The worst Halloween costume of 2011...so far
Horrible news: This is a totally real costume being sold online this year. It was also supposedly up for grabs in some stores until a few hours ago, when the the Village Voice, nay the world, got wind of it.
The only thing more depressing than the fact that anyone would dream up the Anna Rexia costume, a skeleton tube dress belted by measuring tape, is the fact that anyone would buy it.
Ricky's, New York's top costume chain store come Halloween time, was banking on it, until eagle eyes at the Village Voice called them out. Now they've removed the costume from their website and their stock.
Related link: Controversial t-shirt hits the racks
But it's still available for purchase at halloween websites we won't link out to. You could call it a controversial gag costume gone wrong, or you could call it bullying: anyone who would show up wearing this would undoubtedly make several people uncomfortable, even deeply upset. Here's what gets me upset: it's not just making fun of someone (most likely someone very young) with a life-threatening condition, it's sexy-fying that condition. (See extreme cleavage and bizarre bone bow.) Something about a factory manufacturing bones on dresses, stitching tape measure to the waists, and sealing them all up in boxes labeled "Anna Rexia costumes" gives me a feeling of profound emptiness.
Related link: J.C. Penney pulls offensive shirt from site
The dresses are sold in all women's sizes, but they don't appear to come in children's sizes, just yet. It's still only September. Oh Halloween, what happened to you?
