Amrin Amin’s foodpanda Halloween Costume Prompts Debate Over Dressing as a Delivery Rider

Former Singapore MP Amrin Amin’s Halloween outfit has set off a debate over whether dressing as a delivery rider is harmless costume fun or an insensitive choice. Amin shared a photo of himself in a pink foodpanda shirt and helmet after attending the Chip Bee Gardens Halloween street party on Oct. 31. He joked in his social media post that he was “still waiting for [his] delivery backpack”, then paid tribute to riders who keep orders arriving “through heat, rain or haze”. Amin also urged customers to go easy on ratings if a delivery was running late, adding that he had “much respect” for the workers. The outfit drew criticism from some online users, who argued that delivery work is a real job and that turning it into a costume could come across as tone-deaf. Others pushed back, saying people regularly dress up as workers in professions such as nursing, medicine and policing. The disagreement left Amin’s costume at the centre of a wider question about where playful dressing-up ends and disrespect begins. The post included a nod to the demands faced by riders, but that did not stop some viewers from objecting to the choice of outfit. Mothership said it had reached out to Amin for comment. The article did not report a response from him.