'Anne Frank' children's costume sparks controversy

[Trogdor the Burninator]

An Anne Frank costume - talk about classy. What kind of parent actually buys this sort of thing?

 

[mala]

An Anne Frank costume - talk about classy. What kind of parent actually buys this sort of thing?

Honestly I would imagine there is a significant market for it among some groups who would think this is somehow funny (similar to the groups that think guys like pewdiepie and alex jones are the bees knees). Never underestimate the number of people that will think of it as being "just a joke."

 

[GoldenBoy89]

Meh. I don't see what's the big deal about it.

 

[rambot]

"But what's wrong with Sexy Anne Frank WWII evacuee girl"?

I mean, of all the GREAT costumes one can make or dream up, why in all good things do people make the choices they do.

 

[dgiharris]

Explain to me why this costume is considered offensive?
I can understand how it might be considered a strange choice but i am having a hard time seeing it as offensive.
I am sure if it is explained to me I will be able understand why people find it offensive.

For me, I'm offended if there was an attempt to "make fun" of Anne Frank. Given that I read her diary and heard her story while I was in the 6th grade, she is connected to me at a very personal level. SHe was like a childhood friend to me that was killed by Nazis.

Turning her into a costume to me isn't offensive because as near as I can tell, there is no disrespect intended.

I think what "some" may find offensive is the fact that you have a company trying to profit off of her memory in a way some may deem unacceptable.

One could argue that this does in fact give girls another role model. How many heroes do little girls have that they can identify with? I don't consider this a "weak" argument, it is a valid argument.

However, how much sincerity is behind it from the company pushing it? And does that sincerity actually matter?

If my daughter wanted to dress up as Amelia Earhart is that acceptable? ANd if so, does it become magically unacceptable if she buys a costume title "Amelia Earhart"? Does mass marketing automatically equate to disrespect?

TO be honest, there is just so much more pressing offensive stuff out there that I just can't get worked up about this. Between Neo Nazis, KKK, skin heads, etc advocating the elimination of Jews and subjugation of minorities... I just can't get worked up about an Anne Frank costume when it seems that said costume was meant to be respectful...

Perhaps I'd feel differently if I were Jewish???

I dunno. On my outrage scale of 1 to 10, this is a 2 at best for me...

 

[SummerMadness]

One could argue that this does in fact give girls another role model. How many heroes do little girls have that they can identify with? I don't consider this a "weak" argument, it is a valid argument.

Considering her a role model and a hero is not the weak argument; the weak argument is turning her into a Halloween costume to be marketed every October. And I think comparing her to Amelia Earhart is still not applicable. Amelia Earhart was a public figure, Anne Frank was not. Frank is known to the public because of her diary, not because she wrote it for public consumption, but because the tragedy of her life experience was thrust onto the public stage (not implying there is anything wrong with the publishing of this diary).

As it stands, there is nothing offensive about the costume itself, but the concept seems off to me. It's kind of like the MLK sale I mentioned earlier, it's tacky to offer "dream deals." People can really sell what they want, but I would stick an Anne Frank costume into the same category as an Elizabeth Smart costume.

Just because you can come up with an idea to market something, doesn't necessarily mean you should do it:

 

[grasping the after wind]

I guess different people have different levels at which they become offended. It takes an effort on someone's part to offend me, while others can be offended by someone just kneeling or just using a word that means cheap. While I do not understand why people are easily offended by things that are not meant to be offensive, I can see how this particular thing might rub people the wrong way and I won't tell someone they ought not be offended by something even if I might suspect that they are going out of their way to find something offensive. I do not, however, think that being offended somehow gives one moral authority or puts them a position to make demands on others nor do I feel the least guilty if the person claiming to be offended is doing so if that person is offended by being told the truth. In this instance ,I do not see how a costume of Anne Frank could be some way of speaking truth nor that it would take a giant leap to be offended by it.

 

[mala]

I guess different people have different levels at which they become offended. It takes an effort on someone's part to offend me, while others can be offended by someone just kneeling or just using a word that means cheap. While I do not understand why people are easily offended by things that are not meant to be offensive, I can see how this particular thing might rub people the wrong way and I won't tell someone they ought not be offended by something even if I might suspect that they are going out of their way to find something offensive. I do not, however, think that being offended somehow gives one moral authority or puts them a position to make demands on others nor do I feel the least guilty if the person claiming to be offended is doing so if that person is offended by being told the truth. In this instance ,I do not see how a costume of Anne Frank could be some way of speaking truth nor that it would take a giant leap to be offended by it.

for me it's not so much that i am offended as bothered by the commercial aspects of who is benefiting from the creation of an anne frank costume. is the anne frank foundation getting any money out of this or is it all just going to some corporation?

 

[Rion]

Stupid idea, but eh... after someone showed me that Dragon Ball Z/Anne Frank cross-over fanfic a few years ago, I wouldn't exactly call it the most insensitive thing related to the poor girl.

 

[Nige55]

I get fed up with the word 'offended'. I'm not offended, but I'm pretty disgusted that a company would use such a heartbreaking story for profit. It's woefully tasteless.
There are many families alive who's family trees have little girls like Anne missing due to the horrors of WW2, so it's still a sensitive matter, and a reminder. Such a reminder should never be part of Halloween 'fun'.
Then again, Halloween grows more and more tasteless each year. I'm sure someone, somewhere will have an ISIS victim of beheading costume. The world is messed up.

 

[DennisTate]

'Anne Frank' children's costume sparks controversy

I am glad that you started this thread.....
this reminds me of the uproar several years ago when Mr. Justin Bieber went to the
home of Miss Anne Frank and left a comment.......
that may not have been the wisest thing that Mr. Bieber ever wrote but...........

.......WASN'T IT KIND OF COOL THAT MR. JUSTIN BIEBER... WHO COULD HAVE GONE ANYWHERE IN THE NETHERLANDS THAT HE WANTED TO GO...... .WENT TO THE HOME OF MISS ANNE FRANK??????

 

[SummerMadness]

I am glad that you started this thread.....
this reminds me of the uproar several years ago when Mr. Justin Bieber went to the
home of Miss Anne Frank and left a comment.......
that may not have been the wisest thing that Mr. Bieber ever wrote but...........

.......WASN'T IT KIND OF COOL THAT MR. JUSTIN BIEBER... WHO COULD HAVE GONE ANYWHERE IN THE NETHERLANDS THAT HE WANTED TO GO...... .WENT TO THE HOME OF MISS ANNE FRANK??????

I vaguely remember that story and had to look it up again to refresh my memory.

Anger over Justin Bieber's Anne Frank message

Justin Bieber has caused outrage with his message in a guestbook at the Anne Frank Museum, saying he hoped the Holocaust victim would have been a fan.

The 19-year-old pop idol wrote: "Truly inspiring to be able to come here. Anne was a great girl. Hopefully she would have been a belieber."

In terms of outrage, I think this costume is small potatoes compared to such narcissistic attitudes, but that seems to be a byproduct of celebrity. Just last week, the president asked during the playing of Retreat, "Are they playing that for you or for me?" There seems to be an attitude among some celebrities that it's "always about me." Belieber? Why anyone would write that is beyond me.

 

[JCFantasy23]

I agree it's just...odd

 

[Christie insb]

Awesome! We keep hearing people say young girls need more role models. Well, here you go...the poster girl for resistance to genocidal persecution. If my children were young and one of the wanted to wear this costume I'd be proud of her.

How do you resist genocidal persecution? Since she didn't survive to reproduce, I guess her resistance was futile.

 

[Phil 1:21]

How do you resist genocidal persecution?

Do some research into the Frank family. It's an amazing story.

 

[Christie insb]

Do some research into the Frank family. It's an amazing story.

It certainly helps direct research and stimulates curiosity if one gives a morsel of an idea about what the story is. I think I do know about the Frank family.

 

[Phil 1:21]

It certainly helps direct research and stimulates curiosity if one gives a morsel of an idea about what the story is. I think I do know about the Frank family.

I already posted a link above.

 

[DennisTate]

I vaguely remember that story and had to look it up again to refresh my memory.

Anger over Justin Bieber's Anne Frank message


In terms of outrage, I think this costume is small potatoes compared to such narcissistic attitudes, but that seems to be a byproduct of celebrity. Just last week, the president asked during the playing of Retreat, "Are they playing that for you or for me?" There seems to be an attitude among some celebrities that it's "always about me." Belieber? Why anyone would write that is beyond me.

He was young......
and it is a historical fact that Miss Anne Frank was fascinated by the stars of her time period.......

His comment was likely accurate......
that if he had lived in her time period.... and attained a comparable level of fame back then..... Miss Anne Frank would have been a fan of his and...........

...... her being a fan could be termed "Belieber."

 

[mala]

He was young......
and it is a historical fact that Miss Anne Frank was fascinated by the stars of her time period.......

His comment was likely accurate......
that if he had lived in her time period.... and attained a comparable level of fame back then..... Miss Anne Frank would have been a fan of his and...........

...... her being a fan could be termed "Belieber."

it was all a way of making it about him though instead of paying respects to the memory of the girl. it's something narcissistic people tend to do. was it worthy of outrage? no. it was as forgettable as his career is going to be.

 

[GoldenBoy89]

I vaguely remember that story and had to look it up again to refresh my memory.

Anger over Justin Bieber's Anne Frank message


In terms of outrage, I think this costume is small potatoes compared to such narcissistic attitudes, but that seems to be a byproduct of celebrity. Just last week, the president asked during the playing of Retreat, "Are they playing that for you or for me?" There seems to be an attitude among some celebrities that it's "always about me." Belieber? Why anyone would write that is beyond me.

Well when you're 20 years old and have tens of millions of dollars and even more millions of teenage girls fawning over you, I can see how that would go to someone's head and they might become just a tad full of themselves.