Sexy Ebola Nurse Costume Stirring Up Halloween Controversy
A sexy Ebola nurse Halloween costume is generating quite a bit of controversy online, but the creator of the costume doesn’t see the big deal.
This month the online costume retailer Brands On Sale began selling a “sexy Ebola containment suit” costume, one that comes complete with a revealing nurse’s dress, an “Ebola face shield,” safety goggles and blue latex gloves.
“As the deadly Ebola virus trickles its way through the United States, fighting its disease is no reason to compromise style,” the description reads. “The short dress and chic gas mask will be the talk of Milan, London, Paris, and New York as the world’s fashionistas seek global solutions to hazmat couture.”
The sexy Ebola nurse costume costs around $60, though a pair of bright yellow rubber boots will cost extra.
Many believe the costume is in poor taste. Commenters online complained both about the insensitivity to the thousands of people killed by Ebola so far in the current outbreak and about a seeming lack of respect for women.
Ebola is not sexy. #nurseproblems pic.twitter.com/SdbpnJ7lwe
— Nurse Problems (@Nurse_Problems) October 28, 2014
There was also a bit of confusion about the sexy Ebola nurse costume itself. The first version of the costume to show up online was actually a fake, a mockup of a “sexy Breaking Bad” costume showing a scantily clad woman in a yellow Hazmat suit like the one the show’s characters wore to cook meth.
But the Brands On Sale version is very real, and company executives are defending their product. Company executive Johnathon Weeks said he doesn’t see the big deal about the Ebola nurse costume. Brands On Sale also carries other purposely controversial costumes, like a baby marijuana plant, he noted.
“Halloween is supposed to be fun. It is supposed to be outrageous,” he said. “People need to lighten up and have a sense of humor about this holiday.”
Despite the controversy, the sexy Ebola nurse costume is still very popular. Representatives from Brands On Sale say they have already sold quite a few copies of the outfit.
