The Pretty Little Liars actress posted an Instagram photo on Tuesday of what she referred to as a costume of Cecil the Lion, the beloved animal who was lured out of a protected area by a hunting guide in July and killed with a bow and arrow by Minnesota dentist Walter Palmer. “Help! Can’t decide on my Halloween costume this year!” she first captioned, Entertainment Tonight reports. She shared a photo of herself donning the full-body suit, made by Yandy and retailing for a whopping $150, on Instagram asking fans what they thought of “this Cecil the lion costume”.
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Jamie McCarthy Benson attends a screening on February 18 in New York City.
“You’d look more like him if you cut your head off #upgrade”, wrote one user on the photo, which showed Benson in a metallic-gold catsuit with a fur hood.
Another blasted: “you have to be kidding!’ while others branded it “offensive” and said it was in “bad taste”. Actors, activists and even famed conservationist Jane Goodall expressed outrage after the jungle cat was slain for sport. Yandy is attempting to spin the costume as a charity initiative, explaining, “20% of the proceeds of our limited-edition, Cecil the Lion costume will be given to a Global Conservation Organization to support global conservation initiatives”.
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Yandy, the company Benson tagged in the post, does in fact sell a Cecil the lion costume for $118.95. There is, however, a “Cecil the Lion” costume listed on their site.
