Sometimes, people with certain conditions or disorders can get really upset by things that seem to make fun of their situation. While their feelings are usually valid, they can sometimes appear exaggerated to others. This is the story of Reign Murphy and a sweater that caused quite a stir.
Reign Murphy, a young woman who frequently shops at Target, had a shocking experience one day while browsing the store. She was just doing her usual shopping when a bright red, green, and white sweater caught her eye.
Curious, she picked it up and was stunned by the words printed on the front: “OCD Obsessive Christmas Disorder.”
Reign has OCD (Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder), and she was deeply offended by the sweater’s message. She felt it made fun of her condition. Without hesitation, she snapped a photo of the sweater and took to Twitter to call out Target for selling such an “insensitive” item.
Her tweet, which included the photo, went viral, receiving over a thousand retweets. Reign wrote, “I’d really appreciate it if you didn’t sell my mental illness as a fashion statement.”
The phrase on the sweater, used by many designers to describe people who love Christmas a bit too much, sparked a heated debate online. Some people with OCD were outraged and blasted Target for making light of a serious mental health condition.
“I am annoyed we still live in a world where picking fun at mental health is okay,” read one comment.
“Why is trivializing a mental disorder so widely accepted?” another comment added.
However, not everyone agreed with Reign. Some people who also have OCD felt the reaction was overblown and defended Target.
“As someone with OCD, Target’s OCD sweater doesn’t offend me the least bit,” posted one user.
“As someone who has OCD, I don’t see any reason to be angry about Target’s ‘offensive’ sweater – it’s perfectly even!” another user added.
Amid the controversy, Jessica Carlson, a spokesperson for Target, responded. She apologized to those who were offended but stated that Target had no plans to remove the sweater from their shelves.
“We currently do not have plans to remove this sweater,” Carlson said.
According to the Anxiety and Depression Association of America, around 2.5 million people, or 1.2% of the U.S. population, suffer from OCD.
Interestingly, this wasn’t the first time Target faced backlash over its merchandise. In 2015, another controversy arose when a woman claimed that some of their women’s T-shirts with the word “Trophy” on the front were insulting, suggesting that women could be seen as objects to be bought or sold.
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