A young woman was deeply offended by a sweater she saw sold at Target. She immediately grabbed it from the shelf and took a photo, in complete disbelief that a retailer could sell such a thing. Should Target still continue to sell it?
Reign Murphy was left deeply disturbed while shopping at Target after an ugly red, green and white sweater caught her eye. It wasn’t the color palette that was the problem, however. The words “insensitive” written across the front were what was really ugly for Reign. She was so disgusted that she took a photo and blasted the major American retailer.
Alongside a photo of herself holding the “offensive” top, which read “Obsessive Christmas Disorder”, Reign tweeted: “I would really appreciate it if you wouldn’t sell my mental illness as a fashion statement », admitting that she is suffering. real OCD. The tweet quickly went viral, receiving over a thousand retweets, as Target came under fire for the sweater which is priced at $22.40 for the regular size and $24 for the plus size.
Of course, cost disparity wasn’t the problem. Although “obsessive Christmas disorder” has become a phrase that many product designers have used on spin-off products, describing those who love all things Christmas and perhaps overdo it, the obsessive disorder game- compulsive behavior has angered some people with mental illness.
According to the National Institute of Mental Health, approximately 2.2 million American adults suffer from OCD, and many of them were apparently ready to speak out on the issue. Some customers, like Reign Murphy, felt the message on the shirt made light of mental illness and criticized the festive clothing for trivializing it. Kate Gannon joined Reign, tweeting a photo of the sweater.
Soon, Twitter was filled with similar sentiments as several other social media users blasted the retail giant. “I’m annoyed that we still live in a world where it’s okay to fool around when it comes to mental health” and “Why is trivializing a mental disorder so widely accepted?” are just a few of many critical tweets.
But others, including some who claimed to have OCD, felt the outrage was unnecessary and defended Target’s sale of the clothing. “As someone with OCD, Target’s OCD sweater doesn’t offend me at all,” one Twitter user posted, while another added humorously: “As someone with OCD, I don’t see no reason to be mad at Target’s “sweater offensive” – it’s perfectly uniform!
Target ultimately responded to the backlash with an apology, but appeared to tell customers to get over it at the same time. “We never want to disappoint any of our guests and apologize for any inconvenience,” Target spokeswoman Jessica Carlson said in an email. However, the sweater wasn’t going anywhere anytime soon despite outcry from those who felt the message was belittling and mocked as a serious mental disorder.
Although Target said the chain regretted that some customers were offended, they were not swayed by the harsh criticism, saying there were no plans to remove the item until the end of the season or before until it is exhausted. “We are not currently considering removing this sweater” Carlson said, responding to the outrage.
This isn’t the first time — and we don’t think it will be the last — that Target has been at the center of controversy over its choice of attire. A women’s T-shirt with the word “Trophy” on the front received similar criticism and sparked a petition demanding its removal from store shelves. The shirt appeared to be a play on “trophy wife,” a term coined in a 1989 article about successful CEOs and their young wives, but critics saw something very different.
“The truth is that millions of women and girls are taken as ‘trophies’ in wars, sex trafficking, slavery and rape every year,” the petition states. “To call someone a ‘Trophy’ is to demean their humanity and objectify them as a tangible object that can be bought, used and disposed of. »
Target responded to this controversy by apologizing for offending customers. “It is never our intention to offend anyone,” the company’s statement said. “These shirts are designed as a fun nod and we have received an overwhelmingly positive response from our guests.”
Something upsetting can be found in just about anything if you’re looking for a reason to be offended, and this might be one of those cases. But a good point has been made. One woman asked why it was okay to joke about mental illness on a product, but not about a terminal illness, like cancer, since any adverse condition or diagnosis can harm a person’s life. Again, comedy is not meant to be serious because it often makes fun of solemn situations.
Humor can be a great coping mechanism when facing serious issues, including illness and disorder. After all, isn’t laughter the best medicine? The question then arises as to which is worse: making a joke or engaging in emotional blackmail to manipulate others and get what you want?
If “I’m offended” is an instant reason why someone should stop what they’re doing, we’d be in a lot of trouble. If you don’t like the shirt, it might be wiser not to buy it. And maybe it’s best not to give the “offending” retailer and their “insensitive” products free publicity by sharing your outrage on social media.
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