We’ve been sent good weather… And this mildly inappropriate Halloween costume.
A ‘sexy’ Handmaid’s Tale Halloween costume has been recalled due to the severe amount of backlash it received online.
The costume, sold as a ‘Brave Red Maiden’ outfit, appeared for sale by online retailer Yandy earlier this week.
It featured a long red cape and a white bonnet headpiece as per the popular Hulu series, The Handmaid’s Tale, and a short red dress and sultry-looking model as per a sexy Halloween costume.
The product description read:
“An upsetting dystopian future has emerged where women no longer have a say. However, we say be bold and speak your mind in this exclusive Brave Red Maiden costume.”
The outfit garnered a lot of criticism online due to the plot of the series itself, which follows a group of women who are dehumanised and raped, their only function being to carry children.
In the show, the women wear long red capes and white bonnet headpieces to keep their bodies and faces hidden from the public.
Many took to Twitter to express their confusion and annoyance that such a costume exists.
Yes, this is what the handmaid's tale was missing – more leg https://t.co/7A6vI7Vpnd
— amy louise doherty (@amyloudoherty) September 21, 2018
https://twitter.com/JessicaValenti/status/1042931440755781633
We're now beyond satire. "Sexy" Handmaid's Tale outfit. There's nothing like fighting the patriarchy by sexualising a show about misogyny and rape. ht @bustle pic.twitter.com/aTaAsc0Zhf
— Zoe Margolis🎗️ (@girlonetrack) September 20, 2018
However, others thought that the costume represented exactly what The Handmaid’s Tale was trying to portray – that women will always be sexualised by men even when wearing a long red cloak with a bonnet.
These people were mercilessly shouted down by the other people who found the costume offensive, however, eventually leading to Yandy removing the product from their website and issuing a statement.
They said:
“Over the last few hours, it has become obvious that our ‘Yandy Brave Red Maiden Costume’ is being seen as a symbol of women’s oppression, rather than an expression of women’s empowerment.
“This is unfortunate, as it was not our intention on any level.
“Our initial inspiration to create the piece was through witnessing its use in recent months as a powerful protest image.”
