It’s a typical Halloween scene in the video above. A young brother and sister are carving pumpkins with their parents – one carves Wonder Woman, the other, Batman – after which their mother pulls out their costumes, which are also (surprise, surprise) of Wonder Woman and Batman.
The fun, relaxed atmosphere of the late autumn scene, however, is broken ever so slightly as the father suddenly becomes apprehensive, while the mother comforts him. The two little superheroes go trick-or-treating and collecting candy as the parents chaperone them from a distance. It isn’t until the end of the two-minute clip, as the father tucks the children into bed – “My heroes” – that the reason for his nervousness, or the ultimate message of the public service advertisement, is revealed.
Written by Alexander Day and Brian Carufe, the video by Landwirth Legacy Productions aims to challenge gender stereotypes and norms, with specific regard to children’s Halloween costumes. The seemingly insignificant costumes hold great significance to children, and the writers want to let children known that it’s okay to be “whoever you want to be.”
Day told HuffPost, “Halloween can be a time people can express themselves in a certain way and not be as attacked for it.” He hopes the video will inspire viewers to become “more comfortable and accepting”, and added, in an interview with Upworthy, that children “are our greatest superheroes for being themselves.”
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