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Individuals grappling with specific conditions or disorders can often feel sensitive towards content that appears to mock their struggles. While these sentiments are valid, they may occasionally appear amplified.
Recently, a young woman, a frequent patron at a Target store, was profoundly disturbed by a sweater available for purchase.
Reign Murphy was going about her day when she decided to do some shopping at Target. As she perused the aisles, a red, green, and white sweater grabbed her attention. She lifted the sweater, only to be taken aback by the “insensitive” words prominently displayed across its front.
The sweater bore the phrase “OCD Obsessive Christmas Disorder.”
Reign, who was grappling with genuine OCD, felt deeply offended by the wording, prompting her to snap a photo and publicly condemn the US retailer for what she perceived as mockery of individuals with the psychological disorder.
Taking to Twitter, she shared the photo, which swiftly went viral, amassing over a thousand retweets in mere moments. Her tweet conveyed a poignant message: “I’d really appreciate it if you didn’t sell my mental illness as a fashion statement.”
While the phrase on the merchandise has been employed by numerous product designers to characterize individuals with an intense passion for Christmas, some found the play on obsessive-compulsive disorder distressing. Others, however, didn’t perceive the message as offensive or hurtful, despite their own struggles with the disorder.
Expressing similar sentiments, social media users criticized the major US retail store for what they perceived as “mocking mental health.”
“I am frustrated that we still live in a society where mocking mental health is deemed acceptable,” remarked one individual.
“Why is it deemed acceptable to trivialize a mental disorder?” questioned another comment.
However, some internet users who identified as having OCD felt that the outrage directed at the store was unwarranted and defended the sale of the contentious sweatshirt.
“As someone with OCD, Target’s OCD sweater doesn’t bother me in the slightest,” one user remarked.
“As someone who struggles with OCD, I don’t see any reason to be upset about Target’s ‘offensive’ sweater – it’s perfectly harmless!” echoed another user.
Jessica Carlson, a spokesperson for Target, eventually addressed the backlash and extended apologies to those offended by the merchandise. However, she affirmed that the store had no intentions to remove it from its shelves.
“We currently have no plans to remove this sweater,” Carlson stated.
According to the Anxiety and Depression Association of America, approximately 2.5 million or 1.2% of the U.S. population grapple with OCD.
This wasn’t the first time Target faced controversy. In 2015, a woman criticized the store for selling women’s T-shirts adorned with the word “Trophy” on the front, deeming them offensive. She argued that such T-shirts perpetuated the notion that women could be bought or sold.
