These mistakes are always followed by a breathless apology, sent from the iPhone of the offender (or their publicist). Duff continued the tradition, with the requisite self(ie)-flagellation issued via social media. Duff was “SO sorry” for ruining Halloween with racism, and claimed that her costume “was not properly thought through.”

And yet one cannot help but imagine that Duff’s costume, along with the costume of every other celebrity attending a highly publicized Halloween bash with countless photographers present, was very “thought through.” In fact, hours and hours of thinking probably went into this costume. There are people who make entire careers out of helping celebrities think about what they will wear to parties — and Halloween is no exception. Even if Duff skipped the glam squad this year and dragged her boyfriend to a shitty Halloween outing at the last minute — she still, no doubt, thought about the audience for her outfit. And here is where the yearly celebrity-costume apology tour always falls flat: How much time does it actually take to think, Oh, this might be racist?

Here’s the thing — costumes are all about communication. They are meant for public consumption; no one puts on a sexy witch costume to sit alone at home and watch Friends on Netflix. Costumes are vehicles for social interaction, meant to be interpreted by an audience. Every costume is intentional — designed to elicit a response in your fellow partygoers. If you dress as Thor, you want everyone to see your CrossFit-toned biceps; if you dress as Eleven from Stranger Things, you want everyone to know you are a witty Netflix subscriber; and if you dress as Donald Trump, I suppose you want everyone to hate your Cheeto-complected face. In the age of social media, this communication is amplified by Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. Your costume is not just for an audience of your fellow revelers, it is for the world.

What is so curious about the phenomenon of the celebrity costume gaffe is that celebrities should be the most aware of this social function of a costume. Because, after all, what is the red carpet if not one big costume ball? Rest assured that Diane Kruger doesn’t wear Prada couture to eat Pringles in bed — it’s a costume she wears on the red carpet to play the role of “movie star.” Celebrities spend hours and hours prepping for these flashbulb moments. At the end of the day, each red carpet look is the result of many people coming together to dress one person for a highly publicized event. The reason so many hours are spent is because celebrities understand the social value of the red carpet, and its ability to transform a person into a “star.” The power of celebrity is rooted in image, and when that image is distorted in a way that reads as offensive (i.e. the racist Halloween costume) — it carries a significant cultural impact.