Big W pulls 'hurtful' Halloween costume off shelves and apologises after complaints from mental health advocacy group Halloween costume slammed Big W issues an apology READ MORE: Aussie fashion brand slammed over new clothing line By Pranav Harish For Daily Mail Australia Published: 06:56, 30 October 2024 | Updated: 07:04, 30 October 2024 e-mail View comments Aussie retail giant giant Big W has pulled a 'hurtful' Halloween costume from its shelves following complaints about the way it represented mental health issues. The Rubies Insane Asylum costume, which resembles a straitjacket used to confine mental patients, was removed after the concerns were raised by national mental health advocacy group SANE on Tuesday. SANE CEO Rachel Green expressed her disappointment over the sale of the costume and urged other clothing retailers to remove the product.
'This is hurtful stuff and the fact that it's still considered acceptable to sell as a costume ...
really reveals the level of stigma that's still present in the community around mental illness,' Ms Green told Nine News . 'It isn't okay to make fun of someone with a mental illness. We don't see cancer patient costumes and we'd be horrified if we did.
' She also uploaded a post to LinkedIn yesterday, which included photos of the costume being advertised on the Big W website at a price of $46.80. Ms Green urged Big W and major home interior retailer Spotlight to consider the impact of these products on their customers and the communit.
