A Pretty Little Liar has made a pretty major costume faux pas.
Ashley Benson took to Instagram on Tuesday in order to give followers an early look at her Halloween outfit, sharing the following image and explaining her look thusly:
“Help! Can’t decide on my Halloween costume this year! What do you guys think of this cecil the lion costume? @yandy #thanksyandy #halloweencostume.”
Cecil the Lion, of course, was a protected animal in Africa who unfortunately made headlines this summer after a dentist from Minnesota shot and killed him illegally.
Not long afterward, online stores started to sell Cecil the Lion costumes, offending many who don’t think it’s appropriate to use an innocent creature’s murder as some kind of holiday prop.
So you can imagine the backlash Benson received upon posting this photo.
The criticism was so extreme and immediate, in fact, that the young actress quickly jumped online and changed her wording to simply read:
“What do you guys think of this lion costume?”
But at least follower wasn’t gonna allow Benson to get away with this edit, shooting back at her:
“you called it ‘Cecil the Lion!’ #clueless #smh #insensitive,” while another added:
”It’s a shame lions can’t wear dead ignorant humans as costumes. Totally unaware douche.”
OUCH!
At least Benson has company in the controversial costume game, as you can see above.
To see the star dressed in far less scandalous attire, follow this link to watch Pretty Little Liars online.