Handmaid's Tale Costume Great for Protests, Not for Halloween

At least not the sexy version of it that just got Yandy into hot water
By Jenn Gidman,  Newser Staff
Posted Sep 21, 2018 1:45 PM CDT
Handmaid's Tale Costume Great for Protests, Not for Halloween
In this July 25, 2018, photo, women in favor of a measure to expand legal abortions, wearing red cloaks and white bonnets like the characters from the novel-turned-TV series "The Handmaid's Tale," march in silence to Congress in Buenos Aires, Argentina.   (AP Photo/Natacha Pisarenko)

Halloween costumes based on popular TV shows usually do well their first year out, but one new getup was nixed before the first pumpkin was carved. The Daily Dot reports Yandy.com, a retail site known for its sexy costumes, yanked one based on the Hulu series The Handmaid's Tale after "confusion and disgust" was the main reaction to it online. The costume, labeled "Yandy Brave Red Maiden Costume" and listing for $64.95, consisted of a short red dress, matching red cape, and white bonnet. The sultry-looking blonde model sporting the costume wore black high heels. The accompanying description: "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."

This all prompted an outcry on Twitter, namely because the concept behind the Hulu show, based on the Margaret Atwood novel, revolves around handmaidens who are raped and forced to carry pregnancies to term for elite families. Others tried to make light of it, noting that knockoffs of the handmaiden costumes are often worn at protests advocating for women's rights. And that seems to have been Yandy's original intent, at least according to a statement it put out after the pushback started. "It has become obvious that our … [costume] is being seen as a symbol of women's oppression, rather than an expression of women's empowerment," it said, adding that the costume has been pulled. (More Handmaid's Tale stories.)

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