Please Don't Be A Sexy Handmaid For Halloween

This ‘sexy’ Handmaid costume is just a big NOPE all around

In “literally no one asked for this” news, retailer Yandy (known for their lingerie and Halloween costumes) thought a “sexy” version of a Handmaid was a great idea for women this Halloween.

A. Sexy. Handmaid. Which begs the question: who thinks the torturous existence women must endure in a terrorizing dystopia that forces them into sex slavery is…sexy? Clearly, no one at Yandy has read (or watched) Margaret Atwood’s The Handmaid’s Tale.

Yandy’s website motto urges everyone to “own your sexy.” Not really sure how a harrowing symbol of protest for women’s reproductive rights and body autonomy is, again, “sexy.” But the “Brave Red Maiden” costume description assures us that it is.

“An upsetting dystopian future has emerged where women no longer have a say,” the product description reads. “However, we say be bold and speak your mind in this exclusive Brave Red Maiden costume featuring a red mini dress, a matching cloak with an attached hood, and a white bonnet headpiece.”

Unfortunately, the pantyhose are not included. Neither is self-awareness — for both the wearer and the undoubtedly male marketing shlubs who all sat in a meeting and thought this was a perfectly reasonable idea. And as a former marketing copywriter myself, I know there’s no way in Brave Red Hell whoever wrote that description gets paid enough to turn in that kind of drivel.

Naturally, literally every single person with eyeballs and a modicum of intelligence weighed in on why this is a horrible, terrible, no-good idea.

After getting brutally roasted for hours online, Yandy removed the Brave Red Maiden costume from its site. Which, upon seeing it, one would think “Well, at least they’re listening? Maybe?” But you would be wrong, because the statement they issued on the decision to remove it is just the kind of condescending, tone-deaf response you should expect from a company who thought this was a good idea in the first place.

They repeat their company motto about “owning your sexy” or whatever, and try to convince us that their corporation stands for female empowerment. LOL.

“Over the last few hours, it has become obvious that our “Yandy Brave Red Maiden Costume” is being seen as a symbol of women’s oppression, rather than an expression of women’s empowerment. This is unfortunate, as it was not our intention on any level. Our initial inspiration to create the piece was through witnessing its use in recent months as a powerful protest image.”

To which I say: