The "Parisian Heist Robbery Victim" costume from online retailer Costumeish. (Photo : Twitter/@AndrewBloch)
A costume company has come under fire for selling a Halloween outfit inspired by Kim Kardashian's recent robbery in Paris. The online retailer, named Costumeish, has previously brought us controversial getups including the "Sexy Ebola Costume" and the "Lion Killer Dentist Costume."
On Oct. 3, the reality star was robbed at gunpoint and tied up by five masked men dressed in police uniforms at her hotel in Paris. The men stole more than $10 million in jewelry and the massive diamond ring she recently received as a gift from husband Kanye West.
The traumatic heist became an inspiration for the online retailer, who started selling a "Parisian Heist Robbery Victim Costume Kit" on its website for $69.99. The controversial outfit came with a white robe, black wig, sunglasses, a fake gag, 2 feet of rope and a fake diamond ring.
"She has devoted her life to promoting American decadence, youth and hedonism but all that flashy living caught up with her one night in Paris when armed men bound her, stole her jewelry and her peace of mind. US Weekly quoted the website as saying in its description of the costume. "This Halloween have some fun with pop culture and dress just like the Queen of Social media.
The outfit has since been removed from the website but several social media users criticized the retailer for being tasteless and insensitive. Here are some of the reactions on Twitter:
That Kim Kardashian 'gagged at gun point' Halloween costume is actually sick. Some extremely twisted people out there.
— Olivia Barraclough (@liv_barraclough) October 11, 2016
The Kim Kardashian Halloween costume is one of the cruelest things I've ever seen. Why would someone do that, it isn't funny. Truly vile. — CARAPOLITAN (@caramademe) October 11, 2016
The fact that there's a 'kim kardashian held at gun point' halloween costume just proves how messed up people are
— Izzy (@SameoIdhs) October 11, 2016
Costumeish founder and vice president Johnathon Weeks justified the costume in an interview with TIME magazine. He said that the intention behind the costume was to incite a strong reaction and Halloween is a festival that is often celebrated with a sense of humor.
"It'll make people either cringe or laugh," he told TIME. "I don't want to make light of a serious situation. Weeks further added that he sympathized with the Kardashian family and had no intention to make a mockery of the traumatic incident that the 35-year-old had to go through.
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