Big W pulls 'hurtful' Halloween costume from shelves, apologises

Retail giant Big W has pulled an “insane asylum” Halloween costume from shelves after a mental health advocacy group protested that it reinforced negative stereotypes about mental illness.

“This is hurtful stuff and the fact that it’s still considered acceptable to sell as a costume, to wear as a costume, really reveals the level of stigma that’s still present in the community around mental illness,” Green told 9news.com.au.

In a press release this morning, SANE called for all major retailers to cease selling costumes that ”are stereotyping people living with complex mental health issues”.

A Big W spokesperson confirmed to 9news.com.au that the “insane asylum” costume was removed from sale as soon as the retailer was made aware of the complaint on Tuesday.

“We are sorry for any impact we may have caused to the community in having this costume available in our Halloween range,” they said.

“We have spoken with SANE Australia to understand the impact of stigma and experiences of people with complex mental health issues and their families, and are aligned with their position and values.

“We will continue the conversation to take a proactive approach line with our values around mental health and wellbeing.”

Green is glad to see it, but says many similar “offensive” costumes are still available from other retailers in-store and online and hopes to spark a wider conversation about why these costumes are harmful and can reinforce mental health stigma.

Green also highlighted a similar costume sold in Spotlight.

That costume is no longer available on its website.

9news.com.au has reached out to Spotlight for comment.

More than 40 per cent of Australians aged 16–85 have experienced a mental disorder at some time in their life, according to the Australian Bureau of Statistics’ National Study of Mental Health and Wellbeing (2020-2022).

“It isn’t okay to make fun of someone with a mental illness,” Green said.

“We don’t see cancer patient costumes, and we’d be horrified if we did.”

SANE is not trying to be “the fun police”, she added, but encourages Australian retailers and individuals to consider the message these costumes send to people living with mental health concerns, especially heavily stigmatised complex mental illness.

“Six and a half million people collectively in Australia are impacted by complex mental illness,” Green said.

“It can happen to your brother, your son, your daughter, your husband, your wife, your child, and it’s not okay to make fun of that and turn that into a costume.”

SANE has launched a social media campaign calling for retailers across the country to immediately stop selling any costumes that stigmatise mental health.

Similar efforts in the UK prompted major retailers like Tesco and Asda to stop selling similar Halloween outfits in the 2010s.