Target Accused Of Making Light Of Mental Illness With 'Obsessive Christmas Disorder' Sweater

It's November, which means that the season of companies facing backlash over offensive Halloween costumes has given way to the season of companies facing backlash over offensive Christmas gear.

First, Starbucks was criticized for changing the design of its iconic red holiday cups. Now, Target is taking heat for a sweater that bears the text: "OCD. Obsessive Christmas Disorder."

Some consumers argued that that the sweater made light of mental illness. Over 2 million adults in the U.S. suffer from obsessive compulsive disorder. For more on OCD and other mental health issues, head over to NIMH.

While Target may not have intended to offend anyone, there is real harm in using terms for mental illness metaphorically. As mental health advocate Rebecca Fuoco said, "Making these flippant references (1) trivializes how devastating the illnesses can be and (2) perpetuates myths and misunderstandings." 

Hey @target? How about we NOT sell shirts mocking mental illness? https://t.co/QcKWCDs2O4

— Brynna (@brynna42) November 2, 2015

@Target I can't believe you're selling this in your stores. OCD is not something you joke about. pic.twitter.com/8Rz979dSaK

— nine volt heart (@skeletondna) November 10, 2015

Boo, @Target. You'll end up on the naughty list if you keep making light of illnesses like #OCD. pic.twitter.com/QERuaFK4OJ

— Dani Poole (@DPoolePR) November 8, 2015

As AdWeek pointed out, Target was not the only retailer that used the slogan; Cracker Barrel and Amazon carried similar products. And not everyone was offended by the sweater:

Let's not get super offended by the target #OCD sweater. I have actual OCD. OCD is not a joke, but it's just a sweater. Calm down ppl.

— Maya McNeal (@mayamaya_papaya) November 11, 2015

in the grand scheme of things, target selling OCD Christmas sweaters is not that big of a deal. it's not a battle worth fighting.

— ✾ȶℏℯ ℑ☹ƙℯ℞✾ (@chaosaholic) November 9, 2015

Target reached out to several of the concerned Twitter users, but told Time that it has no plans to pull the sweater.

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