I must admit that I have participated in the whole slutty Halloween costume phenomenon on a few occasions – I mean modesty just doesn’t work at the West Hollywood Halloween extravaganza. But, this costume, which was recently brought to my attention, is totally unacceptable and horrifying. The costume is called “Anna-Rexia,” and consists of a woman dressing up as a slutty anorexic (see picture below). I don’t even know where to begin. I realize that Halloween is a time when political correctness is not a priority, but an anorexic costume is neither funny nor cute. Anorexia is a serious disorder that afflicts thousands of young girls. This costume, at best, trivializes a terrible disease, and at worst, suggests to young girls that anorexia is something that they should or can strive for. Moreover, think about the type of reaction this costume would elicit in a recovering anorexic who sees someone wearing it on the street. The creators of this costume should be ashamed of themselves, and I hope that there aren’t any women out there who are disrespectful enough to buy it.
It’s like when the FDA started going after the e-cigarette because they claimed it was a “safe alternative to smoking.” It was one of those, “Well what did you think was going to happen” moments. If they had just advertised it as “A way to quit smoking,” it would have got as much attention as the gum, patch, etc.
The costume looks like a regular ole slutty skeleton costume with a buxomous (read: implants) plastic barbie girl as its model. If they had just named it something other than “Anna-Rexia,” it probably would have gone by totally unnoticed.
Then again, maybe that’s just what they were going for: controversy and such.