A "Call Me Caitlyn Unisex Adult Costume" was recently released on Spirit Halloween's website. The outfit portrayed in the "costume" is strikingly similar to the ensemble Caitlyn Jenner when debuting her new look on the cover of Vanity Fair. Once the image went viral, viewers were having a hard time deciphering whether the "costume" was supposed to be inspirational or comical.
Most viewers steered toward the latter. Despite the immense amount of negative feedback the Caitlyn Jenner inspired getup received, Spirit Halloween refuses to take their costume off the market and will continue to sell it, according to Gossip Cop.
As the backlash continued to pour in, many viewers slammed the costume and the company for being transphobic. A digital petition soon launched to have the costume removed from retailers, so it would not be accessible to any potential customers. Sickened by the image and the message it gave off, many of the angered viewers believed the petition was working, but Spirit Halloween denied the rumors.
"The Caitlyn Costume was never taken down from SpiritHalloween.com," the organization said. "The exclusive Spirit Halloween Caitlyn Corset and Caitlyn Wig launched online on August 26 and will be available in stores in late September."
A photo posted by The Shade Room (@theshaderoominc) on Aug 25, 2015 at 5:23pm PDT
Spirit Halloween later confirmed the "costume" image that's been floating around since Tuesday (Aug. 25) and garnering negative press is not the same outfit they plan on selling through their online store. The first image seen above is the official Spirit Halloween "Call Me Caitlyn Unisex Adult Costume," while the image below it (the one causing most of the negative backlash) is an image from another site.
"Spirit Halloween does not design or sell any costumes to other retailers. Spirit developed an exclusive Caitlyn Corset and Caitlyn Wig for sale by Spirit Halloween only. Any other imagery or merchandise is not related to Spirit Halloween," the company said.
Caitlyn Jenner has inspired and continues to inspire millions of people around the world to be true to themselves. She was recently honored at the 2015 Espys with the Arthur Ashe Courage Award, where she delivered a heartfelt speech about her experience. Jenner is currently allowing the world to follow her through her transitioning journey in the E! documentary series, I Am Cait, which airs Sundays at 8 p.m. ET.
