Martha Stewart deletes Halloween photo after Indya Moore critique

Martha Stewart faced renewed criticism this week from actor and model Indya Moore, who challenged the 85-year-old’s initial defense of her Halloween costume. Stewart, who posted a photo of herself dressed as a panhandler on the weekend, initially argued that her look was intended to draw attention to hunger and homelessness. Moore countered that the choice was a caricature and that Stewart’s subsequent apology failed to address the core issue.

Moore took issue with Stewart’s phrasing in her first response, which was posted in the comments of a Just Jared article. Stewart had written, “My costume was designed to bring the homeless and hungry to everyone’s mind and boy it certainly did!!! But not in the correct way, because I did not explain it and I am so sorry I care and I support causes who care.” She ended the comment by asking her followers, “Do all of you???”, a move Moore described as passive-aggressive and insulting. Moore argued that an apology ending in an interrogation of the offended party’s loyalty is not a valid apology.

The model further argued that dressing up as a demographic in crisis is not a standard Halloween practice. “Halloween is caricature: monsters, villains, idols. People do not dress up as groups who are in crisis,” Moore wrote. She stated that Stewart’s excuse for not including a caption was not believable to many people. Moore suggested that Stewart’s response relied on the anger of those who have actually experienced hunger as proof that the costume worked, rather than acknowledging the offense caused by the outfit itself.

Moore also criticized the idea that a wealthy person dressing as a homeless individual generates empathy. “A rich woman dressing up as a hungry, homeless person brings more awareness to how out of touch and apathetic wealth makes people than it does motivate people to empathize and activate,” she wrote. She urged Stewart to use her platform to back policies that tax the rich and provide free food and healthcare, noting that simply saying “I support causes” was not a sufficient response to requests to show her work.

Stewart responded to the growing backlash with a second statement published in the notes app on her personal Instagram page. “It’s hard to admit when you’ve really screwed up. My earlier statement didn’t go far enough,” Stewart wrote. She acknowledged that many people are suffering economically and described the costume as insensitive and not funny. Stewart concluded the note by stating, “I am very sorry.”

Prior to the second apology, Stewart had also told People magazine that she was distressed her Halloween costume had offended people. She said the outfit was intended to bring awareness to the serious subject of homelessness. Stewart noted that homelessness remains one of America’s greatest challenges and said she has spent a significant amount of time and effort supporting charities that combat the crisis.