The "Anna Rexia" Halloween costume, which sparked controversy a couple of years ago when it was first unveiled, is back and more offensive than ever.
The costume, if the name didn't make this clear, is a play on anorexia nervosa, a serious eating disorder. This did not go over well in 2011, but has resurfaced.
Halloweenparty13 (dot) com is selling the "Anna Rexia" costume for $ 39.99, using the same contentious tagline: "You can never be too rich or too thin."
Featuring a glitter screen-print skeleton mini-dress, a choker neckband, measuring tape belt and an "Anna Rexia" badge, the outfit is begging for backlash.
Dreamgirls International, the costume manufacturer, said in an earlier statement: "We understand that some people will not find the dark humor funny."
Calling Halloween "an eccentric holiday" for people to express themselves in "myriad ways," they dismiss criticism as "a matter of taste and personal discretion.â€
It seems Dreamgirls has changed its tune since, however.
Hypervocal recently spoke to Dreamgirls Director of Marketing Lar Hovsepian, who told them that the "Anna Rexia" costume has been discontinued.
"At this point it's out of our control," he said.
There are still units being sold by retailers, however. One of them Halloweenstore (dot) com has responded to the backlash on its Facebook page:
"We have received emails and Facebook attacks for a costume that has not been sold since 2011 ... We did NOT design, manufacture, etc this costume."
"We are a small family business that sold this costume, just as thousands of other stores did," the statement says, though the item is still available.
Sounds like an awful lot of disavowing and shoulder-shrugging going on, while still making "Anna Rexia" for sale if you look around hard enough.
What do you think of the costume?
