Check out my progress on In Poor Taste
As Halloween draws near, we all begin to dream up our costumes for the big night—it has to be creative, witty, unique, or perhaps all three. However, the costume pictured below fits none of those criteria and instead manages to simultaneously insult and disgust me. I present to you the “Anna Rexia” costume:
That’s right, costume retailer Ricky’s thought it would be a good idea to poke fun at the millions of anorexia sufferers with this slutty skeleton costume. As Mean Girls has explained, girls will wear pretty much wear anything skank-tastic on Halloween, but I’m pretty sure this costume would not be well-received by anyone.
Now, I can take a joke as much as anyone else…but this is one instance where it is so not okay to kid around. Anorexia nervosa has the highest mortality rate of any psychological disorder (a staggering 10-15%), and it devastates the lives of thousands—not only physically but also psychologically and emotionally.
As someone who has personally experienced anorexia nervosa and devoted much of my education toward more fully understanding eating disorders, I consider this costume an indication of how truly ignorant most of the world is about the realities of this class of diseases. Anorexia nervosa is not just an “extreme diet.” No, it is a debilitating condition that has the capacity to destroy everything from sexual function to hair health to personal relationships.
Shame on you, Ricky’s for trying to make a buck by mocking an already emotionally broken population.
What do you think of the “Anna Rexia” costume? Am I overreacting?
Alright, I’ll step off my soapbox now. Let’s get onto the fun stuff—the food!
I decided to start off the week right with a batch of banana-bloob oats.
For lunch, I made a Mock Tuna Salad wrap, served alongside my Acorn Squash Soup. Love, love, love this combination—it satisfied my salty tooth:)
Afterward, I made an Ellie recipe for a snack: Honey Mustard Turkey Roll Ups.
My tweaks:
-I used tempeh bacon instead of turkey.
-I made my roll-ups inside out, using the lettuce as the “wrap” instead of the tempeh bacon.
This was quite a tasty little snack! I generally gravitate toward fruit and yogurt (i.e., sweet foods) come snack-time, but I really enjoyed this smoky-tangy wrap combo.
My infatuation with squash continued this evening, as I made more spaghetti squash, topped with my Homemade White Bean & Mushroom Pasta Sauce. Too bad I hate vegetables so much, huh?
OK, I am going to go indulge in some TV then hit the hay. Good night!
Filed under: Meals
Caroline Yoder, dietitian-to-be and all-around foodie.
Dumb costume doesn’t even make any sense!
That costume made me mad too…..yet, it is just one of the multitude of jokes aimed at eating disorders.
Humor is ubiquitous in our culture and I think it’s okay. To an extent.
Jokes are jokes but…sometimes? They go too far. I wrote about it here:
http://missymiller.wordpress.com/2011/08/01/that-jokes-not-funny-anymore/
The costume was not funny. At all. It’s time people recognize that anorexia is more than some immature attempt to be thin like a Victoria Secret model. It’s akin to psychophrenia or autism….it’s a disease.
That costume is ridiculous, horrible, and just wrong on so many levels! That should never have even been thought of. I just cannot believe a company would stoop that low. Shame on them indeed!
Yummy food though! I think you may have finally convinced me to get that cookbook!
That costume is quite offense, very very dumb.
No question that costume was in poor taste. I wonder how many were sold–I may live in a sheltered environment, but I can’t imagine anyone actually wearing that and thinking it was a great choice. Needless to say, Ricky’s will never get dollar one from me.
Caroline, thank you so much for speaking out against this costume. As someone who has also struggled with anorexia, it makes me want to cry that someone would create a costume for this… in my eyes, this would be as detrimental as dressing up like someone with a handicap of some sort. For some, it’s not a choice and it more painful than people could ever know (as you know). Whew, sorry for the ranting, but thank you for raising awareness! Blessings, Chloe`
That costume is awful….disgusting, offensive, and makes me ashamed and embarrassed. Agreed.
You’re not overreacting. I think the costume undermines the severity of ALL types of eating disorders, really.
what a hideous costume idea. i hope someone gets fired over this. seriously. awful.
I’m all for ridiculous costumes at Halloween as long as they’re not blatantly offensive, as this one clearly is. Any costume that pokes fun at an illness–do you see cancer costumes? Diabetes?–crosses that line and is completely inappropriate.
That costume has been around for a couple of years, and while I couldn’t care less–I don’t associate with anyone who would wear that crap–I look forward to it taking a hike off the shelves. Have fun, but be respectful people.
You are definitely not overreacting. “Sexy” Halloween costumes are misogynistic enough; this one takes it to a whole new level of anti-woman sentiment. I’m physically repulsed by it. Shame on Ricky’s!
That costume is horrible. I’m with you – anorexia is not a joke.
What a horrible costume idea. You’re not overreacting one bit. As Abby said, it would be like wearing a cancer or diabetes costume-it crosses the line and is inappropriate.
I am sorry, but Anorexia is NOT a joke. People die from the disease all of the time! I would not support this costume at all and I am a little disgusted someone would think this is funny.