by Claire Salzman
Since 24 million people suffer from eating disorders in the US*, there is a certain sensitivity toward the topic. But some people don’t know how far is too far. A new Halloween costume has created an uproar, as it attempts to sexify and mock eating disorders. This outfit, designed by the company Dreamgirl, is a low-cut black dress with the print of a skeleton on it and a red heart nametag reading “Anna Rexia.”
“[This costume] makes light of something really serious,” William Walters, coordinator at the National Eating Disorders Association, said to a New York newspaper, The Village Voice. “It’s hard for us to find it funny.”
No kidding. Anorexia is no laughing matter. It is the third most common chronic illness in adolescents with a mortality rate 12 times higher than that associated with all causes of death for females 15 to 24 years old.
Not to mention how tasteless the original idea was. The unfortunate decision to make the illness appear sexy by squeezing the costume on a blonde model whose bosom bursts from the skimpy black dress is utterly disgusting. What poor taste, especially considering the horrific effects anorexia has on the body. According to the eating disorder treatment center Avalon Hills, a person with anorexia has dry skin, brittle nails, fine hair growing all over the body and hair loss on the head, never mind the weight loss, which creates a sallow face and overly- pronounced ribs. Hardly a hot blonde with a big chest.
Nice attempt at a joke, Dreamgirl costume designers. You’re just a little light on humor.
*Statistics courtesy of National Association of Anorexia Nervosa and Associated Disorders
