Fashion Nova Unveils a Selena-Inspired Purple Jumpsuit For Halloween
Late Mexican-American singer Selena Quintanilla had no shortage of iconic looks
Photo: Instagram/fashionnova
Late Mexican-American singer Selena Quintanilla had no shortage of iconic looks. In recent years, she’s inspired Urban Outfitter tees, numerous Etsy products, and even a sold-out MAC Collection. Now, online fashion retailer Fashion Nova is celebrating the “Bidi Bidi Bom Bom” singer with their newly-released Halloween costume line.
The costume is inspired by the Tejana pop star’s jumpsuit from her last performance at Houston’s Astrodome. While the original jumpsuit was sparkly and plum in color, the Fashion Nova version is a bright purple, spandex-polyester blend. Named “La Flor,” the Fashion Nova rendition is also more revealing than Quintanilla’s outfit, showcasing more skin and cleavage.
Although the Halloween costume isn’t culturally insensitive, as Remezcla highlights, it does straddle the line of appreciation and profiting off of culture. Whether you identify as Latinx or not, Quintanilla’s musical and cultural impact is still felt today. And it’s worth way more than the $59.99 price tag on the costume.
The costume echoes Kim Kardashian’s 2017 Halloween costume, in which she dressed up like Quintanilla. The 37-year-old reality star rocked a deep purple jumpsuit, brown wig with bangs, dark red lipstick and mic in hand in her Twitter photo with the caption, “My fave Selena!”
My fave Selena!!!! pic.twitter.com/DVKSSRxnxy
— Kim Kardashian (@KimKardashian) November 1, 2017
And people weren’t buying into it, commenting that they weren’t okay with her costume choice and that it made them feel uncomfortable.
https://twitter.com/melintheskyy/status/925612387356483584
Quintanilla broke barriers and did so while combating stereotypes and prejudice. She undoubtedly did that through her award-winning music career, but also through fashion. So it’s no surprise Fashion Nova’s ode to her doesn’t sit well with some.
https://twitter.com/CashMoenay/status/1044951373215944705
https://twitter.com/suckmypapaya/status/1044048054251343872
Although Fashion Nova has ascended the online retail ladder with support from well-known Latinas like Cardi B, who is launching a line with the brand; Afro-Latina singer and image activist Amara La Negra; and The Real host Adrienne Bailon, their latest move isn’t above critique and begs the question: Where should the line be drawn between appreciating culture and using it for profitable gain?
