THIS Halloween costume has caused uproar in Australia. 'We're people, like...'
Big W insane asylum Halloween costume
Australian stores have been called out for selling an "insane asylum" Halloween costume, with mental health advocacy group SANE saying that it reinforced negative stereotypes about mental illness.
CEO Rachel Green pointed at Big Retail Chain W for selling the straitjacket costumes in a LinkedIn post and asked retailers to remove them from their shelves immediately. SANE released a press statement, calling all major retailers to cease selling costumes that "are stereotyping people living with complex mental health issues".
Big W has since removed the costumes from its shelves.
In her LinkedIn post, Rachel shared her own photo alongside pictures of the Halloween costume and wrote, "Hey Spotlight Retail Group (SRG) and Big W check out my selfie...this is what a mental patient really looks like."
"Living with mental health issues isn't a Halloween costume. Please do better and pull these products from sale. We're people, like you."
Green said people willing to sell and wear such costumes show how society still treats mental illness.
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"This is hurtful stuff and the fact that it's still considered acceptable to sell as a costume, to wear as a costume, really reveals the level of stigma that's still present in the community around mental illness," Green told 9news.com.au.
Also Read:Halloween surprise! A curse and witches' marks found in centuries-old UK house
Big W apologises for Halloween costume
A Big W spokesperson told 9news.com.au that as soon as they became aware of the complaint, they pulled the "insane asylum" costume.
"We are sorry for any impact we may have caused to the community in having this costume available in our Halloween range," they said.
"We have spoken with SANE Australia to understand the impact of stigma and experiences of people with complex mental health issues and their families, and are aligned with their position and values," they added in their statement.
"We will continue the conversation to take a proactive approach in line with our values around mental health and wellbeing."
Green says while she is happy to see Big W removing it from their stores, many other stores are still selling them.
She hopes that people and retailers will understand the kind of message these costumes deliver to those living with mental health concerns.
"It isn't okay to make fun of someone with a mental illness," Green said. "We don't see cancer patient costumes, and we'd be horrified if we did."
According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics' National Study of Mental Health and Wellbeing (2020-2022), more than 40 per cent of Australians aged 16–85 have suffered from a mental disorder at some time in their life.
