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Greg Evans
Sep 21, 2018
Imagine, for just a moment, you are prepping for a Halloween costume party and consider dressing as a character from a popular TV show.
You could choose Game of Thrones, Breaking Bad or The Walking Dead. All of those would work for such an event.
Maybe you might think about The Handmaid's Tale. After all, it's one of the most popular shows on television at the moment and Handmaid's have been seen at political protests around the world.
Once again, this would be a great choice of outfit, but perhaps don't add any artistic or 'sexy' flourishes as that almost definitely wouldn't be in keeping with the show, where women are oppressed member's of a ruthless totalitarian state which has reduced them to nothing more than a vessel for giving birth to children.
Clearly, someone at the fashion brand Yandy, which specialises in Halloween costumes, hasn't seen The Handmaid's Tale, as they thought it was appropriate to release a sexy Handmaid's outfit which was referred to as the 'Brave Red Maiden Costume'.
Picture: Yandy
The description of the outfit 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.
Once people caught wind of this you can imagine the uproar it created, as it completely flies in the face of every message of resistance and defiance that the show and Margaret Atwood's novel promoted.
On the other hand, some people have suggested that it is a great piece of satire and exactly the sort of thing that the handmaids would do to defy their oppressors.
Regardless, the outrage that the costume created has caused Yandy to completely pull the product (which cost $64.95) from their website and issue a statement.
It reads as follows:
Yandy always has stood, and will continue to stand, at the forefront of encouraging our customers to "Own Your Sexy". We support our customers being comfortable in their skin, regardless of who they are or what they choose to wear. Our corporate ideology is rooted in female empowerment, and gender empowerment overall.
Over the last few hours, it has become obvious that our 'Yandy Brave Red Maiden Costume'Â 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.
Given the sincere, heartfelt response, supported by numerous personal stories we've received, we are removing the costume from our site.
This isn't the first time that The Handmaid's Tale has inappropriately adopted by brands wishing to cash in on the show's popularity.
Earlier this year a lingerie brand released a line of clothing inspired by the shows lead character, Offread. Elsewhere a wine company was forced to cancel a new set of drinks that were based upon three characters from the show.
HT Mashable
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