WITH HALLOWEEN JUST AROUND THE CORNER, IT IS NO SURPRISE
THAT OFFENSIVE QUESTIONS ARE SPOOKING THE INTERNET.
ONE COSTUME, ANNA REXIA, HAS GONE TOO FAR AND GARNERED A
POWERFUL RESPONSE FROM A PERSON WHO WAS DIAGNOSED WITH
ANOREXIA WHEN SHE WAS 19.
THE DISEASE DOESN'T LOOK LIKE A SEXY SKELETON, BUT RATHER,
FOUR YEARS OF HOSPITALIZATION, A FEEDING TUBE BECAUSE YOU
STARVE YOURSELF SO MUCH THAT YOUR BODY DOESN'T RECOGNIZE
FOOD AS A GOOD THING AND TRIES TO ATTACK ITSELF.
REFEEDING SYNDROME, WHICH CAN KILL YOU.
EMOTIONAL STRUGGLES FOR YEARS.
A FATHER CRYING AND PRAYING ON HIS KNEES BEGGING FOR YOU TO GET
HELP.
THE MOTHER WHO CRIES EVERY TIME SHE SEES YOU BECAUSE YOU
LOOK AND SMELL OF DEATH.
HOLIDAYS MISSED, BIRTHDAYS CRYING IN A HOSPITAL THAT
ALMOST EVERY MAJOR ORGAN IN YOUR BODY FAILING.
HER LIST WENT ON.
SHE SAYS, WANT TO DRESS LIKE ANOREXIA?
DRESS LIKE A VAMPIRE OR A ZOMBIE, BECAUSE ONE THIRD OF US
ARE
DEAD.
EATING DISORDERS ARE A DISEASE AND A LOT OF PEOPLE DON'T
REALLY TAKE THEM SERIOUSLY IN THE FIRST PLACE.
AND TO SEE THAT COSTUME REALLY JUST MADE ME THINK OKAY, I
CANNOT BE SILENT ABOUT THIS ANYMORE.
I NEED TO SHOW THE HARSH REALITY THAT IS ANOREXIA.
IT'S NOT A JOKE.
I THINK COSTUMES LIKE ANOREXIA REALLY SHOW HOW MUCH WE AS
A SOCIETY HAVE TO LEARN ABOUT MENTAL ILLNESS AND THE WAY
IT AFFECTS PEOPLE AROUND US.
TO KNOW THAT IF YOU SUFFER FROM AN EATING DISORDER,
YOU AREN'T A JOKE.
SHE MAKES A GOOD POINT.
WE WON'T HAVE A COSTUME THAT IS DEPRESSION, OR CANCER.
I DON'T SEE IT, I KNOW.
IT'S A SHITTY COSTUME ANYWAY.
I'M GOING TO VOTE AGAINST HER.
I AM A JERK AGAIN, RIGHT?
IS SHE RIGHT ABOUT ANOREXIA?
OF COURSE IS.
DOES THAT MEAN SHE IS RIGHT ABOUT THE COSTUME?
WELL, IT DOES AFFECT PEOPLE AND HAVE ALL THE EFFECTS THAT
YOU LISTED, BUT IF WE ELIMINATE EVERYTHING THAT YOU CAN DIE FROM
ñ LOOK, SKELETONS ARE DEAD, THEY DIED FROM SOMETHING AND I'M
SURE IT IS TRAGIC BECAUSE THEY DIED.
I VERY MUCH AGREE WITH THAT.
SHE SAW THAT AS SOMETHING MORE AS JUST A SEXY OUTFIT.
I AM DISTURBED BY THE SKELETON UNDERNEATH BECAUSE
IT HAS NO LEG BONES.
YOU CAN'T DO THAT.
SHE CLEARLY HAS LEGS.
I DISAGREE WITH YOU, ANOREXIA HAS THE HIGHEST MORTALITY RATE.
MAKING LIGHT OF THAT ñ I GET WHAT YOU ARE SAYING ABOUT
PC CULTURE, BUT MAKING LIGHT OF PEOPLE THAT ARE SICK IS NOT ñ
BUT IT'S FUNNY, ANNA REXIA.
90 PERCENT OF ANOREXIA VICTIMS ARE WOMEN.
I JUST THINK IT WENT TOO FAR.
I GET THE JOKING, AND BLAH BLAH.
MY THOUGHT IS THAT THIS STARTED AS A SKELETON
COSTUME AND THEY TRIED TO NAME IT WITH A CLEVER NAME.
BUT I THINK THE POINT I MUST AGREE WITH IS THE
SPECIFICITY OF NAMING THE DISEASE.
I THOUGHT THE SAME THING ABOUT THE SKELETONS.
THE SPECIFICITY OF IT IS GOING TO PISS PEOPLE OFF.
AND RIGHTFULLY SO.
I THINK THINGS LIKE THIS ARE GREAT BECAUSE IF SOMEONE IS
LIKE LISTEN, I WANT TO MAKE LIGHT OF ANOREXIA, THIS IS
MY COSTUME, AND THIS IS FUNNY FOR ME TO DEDICATE ONE OF
MY HALLOWEEN'S TO THIS OUTFIT, I CAN SAY THAT IS NOT VERY FUNNY.
AND THEN MOVE ON.
THE WHOLE MARKETPLACE WILL KIND OF TAKE CARE OF THIS.
AND IT GIVE SOMEONE WITH ANOREXIA WHO HAS BEEN
FACING AN UPHILL BATTLE AGAINST A DISEASE FOR YEARS, IT
GIVES HER A PLATFORM TO SAY HEY, LET'S TAKE THIS SERIOUSLY,
YOU CAN MAKE YOUR JOKE, BUT I CAN MAKE MY POINT.
WE HAVE TO DO A POLL ON THIS.
IS THIS COSTUME OFFENSIVE OR NOT?
EVERYONE IS MAKING A GOOD POINT.
I GET IT, A CANCER OUTFIT SUCKS.
NO ONE IS LAUGHING ABOUT THAT.
NO ONE WOULD THINK TO DO THAT.
I KNEW A GUY WHO WENT AS A BACK ALLEY PUSHER.
YOU THINK IT'S FUNNY, DON'T YOU?
I DO.
I DON'T KNOW WHY.
I'M SURE THIS WAS FUNNY ñ
TO DRESS UP AS SOMEONE THAT WAS MENTALLY CHALLENGED.
BUT NOW PEOPLE KNOW THAT IS NOT COOL.
BUT HOW MANY THINGS CAN BE DECLARED NOT COOL ñ
IN MY MIND, I SEPARATE THE TWO THINGS COMPLETELY.
ON THE OTHER HAND, IF WE ELIMINATE EVERY TYPE OF OUTFIT ñ
BUT THERE IS A LINE THERE.
THERE ARE A LOT OF PEOPLE THAT DIED FROM THIS.
EBOLA WAS BIG LAST YEAR.
THERE ARE TWO BIG DIFFERENCES
IN A CONSTANT FOR THAT.
DO YOU KNOW WHAT I MEAN?
I LIKE PUNS TOO MUCH.
YOU HAVE TO THINK ABOUT THE MEDIUM IN WHICH YOU ARE
MAKING YOUR JOKE.
OBVIOUSLY YOU SHOULD SELL THIS COSTUME BECAUSE IT LOOKS
LIKE A SCARY SEXY NURSE.
IT DOESN'T LOOK LIKE ANOREXIA AT ALL.
WHEN PEOPLE SEE A COSTUME, THEY ARE WALKING IN ON THE
PUNCHLINE OF THE JOKE WITHOUT ANY SETUP.
YOU CAN'T STEP EVERYONE ON THE STREETS AND SAY HERE IS THE
WHOLE SETUP OF MY JOKE.
JUST BEAR THAT IN MIND WHEN YOU ARE FORMULATING YOUR COSTUME.
FINALLY, OF COURSE HANNAH IS RIGHT, THERE IS A LINE
SOMEWHERE.
THE QUESTION IS, DOES THIS GO OVER IT OR NOT ñ I DON'T KNOW.
HANNAH YOU SAY YES.
AND I THINK YOU ARE AT A YES?
I THINK AS PRESENTED BY THE COMPANY WHO IS SELLING IT,
IT CROSSES A CERTAIN LINE, BUT I DON'T IN ANY WAY THINK THEY
SHOULD STOP SELLING IT.
I THINK PEOPLE SHOULD BUY IT.
I WOULD LET THE MARKETPLACE HANDLE IT.
AND YOU SAY WITHIN TWO YEARS THEY ARE OUT OF BUSINESS
WITH THIS ANOREXIA COSTUME?
SURE.
WHY NOT.
I AM SUPER CURIOUS TO SEE WHAT THE AUDIENCE VOTES.
I THINK THEY WILL VOTE ON MY SIDE.