People who have certain conditions or disorders can get upset easily when things seem to make fun of their condition. While these feelings are real, sometimes they might seem over-the-top.
A young woman who often shops at Target had a shocking experience with a sweater being sold there.
Reign Murphy was having a normal day when she decided to stop by Target for some shopping. While browsing, she noticed a red, green, and white sweater that caught her eye. When she picked it up, she was stunned by the “insensitive” words on the front.
The sweater read, “OCD Obsessive Christmas Disorder.”
Reign, who actually has OCD, was very offended by the phrase. She quickly took a photo and called out the US retailer for making fun of people with the disorder.
She later posted a Tweet with the photo, which went viral, getting over a thousand retweets. Her tweet said, “I’d really appreciate it if you didn’t sell my mental illness as a fashion statement.”
The phrase on the sweater is popular with many product designers to describe people who love Christmas and maybe go overboard with it. However, the play on obsessive-compulsive disorder made some people on the internet very angry, while others with the disorder didn’t find it offensive at all.
Many social media users who felt the same way as Reign criticized the large US retail store for “making fun of mental health.”
One comment said, “I am annoyed we still live in a world where picking fun at mental health is okay.”
Another said, “Why is trivializing a mental disorder so widely accepted?”
But some internet users who said they had OCD thought the anger against the store was unnecessary and defended the sweater.
One user posted, “As someone with OCD, Target’s OCD sweater doesn’t offend me the least bit.”
Another said, “As someone who has OCD, I don’t see any reason to be angry about Target’s ‘offensive’ sweater – it’s perfectly even!”
Jessica Carlson, Target’s spokesperson, responded to the backlash and apologized to those who were offended by the sweater but said they had no plans to remove it from the shelves.
“We currently do not have plans to remove this sweater,” Carlson stated.
According to the Anxiety and Depression Association of America, about 2.5 million or 1.2% of the U.S. population have OCD.
In 2015, Target faced controversy when another woman complained that some of their women’s T-shirts with the word “Trophy” on the front were insulting. She felt these T-shirts suggested that a woman could be bought or sold.
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