Australian shops are pulling an “offensive” straight-jacket costume off of their shelves after backlash from a mental health organization.
Big W caved to the pressure from the mental health organization SANE and is no longer selling the “Insane Asylum Costume.”
The straight-jacket features “Property of the County Mental Institution. Approach with caution,” written across the back.
“This crazed patient is out of control! If you find yourself in the maximum security psych ward at your local hospital or slammer this Halloween, this outfit will be perfect!” the costume’s description reads.
SANE called the costume “archaic, offensive and stigmatising” in their campaign to have the costume cancelled.
“It’s hard enough managing your own internal voices and shame – so to see this kind of language with costumes stocked online from brands like Spotlight Retail Group and Big W is pretty disappointing,” Luke Marshall, a board member for SANE wrote on his LinkedIn, according to a report from Yahoo Lifestyle.
Christina Farrell, a psychologist at Balanced Living Psychology told the outlet that retailers selling the costume “had not considered that we have moved way beyond people with mental health concerns being in an institution and that it’s a completely inappropriate portrayal of mental health today.”
“It’s so negative and incongruous with the information kids and teenagers are given about mental health from all their other channels – school, parents and social media,” Farrell continued. “Plus, mental health doesn’t even have a place in Halloween which is about death and spirits. It shouldn’t be linked at all.”
Big W has apologized for selling the costume.
“We are sorry for any impact we may have caused to the community in having this costume available in our Halloween range. As soon as we were made aware, we immediately removed it from sale on Big W Market on October, 29” a spokesperson for Big W told Yahoo.
The statement continued, “We have spoken with SANE Australia to understand the impact of stigma and experiences of people with complex mental health issues and their families, and are aligned with their position and values.”
The costume is still available on Amazon.
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