SAN DIEGO (FOX 5/KUSI) — San Diego State University is responding after two young people generated national headlines for their viral “couple Halloween costume” involving offensive overtones and blackface.
The costume was first posted by a TikTok user, who purportedly has ties to the university, as part of a slideshow of images from a Halloween party. A screenshot of the original TikTok video then began circulating on other platforms like X, formerly Twitter.
The duo’s costume apparently depicts Sean “Diddy” Combs and a bottle of baby oil, a reference to the rapper’s “freak-offs” — the parties at the center of his federal criminal indictment on allegations of sexual abuse, trafficking and exploitation.
Both costumes drew ire online for the minimizing of sexual abuse by poking fun at one aspect of the case against Combs and overt racism through blackface, or the darkening of a white person’s skin with makeup.
Blackface has a long history of demeaning African Americans, dating back to caricatures in minstrel shows of the mid-19th century intended to mock enslaved people, according to the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture.
“P. Diddy is not a Halloween costume,” a user on X wrote of the costume. “It’s not funny. It’s not cute. It’s not cool. Don’t do it.”
In a statement shared by SDSU Monday, university officials said they have not confirmed whether either individual in the picture are in fact students, but expressed gratitude for those raising it to their attention online.
“The use of blackface and any actions making light of sexual assault are deeply offensive and have no place in our community,” the statement went on. “Any behavior that stereotypes or harms individuals based on race or ethnicity, or trivializes sexual assault, contradicts our university values and undermines our commitment to inclusion and belonging for students, faculty, and staff.”