Halloween is a couple of weeks away, but we already know what costume is sure to ruffle a few feathers and cause some outrage: Ebola-themed attires. Some Halloween retailers are already stocking up on costumes related to the deadly virus, according to the Associated Press.
There are reportedly "Ebola zombies," "sexy Ebola patients" and "fake Hazmat suits" already on the market.
"People are definitely asking about an Ebola-type costume," said Richard Parrott, president of Ricky's NYC, a Halloween costume shop.
Parrott told AP that he considered selling Ebola-themed costumes and donating a portion of the proceeds to finding a cure, but ultimately decided against it, saying, "it probably crosses a line that we don't want to cross."
Online costume retailer BrandsOnSale, is not afraid of crossing that line and offers an "Ebola containment suit costume" for $79.99.
"The deadly Ebola virus has landed in the United States and the crisis has reached new levels of domestic escalation. You are sure to be prepared if any outbreak happens at your Halloween party. This will literally be the most 'viral' costume of the year," the site wrote.
The costume comes with a fake hazmat suit, face shield, breathing mask, safety eye glasses and blue latex gloves. The rubber boots are not included, the site wrote.
Jonathan Weeks, chief executive of BrandsOnSale, told AP that it has already sold "about a dozen" of the fake Hazmat suits and it was the "most shared item" on its social media pages.
"We don't stray away from anything that's current or controversial or anything like that," Weeks said. "If I told you we had a toddler ISIS costume in the works, your mouth would drop."
And just in case you were wondering if he actually does have an ISIS costume for a toddler, Weeks told AP, "I will definitely let you know when that goes on sale. I can tell you it will come complete with a fake machine gun."
Do you think the Ebola-themed Halloween costumes are insensitive?
