thought it would not only be hilarious to dress up like Ray and Janay Rice for Halloween, but do it in blackface. Janay has taken to Twitter to respond to the idiots who think it’s ok to laugh at her suffering:

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These two in the photo above were spotted by sports and political commenter Keith Olbermann, who shared the disturbing image with his followers. His followers immediately responded with a bevy of terrible Ray Rice costumes that seem to be flooding social media.

MUST READ: This Woman Gained Her Freedom Because Of Ray Rice’s Attack

Not only is there a proud daughter in the bunch who shared a photo of her insensitive father with the hashtag #mydadisbetterthanyours #rayrice, but there’s even a sick parent who dressed their child up in blackface and allowed him to drag a doll around that represented Janay:

Ok, so now do people think clever hashtags make everything ok? One woman shared a photo of herself and her two sons on Instagram and she was Janay Rice and even said, “hence the black eye,” and when she used the hashtags #domesticviolenceisneverfunny #butmycostumewas, she’s essentially ridding herself of the guilt she most certainly felt in even putting that jersey on in the first place. And to then allow her impressionable young sons to pose with her while she’s wearing a costume that obviously needs explaining to those young boys, it’s just…sick. And it’s perpetuating a nonchalant attitude toward battered women.

By now, we should all know the story of Ray and Janay Rice. Ray was seen on elevator footage hitting his then-girlfriend and now-wife. She fell unconscious to the floor of the elevator and Ray proceeded to drag her out. The footage sparked a large debate about domestic violence against women, especially from the hands of men of power, who never seem to have to suffer the consequences of their actions. Rice was made an example by the NFL and was cut indefinitely from the team and has subsequently lost every endorsement and pretty much any support from anywhere. Shortly after the “sh*t hit the fan,” for lack of a better phrase, Janay apologized for her role, making many of us label her a battered woman, who typically have the mentality that they are to blame.

Zoe Flowers, New York-based director of domestic violence prevention, chimed in on the disheartening story. “In my experience, (professional and personal) Black women are often not believed, not supported and are blamed (covertly or overtly) for the violence that is committed against us,” she said. “Whether you agree with her decision or not Janay Rice was the victim of a crime. And instead of receiving support and empathy, she is ridiculed and mocked. And people wonder why survivors stay…”

Domestic violence is a tangled web of emotion, blame, shame and confusion. Many of us can only speculate what it’s like to be a pawn in that dangerous game. Yes, Halloween is a fun holiday and it’s exciting to dress up and have people guess what you are, but there’s a plethora of costumes–no matter how they play into pop culture–that should be avoided. We could all take a moment and tap into our humanity and see that certain actions, should at least be given a second thought.

What do you think about the Ray and Janay Rice costumes, beauties? Sound off in the comments below.

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Check Out More Costumes Everyone Should Avoid This Halloween:

So Many Awful People Combine Blackface & Domestic Violence For Tasteless Ray & Janay Rice Costume & Janay Responds [PHOTOS]  was originally published on hellobeautiful.com