Sexy ‘College Scandal’ Halloween Costume Causing Controversy

A new Halloween costume poking fun at the college admissions scandal is making waves on social media, where critics say the “sexy” outfit is “abhorrent” and an example of “capitalism at work.” The costume, made by online fashion retailer Yandy, features an orange crop-top with the words “MOM OF THE YEAR” printed across the chest and crossed out, replaced by the word “INMATE” in large, bold letters. It also features form-fitting, matching color leggings.

The description for the “Yandy College Scandal Costume” reads: “Oops, you can’t always trust those motherly instincts. Turns out fame and intelligence don’t go hand in hand! Bribe your way to the admissions office and score the ultimate scholarly achievement (the best mom award!) in this exclusive College Scandal costume.”

Though some Twitter users wrote that they found the costume funny, others thought that Yandy’s interpretation was offensive.

Yandy — who has made headlines in Halloweens past with other controversial costumes like a sexy Donald Trump costume, a pregnant Kylie Jenner costume and a Handmaid’s Tale costume — defended its college scandal ensemble in a statement.

“Every year Yandy looks for opportunities to take inspiration from current trends and pop-culture events,” Alicia Thompson, Director of Brand Marketing at Yandy.com told PEOPLE. “College scandal is clearly on the minds of everyone right now and we felt it was the perfect opportunity to showcase a sexy two piece body suit that pokes fun at this current national obsession. Of course at Yandy University we accept everyone.”

The college admissions scandal made headlines earlier this year when the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Massachusetts announced it had charged 50 people, including Felicity Huffman, Lori Loughlin and Mossimo Giannulli, in crimes such as falsifying SAT scores and lying about the athletic skills of their children in order to get them into college. The parents were allegedly working with Rick Singer, a college admissions consultant who has admitted his role as the ringleader of the scam and pleaded guilty in March to multiple charges.

Prosecutors said that Huffman paid $15,000 to Singer and his nonprofit organization, which prosecutors said was a front for accepting bribes. Singer then facilitated cheating on Huffman’s daughter’s SAT test by having a proctor correct the teen’s answers after the fact.

Loughlin and Giannulli are accused of paying $500,000 to have their two daughters designated as recruits to the USC crew team — despite the fact that they did not participate in crew. They were also indicted on an additional charge of fraud and money laundering, and face up to 20 years in prison for each charge if convicted. The coupled pleaded not guilty in April after turning down a plea deal because it included jail time.

Last month, Huffman was sentenced to 14 days behind bars for her role in the scandal. The judge also fined her $30,000 and said she would be on supervised release for one year. She will also have to do 250 hours of community service.