Netflix’s hit series “Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story” has sparked renewed interest in the notorious serial killer just in time for Halloween season, but at least one online retailer is shutting down sales of Dahmer costumes.
A spokesperson for eBay confirmed to CNN in an email listings described as Jeffrey Dahmer costumes are banned on the platform and are being removed under its “Violence and Violent Criminal Policy.”
The policy states, “Listings that promote or glorify violence or violent acts, or are associated with individuals who are notorious for committing violent acts, are not allowed.”
The spokesperson added the ban of Dahmer costumes was not a new or recent decision.
The series has sparked heated debate for its portrayal of the serial killer. Some critics, like Sara Stewart writing for CNN, have suggested despite its attempt to focus on Dahmer’s victims, the show veers on the insensitive — especially because some of the victims’ families have said they were not consulted before being portrayed.
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But the show, starring Evan Peters, has been extremely popular: It amassed more than 196 million viewing hours in the first week after its release.
Dahmer murdered and dismembered seventeen men and boys, most of whom were Black, in Wisconsin between 1978 and 1991. He was sentenced to life in prison in 1992 and was beaten to death by a fellow inmate in 1994.
As of Saturday afternoon, searching “Jeffrey Dahmer costume” on eBay still brings up some listings, like clear glasses resembling those worn by the real-life Dahmer and Peters playing Dahmer in “Monster.” And other online retailers like Etsy also appear to be selling kits of blonde wigs, clear glasses, and orange jumpsuits labeled as Jeffrey Dahmer costumes.
Gymnast Simone Biles has also spoken out against the costumes, writing, “put the jeffrey dahmer costumes back in the closet,” on Twitter last week.
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