‘Anne Frank Girls Costume’ Pulled from Halloween Site After Angering Social Media
‘Is Rosa Parks or Harriet Tubman next?’ one tweeter asked.
This is not an Onion article: A Halloween costume company removed an Anne Frank children’s costume from its site after extensive social criticism.
The “WW2 Anne Frank Girls Costume,” offered for sale by HalloweenCostumes.com, featured a “100% polyester” blue button-up dress, green beret, and brown cross-body bag on a smiling child. The description for the costume read:
“We can always learn from the struggles of history! Unfortunately, World War II shook the world in a way that no one could have foreseen. It showed us what true and mettle were. It also created some unexpected heroes, where even a young girl like Anne Frank with nothing but a diary and hope could become an inspiration to us all.
“Now your child can play the role of a World War II hero with this [girls’] World War II costume. It comes with a blue button-up dress, reminiscent of the kind of clothing that might be worn by a young girl during World War II.”
This comes on the tail of news that former White House Communications Director Anthony Scaramucci’s media outlet tweeted a poll Tuesday morning asking followers to vote on the number of Jews they believe were killed in the Holocaust.
The company pulled the costume, following social media’s slamming of its glaring oversight. Public Relations Specialist Ross Walker Smith tweeted an apology: “We sell costumes not only for Halloween, but for many uses outside of the Halloween season, such as school projects and plays. We have passed along the feedback regarding the costume, and it has been removed from the website at this time.”
But the damage seems to have been done, with many comparing the blunder to the use of blackface.
“Is Rosa Parks or Harriet Tubman next?” one tweeter asked.