Summer isn't even over yet and Halloween costumes are already causing quite the stir. As we saw last year with several Ebola costumes, it was only a matter of time before this year's most controversial costume made news, and it's Caitlyn Jenner's Vanity Fair cover. While nothing will ever be able to stop people from dressing as Caitlyn themselves, one Halloween retailer took it upon itself to put the outfit together for those who will be willing to wear it.
Spirit Halloween confirmed last week that a Caitlyn Jenner costume would appear in its pop-up stores at some point this year, according to New York Daily News. While the costume itself can be seen as insensitive, Spirit sees it more as a nationwide money maker. "Of course!" Trisha Lobardo, the company's PR and marketing head, said about the rumors. "Caitlyn Jenner has proven to be the most important real-life superhero of the year, and Spirit Halloween is proud to carry the costume that celebrates her." She said that the company could not reveal any details on the costume but that it would go up for sale sometime in the next four to six weeks.
One Caitlyn Jenner costume hit the Internet much sooner than that, though. The Unisex Call Me Caitlyn Costume went up for pre-order earlier this week for $75, according to Time. A few major costume websites like Whole Sale Costumes, Costume Super Center and Anytime Costumes are already selling the outfit, which is inspired by the famous Vanity Fair cover.
"You probably won't break any Twitter records when you wear this outfit like Caitlyn did," one site's description of the costume reads, according to Buzzfeed. "But you'll be sure to get a few laughs out of your friends and the other guests at the get together."
Apparently, it is meant to celebrate and honor Jenner as a transgender icon instead of making fun of her, but we can imagine most people won't see it that way.
"Do not turn Caitlyn Jenner into a costume. Your profit will only lead to greater transphobia and marginalization of an already at-risk community. To make a costume out of a marginalized identity reduces that person and community to a stereotype for privileged people to abuse," activist Addison Rose Vincent said in a Change.org petition asking Spirit to get rid of their costume. "In this case, if you follow through with production of a Caitlyn Jenner costume, cisgender people will purchase it to make fun of her and our community."
As if a Caitlyn Jenner costume isn't bad enough in some people's eyes, a Dr. Walter Palmer costume has also been released, according to TMZ. So if dressing like a iconic transgender figure isn't up your alley, you could always go as the dentist who killed the beloved lion Cecil. This costume, named Lion Killer Dentist Costume, is going for $60 and comes with a severed lion's head, a smock, gloves, dentist tools and fake blood for splattering. Jonathon Weeks, CEO of Costumeish, said that it went on sale at midnight and not a single one has been sold yet. Fifteen percent of sales are going to the African Wildlife Foundation's "Justice for Cecil." You could also avoid the costume altogether, though, by just donating here.
There’s now a Caitlyn Jenner Halloween costume and it's as terrible as you expected https://t.co/R1v7bQbf9f pic.twitter.com/aLYjr1Wv59
— BuzzFeed (@BuzzFeed) August 25, 2015
