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Target OCD Sweater Will Not Be Pulled From Shelves Despite Controversy

By Lindsay McCane
Published on: 11:57 PST, Nov 11, 2015

Target’s OCD sweater will remain on the store shelves, despite the current controversy surrounding it.

Target recently unveiled a new line of Christmas sweaters, and one of those sweaters has stirred up quite a buzz on social media, with many people asking the giant retailer to remove the sweater from their inventory.

The OCD sweater sells at the Target brick and mortar stores, and online, for $22.40 and is part of the giant retailer’s Ugly Christmas Sweater collection, which features an Ugly Christmas Tree, Darth Vader Christmas, and a sweater that features the message “On The Naughty List.” However, it is the bright red sweater that reads “OCD- Obsessive Christmas Disorder” that has everyone upset. It is important to note that Target is not the only retailer selling the sweater, Amazon.com and Cracker Barrel also have a similar sweater in stock, according to AdWeek.

The OCD sweater has not gone over well with mental health advocates, who say the shirt is making light of a serious mental illness. According to the International OCD Foundation, obsessive compulsive disorder is defined as disorder of the brain and one’s behavior. It can cause severe anxiety to those who are affected and involves both obsessions and compulsions.

Generally, a person with OCD struggles with their obsessions and compulsions daily, and it makes it hard for a person to live a normal, functioning life. Obsessions are thoughts, images or impulses that repeatedly occur in a person’s mind. Typically, the obsessions are “accompanied by intense and uncomfortable feelings.” Compulsions are defined as “repetitive behaviors or thoughts that a person uses with the intention of neutralizing, counteracting, or making their obsessions go away.” OCD currently affects about 2.2 million American adults.

Many people have taken to social media, particularly Twitter, to voice their disgust with the sweater, and ask Target to stop selling it.

However, there were other users that found the sweater whimsical and festive. Other social media users, some with OCD themselves, say they were not offended by the phrase of the shirt, and want people to stop making such a big deal about it.

Despite the backlash Target’s OCD sweater has received, the retailer says they currently have no plans to remove it from their shelves.

“We never want to disappoint our guests and we apologize for any discomfort,” Jessica Carlson, a spokeswoman for Minneapolis-based Target, said. “We currently do not have plans to remove this sweater.”

What do you think about Target’s OCD sweater? Do you find it offensive? Leave your comments below.

[Photo by Scott Olson/Getty Images]

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