We originally wrote this blog post for Halloween last year, but the advice is timeless.

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Ah Devil’s Night, you’ve come again. Does any other holiday inspire such poor decision making as Halloween? New Years is a close second (who among us can deny a glass of the bubbly?), but Halloween has to take the cake. Just take a walk around a Halloween costume shop. Would you find half of the adult costumes appropriate for any event other than Halloween? On second thought, don’t answer that question. We don’t need to hear the saucy details of your personal life here at the Reputation.com Blog.

Despite the fact that most people realize how inappropriate their costumes are, they will still buy them and, worse yet, take dozens of pictures in them. Before they know it, the pictures are tagged with their name and shared on Facebook, MySpace, and Twitter. Uh-oh.

From the salacious to the politically incorrect to the just plain dumb, here is our list of the five halloween you do not want shared online.

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Department of Erections

Because nothing says “Hire Me” quite like a sexually aroused convict! Seriously, this costume is not only unfunny and inappropriate, but also awkward. It certainly wouldn’t be easy to walk around a crowded party, you know what I mean?

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Hot Dog Vendor

What is about men’s costumes and exposed genitals? Are we men really that immature? Wait, scratch that. I already know the answer. Also, the title of this costume is not descriptive enough. Instead of “Hot Dog Vendor,” it should be called “Future Sex Offender Regisrant.” The model’s expression doesn’t do much to help salvage the costume, either. “Hey ladies! There’s a box of hot dogs on my crotch. Get it?”

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Poo Poo Platter

If you think this costume is funny, think of this possible exchange.

YOU: Hi…Mary, right? I met you at the Halloween party?

MARY: Oh, Hi! That was so much fun! I don’t remember, what did you go as?

YOU: (deep breath) Um… Well… I went as a plate of poop.

MARY: Oh…right.

YOU: So, want to have coffee sometime?

MARY: (walks away)

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Sexy (insert word here)

It’s hard to pick one women’s costume that is especially inappropriate since they all have the same desired effect: turning regular women into strippers. Ladies, don’t pander to the chauvinistic costume industry! Buck the trend this year. Instead of being a sexy witch, be an ugly witch. Instead of being a sexy police officer, be a regular police officer (like the one that knocks on your door at 3:00AM to shut down your party). The possibilities are endless.

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Toilet Child

What do you do if you don’t want to dress up yourself, but you still want to bring shame on to your family’s good name? Hmm. I know! Dress your child up like a toilet! That way, when people check out pictures of your fun family halloween party on Facebook, they’ll always remember that you’re the family everyone else in the neighorhood craps on.

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By now, everyone should know how important it is to be careful about what you share online. Not only can you be fired for what you post on the web, but you can hurt your chances of getting into school too. Despite countless stern warnings, however, many Internet users do not take the time to consider the long-term effects of what they post on Facebook, MySpace, and other social networking sites.

If you’ve already made the mistake of buying one of the above costumes, and you’re planning to rock it at the bar on Saturday night, we beg of you,return it now. You might get some inebritated chuckles from friends, but the laughs will stop when you head to your next job interview. If you choose not to heed our warning, however, we won’t hold it against you. Heck, we’ll even help you find the pictures and take them down. Why? That’s just how we roll around here. Now go ahead and start planning next year’s costume.