This "Sexy" 'Stranger Things' Costume Has People Rightfully Pissed

After the Netflix original's blockbuster debut season last summer, fans are psyched for Stranger Things to return for another ghoulish go-round right before Halloween. But even though excited trepidation over finding out what sci-fi fate will befall the gang of kids in the show's 1980s town of Hawkins, Indiana, is reaching a crescendo as autumn emerges, they're not impressed by one opportunistic ripoff of one of the show's most beloved characters. In fact, this "sexy" Stranger Things Halloween costume has people pissed. Yep, some marketing geniuses have once again morphed a concept that was never supposed to be sexy at all into some creepy dude's NSFW daydream in the name of All Hallow's Eve. But this time, the concept in question is actually a character played by an actress who's now only 13 years old.

With Netflix set to premiere Season 2 Oct. 27, kicking off the weekend the country will celebrate Halloween by unleashing every episode of the spooky show, the Stranger Things costumes of 2017 were inevitable. And that's totally, 100 percent fine. Like Avery Matera over at Teen Vogue pointed out, it would be hard to take issue with a costume that depicted Eleven — the mysterious telekinetic girl played by Millie Bobby Brown who befriends a group of preteen boys — wearing her signature girlish pink dress and sneakers. But the "Upside Down Honey" costume for adults that's now available for purchase takes it way further than that.

As part of the costume, Eleven's dress is now much shorter, the neckline way lower, the athletic socks thigh-high, and the sneakers have been replaced with heels. For some, the fact that the look originated on a child makes the costume as creepy as the show, but not in a good way. At all.

Sexualizing children in Halloween costumes is an undeniable issue, but the “Upside Down Honey” — the name a nod to the show’s monstrous, deathly parallel universe — flips the script by sexualizing the actual child who plays Eleven kind of retrospectively. And that idea is enough to give fans the heebie jeebies, because there's not much of a mainstream appetite for thinking of a child that way. Still, the costume would be much more unacceptable if it were being sold in actual child sizes.

Even if you're rightfully appalled by the suggestiveness of the "Upside Down Honey" costume, the details are spot-on. The mannequin rockin' it online, for example, boasts the hint of the nosebleed Eleven gets when she uses her superpowers, and even totes an Eggo purse, because waffles are Eleven's favorite snack.

Luckily for the Stranger Things fans who can still feel their skin crawling over the costume, there will be plenty the actual Eleven in Season 2 to focus on instead. The first trailer for Season 2, released back in July, teased Eleven's return despite her brush with obliteration in the Season 1 finale. And earlier this week, the official Stranger Things Twitter account released another Season 2 teaser, this one unveiling the titles of the first six episodes of the season. Here they are, according to Elle UK:

• Chapter One: Madmax
• Chapter Two: Trick or Treat Freak
• Chapter Three: The Pollywog
• Chapter Four: Will the Wise
• Chapter Five: Dig Dug
• Chapter Six: The Spy

Clearly, Season 2 will be jam-packed with all the spine-tingling plot lines and surprises that so spooked and enthralled viewers during its freshman season — and then some. Rest assured, though that the "Upside Down Honey" will definitely not make an appearance. That would absolutely ruin the vibe, and, judging by the public reaction to the costume, probably shut down any hope for a Season 3.

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