Fact Check: 'Conservative Guy Scared of Cities' Halloween Costume Is Fake
Claim:
An image authentically shows a "conservative guy scared of cities" Halloween costume from Spirit Halloween.
Rating:
An image purporting to show a "conservative guy scared of cities" Halloween costume created by the spooky season retailer Spirit Halloween circulated online in October 2024.
on X shared the image. That picture featured a Spirit Halloween-branded, off-the-rack costume with a model wearing a Nine Line Apparel T-shirt, a company that describes itself as a "lifestyle brand" that creates "products that symbolize the distress call echoed on the battlefield encouraging others to be their brothers' keeper and answer the call." The post had over 1 million views at the time of this writing.
The alleged costume included the following descriptors on its packaging:
-Saw that thing on the news
-Too many of "those" people there
-Can't park Ford Super Duty
-Not scared, bro
on X)The same image first appeared online in 2022, posted to . One Reddit user chimed in and , "One of my co-workers is like this. I was with him in Jersey City and he was really nervous. I pointed to all the townhouses around us and mentioned that they each cost $3-5 Million, and that we were the riff-raff that the locals were going to call the coos [sic] about."
, "My mother and sister came to visit me in Chicago once. They kept asking 'Is this a bad neighborhood?' Finally I asked 'Do you really think I would have my mother and sister drive through a bad neighborhood?' They hear how violent the cities are on the news that they don't even know what a bad area looks like. They just think the whole d*mn city is a bloodbath."
Somebody else simply , "Got my car broken into twice, cities are cesspools."
Despite comments sincerely discussing the quality of city life and the validity of the stereotype the alleged costume portrays, the image is, in fact, fake.
Snopes confirmed with Spirit Halloween that this is not a real product it offers. Rather, it is a fan-made image created using a meme generator that helps users create their own Spirit Halloween costume packaging.
In this case, the meme's creator appeared to use an image of a Nine Line Apparel model showcasing a T-shirt design called "The Oath," one of the company's moisture-wicking apparel options that retails on their for $34.99.
(Nine Line Apparel)
The product description reads:
The Oath of Enlistment is more than just words. It is a sacred vow of allegiance and blood, which cannot be broken. It is a defining moment in a soldier's life when a decision is made that cannot be undone. A vow that unites among those enlisted, and separates you from the civilian world. Men's moisture-wicking shirt that evaporates sweat, lightweight, and great all-around comfort.
Nine Line has not yet responded to Snopes' inquiry to confirm that the image of the product is indeed an official Nine Line photograph, as it could not be found on the company website. However, other photos found on Nine Line's website and outdoor recreation retailer Cabela's website appear to feature the same model as the meme image in question.
(Nine Line Apparel)
We've covered other Spirit Halloween claims in the past, such as this satirical claim about Spirit selling 9/11-themed costumes, as well as investigating this "Karen" costume from 2021 . Unlike the "conservative guy scared of cities," however, the "Karen" costume was real.
Sources:
Spirit Halloween Meme Generator - Imgflip. . Accessed 15 Oct. 2024.
