Join us Sept. 14-16 in Miami to connect with top publishing leaders
‘Transphobic:’ Online retailers blasted over Caitlyn Jenner Halloween costume
With all the hype surrounding Caitlyn Jenner, this was only inevitable: There’s now a Halloween costume based off her Internet-breaking Vanity Fair cover.
With a price of $50 to $75, the unisex costume sheer white costume includes a wig styled after Jenner’s hair, shorts and a “pageant sash” that reads “Call Me Caitlyn.”
“The costume is a daring and humorous piece that is something fun for Halloween,” reads a description on Wholesale Costume Club. Other retailers, including well-known Spirit Halloween and AnyTime Costumes, said it’s also planning to sell it.
Even though Halloween isn’t for another 66 days, shoppers are already expressing their outrage on Twitter, blasting the outfit as “transphobic,” “dreadful” and “disgusting.” Here are some of the most heated opinions:
I’m always down to educate but having to explain why Caitlyn Jenner costumes are transphobic and bad is disheartening.
— thick white goddess (@emfection) August 25, 2015
In all honesty if you dress as Caitlyn Jenner for Halloween expect me to remove you from my life in every way, shape, and form. — madi. (@madimoisellee) August 24, 2015
The struggle that Caitlyn Jenner has to face isn’t a Halloween costume. Whoever made this is a shitty person. pic.twitter.com/dlwP4LJraw
— RXB SPXXRS (@Sonickid1234) August 13, 2015
The fact that they used a man to model the Caitlyn Jenner costume is beyond disgusting… — Lily (@luxxlily) August 25, 2015
Of course, it’s well-documented how un-politically correct Halloween costumes have been for years and others online have pointed out that this is just this year’s “Sexy Ebola Costume” that also angered people.
Mass outcry over Caitlyn Jenner Halloween costume but nothing about the ongoing Indian Chief, Mexican mariachi, Geisha or other costumes
— TOOTHTAKER (@i_toothtaker) August 22, 2015
Either way, the costume is viewed as offensive to the transgender community who are calling on Spirit Halloween to stop selling it.
Activists have launched a Change.org petition saying Spirit’s profit off the costume “will only lead to greater transphobia and marginalization of an already at-risk community.” It has garnered 1,800 signatures.
That hasn’t seem to deter Spirit from selling it. Lisa Barr, the senior director of marketing at Spirit, told CNBC that it’s a celebration of her and the “costume reflects just that.”
Spirit hasn’t yet answered Digiday’s request for comment about how sales are going. Regardless, the retailer is probably reveling in the attention just as much as Jenner is, albeit for different reasons.
More in Marketing
Future of Marketing Briefing: The public ad tech era is over
Gone are the days when investors got themselves in a tizzy over ad networks, demand-side platforms and supply-side platforms on their own merits.
By the numbers: Wall Street’s tough assessment of ad tech
Big Tech continues to dominate digital growth, triggering a Wall Street exodus, but are returns imminent?
CMOs are struggling to link AI visibility with sales
Brands are spending on tools that rate their visibility within LLM responses and AI search, but proving the commercial impact of GEO remedies isn’t easy.