<ul class="summary-list"><li>Shoppers can buy a sexy mail-in-ballot costume this <keyword id="600" type="ENTERTAINMENT" weightage="60" keywordseo="Halloween">Halloween</keyword> from <keyword id="10001788" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="yandy">Yandy</keyword>. </li><li>The costume maker is also selling "I Voted" pasties, a racy postal-worker costume, and a skimpy murder-hornet bodysuit.</li><li>"We want to bring humor and we want to bring lightheartedness to the holiday," Pilar Quintana-Williams, Yandy's vice president of merchandising, said.</li></ul><p>Voting is sexy. So sexy, in fact, that the controversial costume maker Yandy is <a href="https://www.yandy.com/2020-costumes">selling</a> a racy mail-in-ballot costume, as well as "I Voted" pasties.</p><p>Yandy is selling its "Mail In Ballot" costume for $29.95. The costume features a tube dress with the text "Official Ballot Enclosed" and "First Class Mail." The return address printed on the dress says "Sexy Headquarters, 1234 Lovers Lane."</p><p>The costume includes two "I Voted" pasties. Shoppers can also buy the bust stickers on their own for $7.95.</p><div type="image" title="yandy 2020" height="890" width="1781" msid="78497532" hostid="261"></div><p>Pilar Quintana-Williams, Yandy's vice president of merchandising, recently told Business Insider that the company was committed to selling sexy topical costumes, despite the chaos of 2020.</p><p>"I think that it has been a difficult year for everybody with quarantine, with all the changes," Quintana-Williams said. "So the stakes are high. But again, we want to bring humor and we want to bring lightheartedness to the holiday."</p><p>Other topical costumes from Yandy <a href="https://www.yandy.com/2020-costumes">include</a> a "Postal Babe" and a skimpy murder-hornet bodysuit.</p><p>Some topics, however, remain off-limits. Quintana-Williams said there were no plans <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/yandy-wont-make-a-sexy-covid-costume-halloween-plans-2020-9">to make a "Sexy COVID" costume</a>. A representative for Yandy said any costume related to President Donald Trump catching the coronavirus was similarly off the table.</p><p>"I don't think there's anything sexy about it," Quintana-Williams said of the coronavirus.</p><p><em>Are you shopping for a sexy costume this Halloween? Or, are you changing up your holiday routine? Email ktaylor@businesssinsider.com if you have a story to share.</em></p>

You can now buy a sexy 'Mail In Ballot' costume for Halloween 2020

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Controversial sexy costume maker <keyword id="10001788" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="yandy">Yandy</keyword> is drawing the line at "sexy <keyword id="8764262" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="covid">COVID</keyword>," and will not be making a costume inspired by the virus. </li><li>"I don't think there's anything sexy about it," Pilar Quintana-Williams, Yandy's vice president of merchandising, told Business Insider. </li><li>Despite the pandemic, 85% of 18 to 24-year-olds plan to spend money shopping for costumes this year, according to the National <keyword id="6354851" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="retail">Retail</keyword> Federation. </li></ul><p>The coronavirus pandemic isn't dulling sexy costume maker Yandy's <keyword id="600" type="ENTERTAINMENT" weightage="60" keywordseo="Halloween">Halloween</keyword> spirit.</p><p>But, even Yandy — which has sparked controversy in past years with racy costumes inspired by <a href="https://people.com/style/yandy-sexy-handmaids-tale-halloween-costume/">The Handmaid's Tale</a> and <a href="https://www.yahoo.com/news/2017-apos-most-controversial-halloween-155900304.html">Fake News</a> — realizes some things are impossible to glamorize. </p><p>Pilar Quintana-Williams, Yandy's vice president of merchandising, told Business Insider that the company will not be selling "sexy COVID" costumes in 2020. </p><p>"I don't think there's anything sexy about it," Quintana-Williams said in a recent interview. </p><p>Still, Quintana-Williams said, Yandy would not be Yandy if it wasn't planning some topical costumes for 2020, emphasizing less depressing aspects of the news-cycle. The company has already debuted the sexy "Banned App" costume — a crop top that looks curiously like a TikTok logo — and <a href="https://pagesix.com/2020/09/15/sexy-tiger-king-halloween-costumes-are-here-at-last/">racy costumes inspired by Netflix's Tiger King. </a></p><p>"I think that it has been a difficult year for everybody with quarantine, with all the changes," Quintana-Williams said. "So the stakes are high. But again, we want to bring humor and we want to bring light heartedness to the holiday." </p><h2>Yandy says sales of sexy costumes have only grown in 2020</h2><div type="image" title="Yandy" height="1503" width="2000" msid="78320970" hostid="261"></div><p>Yandy's dedication to sexiness has not cooled during the pandemic. The company said its costume sales have only grown this year, despite the CDC advising against trick-or-treating and crowded Halloween parties. Yandy has launched more than 500 new costumes, as well as launching sexy men's costumes and masks for the first time. </p><p>Only 22% of people said they planned to attend a Halloween party this year, down from 32% in 2019, according to a National Retail Federation survey of 7,644 people in early September. With Halloween on a Saturday, it would typically be a massive day for parties, especially for younger adults dressed in skimpy costumes. </p><p>Despite the pandemic, 85% of 18 to 24-year-olds plan to spend money shopping for costumes this year, according to Katherine Cullen, NRF's senior director of industry and consumer insights.</p><p>Yandy executives expect people to buy sexy costumes for virtual gatherings, smaller celebrations, and to show off on social media. The company started selling Halloween lounge rompers this year, for people aiming to combine comfort and sensuality. Bedroom costumes are also in high demand, with sales up 31% year over year, according to Yandy.</p><p>"We do have costumes that you can wear to parties, but we also have a very large collection of bedroom costumes, where you can kind of spice up your love life at night," Yandy co-CEO Aras Koktas told Business Insider.</p><p>"Even if they don't go out there during the day, I think they're going to buy some of those bedroom costumes and do a little bit of role role play in the bedroom at night," Koktas added. </p><p><em>Are you planning on buying a sexy Halloween costume this year? Email ktaylor@businessinsider.com to share your thoughts. </em></p>

Infamous Halloween costume maker Yandy says that it won't make a 'sexy COVID' costume, but promises more racy 2020-inspired costumes are on the way

<p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/5d84e42f2e22af50d259adc5-1346/screen shot 2019-09-20 at 103700 am.png" border="0" alt="yandy beyond burger" data-mce-source="Yandy" /></div></div></div></p><ul class="summary-list"><li>You can buy a sexy <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/category/beyond-meat">Beyond Burger</a> costume for <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/category/halloween-2019">Halloween 2019</a>. </li><li>Lingerie brand Yandy, known for costumes such as sexy Mr. Rogers and sexy tariffs, is selling a Beyond Burger costume for $36.95. </li><li>"You may think this is impossible, but it's not," the description reads, a reference to plant-based Beyond Meat rival Impossible Foods.</li><li>The costume highlights Beyond Meat's explosive rise as a cultural juggernaut in 2019.</li><li><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/?hprecirc-bullet">Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories</a><span>.</span></li></ul><p>Infamous lingerie brand Yandy - known for its <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/lifestyle/sexy-mr-rogers-themed-costume-yandy">sexy Mr. Rogers</a> and <a href="https://twitter.com/scottlincicome/status/1174858965173383168">tariffs costumes</a> - is also selling a form-fitting Beyond Burger outfit this Halloween. </p><p>The Beyond Burger costume is selling for<a href="https://www.yandy.com/yandy-meatless-honey-costume"> $36.95 on Yandy's website.</a> The costume consists of a tan tube dress designed to look like a burger, as well as a matching headband that reads "PLANT BASED." </p><p><em><strong>Read more:</strong> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/plant-based-fast-food-isnt-healthier-thats-on-purpose-2019-8">Plant-based fast food isn't any healthier than the originals - and that's the point</a></em></p><p>"You may think this is impossible, but it's not," the description reads, a reference to Beyond Meat rival Impossible Foods. "Be the yummiest artificial patty between buns in this exclusive Beyond Burger costume." </p><p>Beyond Meat did not immediately respond to Business Insider's request for comment. Yandy did not immediately respond to a request for comment on whether the brand had collaborated with Beyond Meat on the costume.</p><p>Yandy seems prepared for the <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/yandy-sexy-op-ed-anonymous-costume-is-now-on-sale-2018-9">annual mockery</a> that many of its costumes face. The Beyond Burger costume was included in a post on Yandy's blog with the headline: <a href="https://www.yandy.com/blog/the-yandy-costumes-youll-make-fun-of-this-halloween-season/">"The Yandy Costumes You'll Make Fun of This Halloween,"</a> alongside a cauliflower pizza and a Happy Tree Painter that is clearly intended to be <a href="https://www.yandy.com/Happy-Tree-Painter-Costume.php">sexy Bob Ross</a>. </p><p>"Look at us being so inclusive of our vegetarian shoppers! We love all of our customers, regardless of what animal/plant they want to be this Halloween," reads the caption on the Beyond Burger costume, with a link to purchase the outfit. </p><p>The sexy Beyond Burger costume highlights Beyond Meat's rise as a cultural juggernaut in 2019.</p><p>Beyond Meat had an explosive public offering in May, with a <a href="https://markets.businessinsider.com/stocks/bynd-stock">current market cap</a> of more than $9.4 billion. Chains including Burger King, Dunkin', and Del Taco have added plant-based products to their menus. </p>

An infamous lingerie brand is selling a sexy Beyond Burger costume this Halloween

<p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/5d9e1dc83b33a761990c2762-1198/screen shot 2019-10-09 at 14910 pm.png" border="0" alt="white claw costume" data-mce-source="Yandy" data-link="https://www.yandy.com/yandy-hard-outlaw-costume" /></div></div></div></p><ul class="summary-list"><li>Lingerie brand Yandy is selling a sexy "Hard Outlaw" costume that clearly references <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/category/white-claw">White Claw</a> for <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/category/halloween-2019">Halloween 2019</a>. </li><li>"Be the sweetest seltzer on the shelf and sip away your Saturday in this thirst-quenching exclusive Hard Outlaw costume," reads the costume's description. </li><li>The creation of a sexy White Claw costume reveals how the hard seltzer brand has become a cultural icon in 2019. </li><li><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/?hprecirc-bullet">Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories</a>.</li></ul><p>White Claw took over the booze industry in 2019. Now, an infamous lingerie brand is trying to see if the hard seltzer can take over Halloween. </p><p>Yandy - which also <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/sexy-plant-based-beyond-burger-costume-yandy-for-halloween-2019-9">sells a Sexy Beyond Burger costume</a> - is selling a "Hard Outlaw" costume for $54.95. The skimpy two-piece outfit clearly mimics White Claw's logo, with text reading: "Outlaw: Party Hard." </p><p>"Life is hard to handle without that five percent bubbly buzz," reads the <a href="https://www.yandy.com/yandy-hard-outlaw-costume">description</a>. "Be the sweetest seltzer on the shelf and sip away your Saturday in this thirst-quenching exclusive Hard Outlaw costume." </p><p>Yandy - which did not immediately respond to Business Insider's request for comment - is known for its topical and sometimes controversial costumes. Other ripped-from-the-headlines outfits for sale on the brand's website include "<a href="https://twitter.com/Kate_H_Taylor/status/1181981044196675584">Miss Impeachment" and a costume inspired by the college admission scandal.</a></p><p><em><strong>Read more:</strong> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/sexy-plant-based-beyond-burger-costume-yandy-for-halloween-2019-9">An infamous lingerie brand is selling a sexy 'Beyond Burger' costume this Halloween</a></em></p><p>Like the sexy Beyond Burger, the Hard Outlaw costume highlights White Claw's cultural dominance. Hard seltzer's popularity exploded in 2019, with sales <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/white-claw-shortages-increase-supply-2019-9">tripling last year's figures.</a></p><p>White Claw - which makes up more than half of the hard seltzer market - has seen triple-digit sales growth in the past year. In late September, following Business Insider's reports of a White Claw shortage, parent company Mark Anthony Brands said it would invest $250 million in production facilities <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/white-claw-shortages-increase-supply-2019-9">in order to meet demand.</a></p>

An infamous lingerie brand is selling a sexy White Claw costume this Halloween

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Louisville prosecutors are dropping felony charges against 87 <keyword id="51583" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="Protestors">protestors</keyword> who gathered on <keyword id="92555" type="CITY" weightage="60" keywordseo="Kentucky">Kentucky</keyword> Attorney General Daniel Cameron's lawn. </li><li> The protestors were charged with intimidating a participant in the legal process.  </li><li>In a statement on Friday, Jefferson County Attorney Mike O'Connell said that the LMPD had "probable cause" for the charges but they were dismissed "in the interest of justice and the promotion of the free exchange of ideas."</li></ul><p>Prosecutors announced on Friday that the felony charges against the demonstrators who rallied at Kentucky Attorney General's front yard seeking justice for <keyword id="9211245" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="breonna-taylor">Breonna Taylor</keyword> have been dropped.</p><p>In a statement Friday morning, Jefferson County Attorney Mike O'Connell addressed the dismissal of the charges. </p><p>"While we do believe the LMPD had probable cause for the charge, in the interest of justice and the promotion of the free exchange of ideas, we will dismiss that charge for each protester <keyword id="6355928" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="arrested">arrested</keyword> this past Tuesday," O'Connell stated, according to the <a href="https://www.courier-journal.com/story/news/local/2020/07/17/daniel-cameron-protesters-felony-charges-dropped-jefferson-co-attorney/5459821002/">Louisville Courier Journal</a>.</p><p> The 87 protestors, charged with intimidating a participant in the legal process, were arrested Tuesday for demanding Attorney General Daniel Cameron to arrest the officers who fatally shot Taylor during a no-knock warrant in her home in March. </p><p>"It certainly was surreal to see folks sitting in my front yard with the express purpose of escalating the situation," Cameron said in an <a href="https://apnews.com/feff6bb6d4d20ba08ccac52ccf51f232">interview with the Associated Press</a> on Friday. "At the end of the day, we're not going to be deterred from doing the responsible thing, which is to undertake a thorough investigation to make sure that we get to the truth of this matter."</p><p><a href="https://www.wave3.com/2020/07/17/county-attorney-dismisses-felony-charges-stemming-protest-ag-camerons-home/">WAVE</a> reports that NFL player Kenny Stills and Love and Hip Hop New York Star, Yandy Smith, were among those arrested. </p><p>Breonna Taylor was a 26-year old Black woman <a href="https://www.insider.com/breonna-taylor-shot-dead-louisville-house-police-narcotics-bust-2020-5">who was shot eight times in her home </a>by Louisville police officers during a narcotics investigation. </p><p>Recent logs show that <a href="https://www.insider.com/breonna-taylor-alive-after-police-shot-her-wasnt-treated-2020-7">police did not alert dispatch about Taylor's death until 27 after police shot her.</a></p>

Felony charges were dropped against 87 peaceful demonstrators arrested during a Breonna Taylor protest

<ul class="summary-list"><li>People are being plagued by an ad for a sexy butt-flap onesie from unknown fast-fashion brand IVRose following them around the internet —<a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/martin-shkreli-relationship-elle-magazine-2020-12">including taking center stage in a recent blockbuster Elle article.</a></li><li>Experts say that the ad feels like it is everywhere because of a mix of brand safety miscalculations, re-targeting marketing strategies, and the fact that the strange and sexual ad sticks with viewers.  </li><li>"The reality is we all see the same weird ads all the time but they don't capture our attention like this one," said StitcherAds cofounder Conor Ryan.</li><li>IVRose appears to be a fast-fashion brand backed by a Chinese manufacturer, aiming to cash in by selling directly to consumers, according to experts. </li><li>The brand declined to comment on the ad, telling Business Insider: "sorry, we can't help you." </li></ul><p>Stephanie Clifford's blockbuster story about<a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/martin-shkreli-relationship-elle-magazine-2020-12"> Martin Shkreli's relationship with a former Bloomberg journalist raised countless questions when it dropped on Sunday night. </a></p><p>One of the top queries: Why they hell was everyone reading the article being bombarded with ads for bottomless pajamas? </p><p>Many readers reported seeing ad after ad for butt-flap PJs made by fashion brand IVRose. The ad is meant to promote the <a href="https://www.ivrose.com/product/Plaid-Functional-Buttoned-Flap-Adults-Pajamas/d1486684-b89e-4ce6-80c8-e55cdde3f3f4.html">Plain Functional Buttoned Flap Adults Pajamas,</a> priced at $26.99 (with a wealth of discounts available if you buy more than one pair). </p><p>I was among the many people who was confronted with the ad when I was reading the story in Elle on Sunday. As I saw others reveal that they had also been served the butt-flap PJ ad, I decided it was time to dive deeper into the world of ass-less pajamas.</p><p><em><strong>Read more: </strong><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/hooters-and-twin-peaks-ceos-how-chains-survived-the-pandemic-2020-12">Hooters and Twin Peaks are defying the casual dining sales free fall. Their CEOs explain how the breastaurant chains weathered the pandemic, and are set to thrive in 2021.</a></em></p><p>Why was everyone getting the same ad in the Elle article? Why had this ad started popping up elsewhere around the internet more recently? And, who is even selling these bizarre nightclothes? </p><p>After talking with six experts in <keyword id="35666" type="COMPANY" weightage="60" keywordseo="advertising">advertising</keyword>, <keyword id="6354851" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="retail">retail</keyword>, and <keyword id="436047" type="COMPANY" weightage="60" keywordseo="Ecommerce">ecommerce</keyword>, I was able to mostly solve the case of the butt-flap pajama ad. The butt-flap PJs managed to take over the internet through a combination of wonky brand safety measures, a few marketing strategies including provocative sexual imagery, and a good amount of luck. </p><p>"It may just be a happy accident for them, or it may be part of some sort of a strategy - one doesn't know," Greg Sterling, the vice president of Insights at online marketing company Uberall, said. "But, it's pretty hard to engineer a viral ad." </p><p>Here are the answers to the biggest questions raised by these absurd ass-less PJs. </p><h2>How did this ad takeover Elle's bombshell Shkreli story?</h2><blockquote class="twitter-tweet blockquote" data-lang="en" data-cards="" data-conversation="">—sarah emerson  (@SarahNEmerson) <a href="https://twitter.com/mims/statuses/1340853343707570176?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 21, 2020</a></blockquote><p>The first thing I tried to figure out was how this ad ended up in the middle of the Elle article in the first place. With so many people pouring over the article, an unknown fashion brand could not be the only brand trying to advertise, right? </p><p>According to the co-founder of Check My Ads Nandini Jammi, brand safety company DoubleVerify had marked the article as "unsafe." This is supposed to keep ads from appearing on offensive content itself. But, Jammi said, these companies often flag articles that simply report on matters that could be offensive. As a result, Jammi theorized, brands that work with brand safety companies had their ads pulled from the article, leaving an opening for IVRose. </p><p>"Most of the big brands have effectively forfeited their place on this article," Jammi told me. "That opens up the way for brands or advertisers who have less of a risk threshold. They're okay with their ads being on potentially unsafe sites, because they would rather just get a higher volume out."</p><p>"They kind of flood the market, " Jammi added. "When the bigger brands don't want to be on a site, they get the same real estate for a lower cost." </p><p>Sterling said that this ad was likely "next in line" after the higher-quality ads were blocked.  </p><p>"It's not completely the bottom of the barrel, but it is sort of trending toward that," Sterling said. </p><p>Greg March, the CEO of the media agency Noble People, said that the Elle article was emblematic of the way online media companies sell ads. Bigger stories create more ad units to sell, with media companies quickly running out of premium buyers for <keyword id="6355005" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="news">news</keyword> - leaving just the programmatic low bidders.</p><p>"Advertisers allocate their media budgets way before they know what the news is gonna be," March said. "So when a story hits most advertisers aren't set up to say 'I want my ad on that story.'" </p><p>So, that solves the question of why the Elle article was filled with ads for butt-flap pajamas instead of major, well-known brands. But, why was it only the pajamas? </p><h2><strong>Why am I personally seeing this ad?</strong></h2><blockquote class="twitter-tweet blockquote" data-lang="en" data-cards="" data-conversation="">—Julia Carrie Wong  (@juliacarriew) <a href="https://twitter.com/mims/statuses/1340856448423608320?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 21, 2020</a></blockquote><p>This question is also puzzling experts. Typically, it would be strange for every single person to get served the same online ad, as usually such marketing is based on people's past behavior online. </p><p>"It is quite unusual as most online ads are based on cookies or tracking so they are targeted," GlobalData managing director Neil Saunders told me in an email.</p><p>The vast number of people seeing the ad makes it seem as if there is no targeting in place. However, Dr. Krzysztof Franaszek, founder of ad tracking and targeting company Adalytics, said that is not actually the case.</p><p>IVRose uses 18 ad trackers, sets nine third-party cookies, and uses adtech services from companies including TikTok-owner Bytedance, Twitter, Facebook, and Google, <a href="https://adalytics.io/blog">Franaszek wrote in an Adalytics blog post on Monday.</a> Franaszek also noted that new Chrome profiles and people who clear all third party cookies do <em>not</em> see the Ivrose onesie ad, even on the Elle website. </p><p>"It is therefore likely that Google or some other ad tech company is classifying the elle.com article as being related to Adult content or subjects, and is targeting users who visit articles like this one with adult like content, including the Ivrose ad," Franaszek wrote. </p><p>If you saw the IVRose ad, Franaszek told me, you likely did something online that made Google or some other tech company believe you're seeking out "adult" content. It seems to be very broad targeting, Sterling said - but, it is targeting all the same.  </p><h2>Why won't the PJ butt-flap ad leave me alone? </h2><blockquote class="twitter-tweet blockquote" data-lang="en" data-cards="" data-conversation="">—Taylor Lorenz  (@TaylorLorenz) <a href="https://twitter.com/mims/statuses/1341059163468648449?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 21, 2020</a></blockquote><p>The PJ ad seems to have taken over the internet because of a mix of IVRose's broad targeting strategy and the ad itself being more memorable than most. </p><p>The butt cheek peeking out of the PJs grabs people's attention. And, with people on Twitter discussing the ad, it is more likely to register the next time you see it. </p><p>"The reality is we all [see] the same weird ads all the time but they don't capture our attention like this one - which personifies the issue," according to Conor Ryan, the co-founder of the social media advertising platform StitcherAds. "It's a classic symptom of the spray and pray aspects of display advertising."</p><p>There's another reason that Franaszek says that it feels like the PJ ad is everywhere: IVRose's retargeting strategy. </p><p>"Ivrose uses remarketing services from Google - if you visit their website, you will drastically increase your chances of seeing one of their ads," Franaszek wrote in the blog post. </p><p>Remarketing, also called retargeting, is a popular strategy in online advertising that shows you the same item over and over again, or repeatedly shows you items related to past online behavior. It can be incredibly effective, or incredibly annoying, depending on if you want to actually buy the item. </p><p>To sum it all up: the PJ ad seems to be everywhere because it is memorable, and because if you see it once you are more likely to see it again. Still, multiple experts told me, the only way to really know why that butt-flap PJ ad is everywhere is by asking the brand behind the ad. </p><h2><strong>Who is the mastermind behind the ad? </strong></h2><p><strong><div type="image" title="chicme" height="1331" width="1775" msid="79848151" hostid="261"></div></strong></p><p>Unfortunately, IVRose was not willing to reveal its secrets. I reached out to IVRose's Facebook page on Sunday evening, saying I was a writer for Business Insider who wanted to know more about the strategy behind the PJ ads. </p><p>I received the response: "sorry, we can't help you." </p><p>This was followed by an apparently automated message: "Thank you for your enquiry! We will close the conversation now, you are welcome to contact us again anytime. Bye!" </p><p>IVRose appears to be one of a number of nearly identical fast-fashion brands, owned by the same company - Shanghai Jigao Information Technology Co., Ltd., according to the brand's Facebook page. Other brands, such as ChicMe and Joyshoetique, are selling the same clothing items, with the same model, at the same price point. </p><div type="image" title="Joyshoetique" height="995" width="1991" msid="79848154" hostid="261"></div><p>If you get fast-fashion ads on social media or websites, this probably sounds like a familiar story. </p><p>"These are what I would call 'opportunity brands' that have a very short life span," StitcherAds' Ryan said. "They can setup the 'business' in a week and tear it down just as quickly. They are not trying to establish a long term brand. They are trying to rapidly sell low-quality products at really high margins." </p><p>According to Saunders, IVRose is likely one of many brands that are backed by a Chinese manufacturer, aiming to cash in on selling directly to consumers. </p><p>"Digital advertising plays a key role in drumming up demand as most of these brands are not well known by consumers and have no physical presence," Saunders said. </p><h2><strong>Are these PJs even real? </strong></h2><p><strong><div type="image" title="ivrose" height="715" width="954" msid="79848155" hostid="261"></div></strong></p><p>Looking at IVRose's site after a day of talking to experts, I was struck by a new question - even if I bought these butt-flap PJs, would they ever arrive? </p><p>The wonky wine glass on IVRose's front page made me concerned about just how much PhotoShop was going on. And, <a href="https://www.vice.com/en/article/qjpzw3/why-is-this-womans-left-ass-cheek-following-me-around-the-internet">as Vice reported on Monday</a>, the photo used to sell the PJs appears to be a slightly altered photo from the website of <keyword id="460" type="COMPANY" weightage="60" keywordseo="lingerie">lingerie</keyword> brand Yandy. </p><p>Saunders told me there is probably nothing fake about IVRose. It is possible that the company shares a supplier with Yandy - or that the site will send a different onesie entirely. <a href="https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/sapna/say-no-to-the-dress">BuzzFeed reported in 2016</a> that it was common for fashion brands with opaque backgrounds to steal pictures online to sell clothing that frequently failed to live up to expectations. </p><p>"Consumers should be conscious that the products may not be of the best quality and that making returns may be difficult," Saunders said. </p><p>However, after 24 hours of obsessing over this butt-flap PJ, that was a risk I was willing to take. Reviewers on IVRose's website seem to be enjoying the onesies that they purchased, with 336 reviewers giving it a four-and-a-half star rating.</p><p>I decided that the only way I would really know what was up with the ass-less pajamas was if I purchased them myself. So, I ordered a pair of medium pajamas. And, I'm not the only one - one of my colleagues asked if I could order her a pair as well, and Jammi told me she was also eyeing the price of the PJs. </p><p>"It feels like whoever's running their marketing is a secret genius to me," Jammi said. </p><p><em>Patrick Coffee contributed reporting to this article. </em></p>

The bizarre case of the sexy butt-flap onesie that has taken over the internet

<p><span><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/580fd65cdd089586058b4a10-846/yr_e7069_excost2015.jpg" alt="sexy patrick close up" data-mce-source="Yandy.com" data-link="http://www.yandy.com/Pink-Velvet-Romper-Costume-.php" /><p class="source"><span><a href="http://www.yandy.com/Pink-Velvet-Romper-Costume-.php">Yandy.com</a></span></p></div><p></p></div></div><strong>The <keyword id="79969" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="100" keywordseo="insider">INSIDER</keyword> Summary:</strong></span></p><p style="padding-left: 30px;"><span><strong>• Halloween is here, and costumes are getting "sexy."</strong><br /><strong>• These are the worst offenders we could find, from sexy Bambi to sexy Donald Trump.</strong><br /></span></p><hr /><p><span><br />It's almost Halloween, which means that we're about to see another round of totally bizarre "sexy" costumes.</span></p><p><span>Beyond the usual sexy cheerleader and sexy nurse costumes, some people are coming up with even more gratuitously sexy costume ideas.</span></p><p><span>Take a look at some of the most unnecessarily sexy costumes we were able to find.</span></p>

The 15 most bizarrely unnecessary sexy Halloween costumes of 2016

<p><div class="KonaFilter image-container float_right"><div class="image on-image"><img src="http://static5.businessinsider.com/image/5272abb869bedd024a7d3d13-1200-924/yandy-corn-costume.jpg?maxX=480" border="0" alt="Yandy Corn Costume" width="480" /><p class="source"><a href="http://www.yandy.com/Sexy-Corn-Costume.php">Yandy</a></p><p class="caption">Lingerie company Yandy's "Sexy Corn" <keyword id="31537" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="60" keywordseo="costume">costume</keyword>, currently on sale.</p></div><p></p></div>Surprise, surprise - women don't want to dress up as "sexy corn" for <keyword id="600" type="ENTERTAINMENT" weightage="60" keywordseo="Halloween">Halloween</keyword>.</p>
<p>TIME Magazine reporter Laura Stampler <a href="http://newsfeed.time.com/2013/10/31/meet-the-people-who-design-the-sexy-pizza-costume-and-other-risque-halloween-gear/" target="_blank">recently interviewed the brains behind Yandy</a>, the popular lingerie company that sells outrageous Halloween costumes like <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/15-unnecessarily-sexy-halloween-costumes-2013-10#sexy-barney-no-childhood-memory-is-safe-2" target="_blank">Sexy Barney</a> and <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/15-unnecessarily-sexy-halloween-costumes-2013-10#sexy-hulk-hogan-trumped-only-by-the-actual-hulk-hogan-sex-tape-on-our-list-of-things-we-never-want-to-see-1" target="_blank">Sexy Hulk Hogan</a>.</p>
<p>But one costume that wasn't such a hit? <a href="http://www.yandy.com/Sexy-Corn-Costume.php" target="_blank">Sexy Corn</a>, an idea CEO Chad Horstman had when he was visiting Nebraska.</p>
<p>"I thought it would do well because I was in Nebraska at the time and there was corn everywhere," Horstman told Stampler. "I thought that girls would buy a lot and wear them together and go as a corn field."</p>
<p>Though Horstman's "corn field" concept didn't quite catch on, he's still hoping that women will wear other sexy vegetable and/or fruit costumes and go together as a set.</p>
<p>Considering the fact that <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/15-unnecessarily-sexy-halloween-costumes-2013-10#sexy-pizza-yum-7" target="_blank">Sexy Pizza</a> is one of their <a href="http://newsfeed.time.com/2013/10/31/meet-the-people-who-design-the-sexy-pizza-costume-and-other-risque-halloween-gear/" target="_blank">best sellers</a>, we'd believe anything.</p>
<p>Read all about Yandy and how they evolved into the go-to Halloween costume website <a href="http://newsfeed.time.com/2013/10/31/meet-the-people-who-design-the-sexy-pizza-costume-and-other-risque-halloween-gear/" target="_blank">over at TIME</a>.</p>

Surprise - No One Wants To Dress As 'Sexy Corn' For Halloween

<p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/5db9f550dee01959d37187b8-1200/costume sexy nurse real nurse halloween 4x3.png" border="0" alt="costume sexy nurse real nurse halloween 4x3" data-mce-source="Bryan Bedder/Getty Images; Samantha Lee/Business Insider" /></div></div></div></p><ul class="summary-list"><li>Sexy nurse costumes are one of the most popular, top-selling adult outfits on Halloween.</li><li>Yet RNs say sexualized depictions of nurses perpetuate stereotypes that the profession isn't as respectable as doctors.</li><li>Plus, some nurses say these costumes can contribute to workplace sexual harassment.</li><li><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/?hprecirc-bullet">Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.</a></li></ul><p>Lisa Kullack felt enraged scrolling through her Facebook feed this Halloween season.</p><p>Kullack, a New York-area-based registered nurse, saw a photo of a male surgeon dressed in scrubs with a large, fake breast exposed under his top. The badge around his neck read "Wendy RN," for "registered nurse."</p><p>The costume was one crude version of many "sexy nurse" costumes that routinely pop up around Halloween, which are among bestsellers in 2019 - as they seem to be every year. Publications like <a href="https://www.romper.com/p/9-most-popular-halloween-costumes-of-all-time-that-will-honestly-never-go-out-of-style-12999454">Romper</a> and <a href="https://www.etonline.com/news/175064_the_sexiest_celeb_halloween_costumes_of_all_time">Entertainment Tonight</a> tout the costume as one of the most popular of all time. The rapper <a href="https://www.hotnewhiphop.com/cardi-b-joins-offset-on-stage-and-performs-in-sexy-nurse-halloween-costume-news.94245.html">Cardi B appeared as a sexy nurse</a> just last week during a performance. </p><p>Despite the ubiquity of the "sexy nurse" costume, some practicing nurses feel the over-sexualized depictions perpetuate stereotypes of nursing being an unskilled woman's profession. They also say it may contribute to workplace harassment.</p><p>"A sexy nurse costume, particularly when worn by a physician, feels like a big 'FU'," Kullack said in an email to Business Insider. "This speaks volumes about the unequal power structure of healthcare."</p><h2>RNs say "sexy nurse" costumes demean the profession</h2><p>Major retailers are cashing in on the trope.</p><p>While <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/white-claw-inspired-halloween-costume-yandy-2019-10">Yandy</a>, the lingerie brand that sells scandalous costumes come Halloween, would not tell Business Insider how many sexy nurse costumes it sells per year, the "On Call Nurse Costume" is currently one of the <a href="https://www.yandy.com/Shopping/products/category_19.asp">top five most popular costumes</a> on the website, as of this writing. The "Women Lingerie Nurse School Girl Outfit" and "Sexy Triage Nurse" costumes are in the <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Best-Sellers-Womens-Exotic-Costumes/zgbs/fashion/378950011">top 15 best-sellers on Amazon</a> under women's exotic costumes.</p><p>Retailers might make a profit off sexy nurse imagery, but RNs themselves say this is just one example of how nurses aren't depicted as scientific medical professionals the way doctors are. Nurses, who make up the <a href="https://www.aacnnursing.org/News-Information/Fact-Sheets/Nursing-Fact-Sheet">bulk of healthcare workers</a> nationwide, typically get <a href="https://www.vulture.com/2019/09/ers-doctors-made-it-great-its-nurses-made-it-radical.html">secondary, one-dimensional roles</a> in many hospital TV shows, Variety's Kathryn VanArendonk <a href="https://www.vulture.com/2019/09/ers-doctors-made-it-great-its-nurses-made-it-radical.html">found</a>. </p><p>"Sexy nurse" outfits perpetuate stereotypes that the profession is low-skilled, assistant work for women, said MarySue Heilemann, an associate professor at the UCLA School of Nursing. In reality, many nurses get doctorate degrees and conduct <a href="https://www.ninr.nih.gov/sites/files/docs/10-landmark-nursing-research-studies.pdf">groundbreaking medical research</a>. Yet driven, science-minded women and men can feel alienated going into the profession if they view it as less respectable than physicians.</p><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/5db9f5f9dee01952ea0507f4-2400/gettyimages-540155293.jpg" border="0" alt="sexy nurse costume" data-mce-source="Fairfax Media via Getty Images" /></div></div></div></p><p>Sandy Summers, the executive director of the non-profit <a href="https://www.truthaboutnursing.org/about_us/bios/ssummers.html#gsc.tab=0">The Truth About Nursing</a>, said unflattering images of nurses can also perpetuate stereotypes that nurses aren't skilled medical researchers, which impedes their ability to get funding. Earlier this summer, National Institutes of Health named a <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/nurses-criticize-move-to-appoint-dentist-to-head-ninr-2019-9">dentist</a> in charge of one of the country's biggest nursing research institutions. Summers and her organization challenged NIH to allow nurses apply for the role.</p><p>"When people don't respect nurses, they don't fund their work," Sandy Summer told Business Insider. "They don't think we do anything meaningful. It doesn't take a college degree to provide somebody with sexual services."</p><h2>How "sexy nurses" can increase workplace harassment</h2><p>Beyond just inaccurate portrayals, "sexy nurse" costumes may perpetuate something more sinister: workplace harassment. </p><p>Anywhere between 60% to 87% of nurses experience sexual harassment at work, according to a <a href="https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/0893318905280879">2006 review of literature</a> conducted by Pacific Union College professor <a href="https://www.puc.edu/faculty?dept=16901">Tammy McGuire</a>. Similarly, a <a href="https://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/892006">2018 poll</a> of 569 nurses found 71% of them had been harassed by a patient. </p><p>Kristen Choi, a practicing RN who works at a mental health hospital in Los Angeles, said she "consistently" gets sexually harassed at work. Most of her patients respect her, but some call her "baby" or make comments on her appearance while she treats them. She even recalled an instance where a patient asked to take off her clothes and get into bed with her.</p><p>Choi said scandalous Halloween costumes can reinforce the idea that nurses are "sexy," which can normalize problematic behavior and make it easier for men to say harassing comments while she's at work.</p><p>"Sexualizing any profession that's mostly women may feel harmless, but it's creating a caricature and it really does translate to real world harm whether you intended to or not," Choi told Business Insider.</p><p>Kullack, too, concluded the crude nurse costume she saw on Facebook must have occurred partly due to a lack of adequate workplace harassment training.</p><p>"This feels like misogyny," Kullack added. "No one should ever wear a sexy nurse costume. It's a subtle jab at our profession."</p><ul class="read-more-links"><li><strong>Read more:</strong></li><li><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/nurses-criticize-move-to-appoint-dentist-to-head-ninr-2019-9" data-read-more-link="" data-e2e-name="read-more-link">The US government just appointed a dentist and a biologist to head the National Institute of Nursing Research - and nurses are furious</a></li><li><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/how-being-a-nurse-has-changed-2019-4" data-read-more-link="" data-e2e-name="read-more-link">THEN AND NOW: Here's how being a nurse has changed in the last 50 years</a></li><li><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/nurse-suicide-epidemic-on-the-rise-2019-8" data-read-more-link="" data-e2e-name="read-more-link">Suicides among nurses are on the rise. Here's why one of America's fastest-growing jobs is facing a major crisis.</a></li><li><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/a-day-in-the-life-of-a-registered-nurse-2019-8" data-read-more-link="" data-e2e-name="read-more-link">A day in the life of a nurse who works 10-hour shifts in an NYC cancer unit keeping patients comfortable in the midst of a national drug shortage</a></li></ul>

'Sexy nurse' costumes demean one of the most in-demand professions in American life - and they're a bestseller on Amazon right now

<p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/5d9f74dd122bd57569507247-2222/benihana meal-7.jpg" border="0" alt="Benihana meal buddha cup" data-mce-source="Irene Jiang / Business Insider" /></div></div></div></p><p>Hello from The Drive-Thru, Business Insider's weekly newsletter about everything you need to know about shopping, fast food, and more. This is Kate Taylor, senior <keyword id="6354851" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="retail">retail</keyword> correspondent at BI.</p><p>Every Friday, I'll be giving a rundown on what the largest retail companies in the world are up to, and how these decisions impact everyone from Wall Street to grocery-store cashiers.</p><p>You can sign up to become a Drive-Thru subscriber <a href="http://newsletter.businessinsider.com/join/4np/drivethru" target="_blank" rel="noopener">here.</a> Let's get into what happened this week! </p><h2>Lowe's restructuring is killing morale. </h2><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/5d9247262e22af4c8e3b445d-1200/lowes employee low morale 4x3.png" border="0" alt="lowes employee low morale 4x3" data-mce-source="Lowe's Newsroom; Samantha Lee/Business Insider" /></div></div></div></p><p>Áine has a <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/lowes-employees-morale-store-restructures-2019-10">deep dive</a> into a restructuring at Lowe's that is driving away workers. Workers told Áine the company is eliminating roles, replacing full-time positions with part-time jobs, and rolling out a chaotic new scheduling system. According to workers, some of these changes are thinly disguised layoffs. </p><p>"It's the way corporate America works and we expect it, but no one likes it when it happens to them," said a former employee. According to this employee, Lowe's used to feel like a family; the changes convinced them to quit the company earlier this year after eight years on the job. </p><p>Lowe's restructuring is another entry on the endless list of cost-cutting measures that can end up being dangerously short-sighted. Even seemingly minor changes can have a huge impact on morale - or indicate bigger problems. 3G <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2019/09/24/business/kraft-heinz-food-3g-capital-management.html?smid=nytcore-ios-share">reportedly cutting off workers' Kraft cheese supply</a> might seem like a minor quibble, but it reveals bigger strategic mistakes around cost cuts throughout the firm's Kraft-Heinz merger.</p><p>Morale sounds intangible and touchy-feely, but it can have concrete consequences if stores lose seasoned workers or are unable to fully staff locations. Lowe's is clearly worried - <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/lowes-ceo-marvin-ellison-message-employee-survey-2019-10">the CEO sent out an employee engagement survey</a> on Thursday, soon after Áine's story went up.</p><p><em><strong><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/lowes-employees-morale-store-restructures-2019-10">Read Áine's full report here,</a> and get in touch at retail@businessinsider.com if you've dealt with similar cost cuts on the job. </strong></em></p><h2>Inside Target's modernization nightmare. </h2><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/5d8d30182e22af6678252548-906/screen shot 2019-09-26 at 53657 pm.png" border="0" alt="Target backroom new hampshire" data-mce-source="Courtesy of an anonymous former Target employee" data-mce-caption="A photo of a backroom in a New Hampshire Target last October." /></div></div></div></p><p>Shoshy got her hands on <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/targets-modernization-plan-has-backfired-workers-say-2019-10">Target's "Bible" for modernization.</a> It's a 54-page document that spells out the chain's new stocking system, providing a window into Target's more general restructuring.</p><p>Unfortunately for Target, the plan isn't playing out as hoped. Following Shoshy's reporting on how modernization has created crowded and sometimes dangerous backrooms, workers said that stores started <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/target-is-looking-into-claims-of-backrooms-being-overcrowded-unsafe-2019-10">getting surprise visits from company inspectors and managers</a> over the last week. </p><p>I'm guessing that a lot of inspectors are not liking what they're seeing. Shoshy has been getting pictures of Target back rooms around the US, and they looks pretty horrifying. If you need a visual for how corporate strategies can have massive, unintended negative effects on workers and stores, <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/target-stores-back-rooms-messy-modernization-photos-2019-10">click here.</a></p><p><em><strong><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/targets-modernization-plan-has-backfired-workers-say-2019-10">Read how the best laid plans of modernization are backfiring here.</a></strong></em></p><h2><strong>McDonald's is spending millions of dollars to speed up drive-thrus. </strong></h2><p>I got the scoop on a new McDonald's initiative to convince franchisees to update their drive-thrus. The most interesting nugget is that McDonald's is lowering the number of cars needed to qualify for a side-by-side drive-thru.</p><p>It sounds wonky, but it hints that McDonald's has realized that it can't just focus on kiosks and mobile ordering to boost traffic.</p><p>McDonald's has done some showy deals to improve drive-thru times, acquiring Apprente and Dynamic Yield this year. But, sources tell me that the most impactful changes are behind the scenes, with a back-to-basics focus on menu simplifications and rewarding employee speed. </p><p><em><strong><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/mcdonalds-spending-millions-on-drive-thru-2019-10">Read the full story here.</a></strong></em></p><h2>Taste test of the week. </h2><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/5d9f7315122bd57340262d12-2222/benihana meal-25.jpg" border="0" alt="Benihana meal onion volcano" data-mce-source="Irene Jiang / Business Insider" /></div></div></div></p><p>Benihana feels like a throwback in 2019, as omakase counters, Korean BBQs, hot pot chains, and bubble tea shops enter the American mainstream. Irene visited to try and make sense of where exactly the sizzling chain fits into the modern restaurant landscape.</p><p>Irene's take: "Benihana is like my parents' generation of Asian immigrants to the US. It had to assimilate in order to have a chance of success in this country, and as a result, lost a lot of its home country's culture.</p><p>"But most importantly, it paved the way for the next generation to make an even bigger impact."</p><p><em><strong><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/benihana-experience-is-disapointing-but-revealing-2019-10">Read the full Benihana taste test here.</a></strong></em></p><h2>Shopping spree. </h2><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/5d9f75fa3b33a7781b3b9b27-2000/img5091.jpeg" border="0" alt="Crocs kids size" data-mce-source="Shoshy Ciment/Business Insider" /></div></div></div></p><p>Piper Jaffray's biannual survey of American teenagers is out. Apparently, teens love Crocs! The polarizing shoe brand tied for seventh place among teens' preferred footwear brands, up from 13th place last year.</p><p>Shoshy visited a Crocs store earlier this year to understand Gen Z's fascination with the shoe. She left a Crocs convert. If you don't understand why Crocs' sales keep growing, you should read about her experience. </p><p><em><strong><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/crocs-hater-turns-into-fan-from-store-visit-2019-8">Read Shoshy's store tour to understand how Crocs won over Gen Z here.</a></strong></em></p><h2><strong>I wish I wrote this. </strong></h2><p>Victoria's Secret is laying off roughly 15% of its corporate staff in Columbus, Ohio, according to <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2019/10/10/business/victorias-secret-layoffs.html">a New York Times scoop.</a> The cuts have reportedly affected about 50 people. </p><p>The lingerie brand has been hit again and again over the last few years, with negative headlines on everything from <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/ed-razek-cmo-victorias-secret-steps-down-report-2019-8">ex-CMO Ed Razek's comments about transgender models</a> to L Brands founder and CEO Les Wexner's ties to <a href="https://markets.businessinsider.com/news/stocks/victorias-secret-les-wexner-embarrassed-by-jeffrey-epstein-ties-2019-9-1028519371">convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.</a> With the layoffs, Victoria's Secret seems set to start revealing what its promised "new direction" will actually look like. </p><p>London-based Mary Hanbury - who has reported extensively on <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/victorias-secret-why-ed-razek-didnt-resign-execs-say-2019-3">Victoria's Secret's highs and lows</a> - once said that Columbus, Ohio, was the city she most wants to visit in the US. I'm not convinced, despite Columbus' reputation as <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/fast-food-test-new-products-ohio-chipotle-burger-mcdonalds-columbus-2016-11">the fast-food menu test capital of America.</a> However, I think we would all love to understand what is going on at Victoria's Secret HQ right now. </p><p><em><strong>Read The Times' scoop <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2019/10/10/business/victorias-secret-layoffs.html">here</a>. Read Mary's <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/victorias-secret-why-ed-razek-didnt-resign-execs-say-2019-3">reporting on Razek here.</a> </strong></em><strong><em>If you know what's going on at Victoria's Secret, email retail@businessinsider.com </em></strong></p><h2>Everything else you need to know. </h2><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/5d84f5442e22af0ca0785187-996/o-1.jpg" border="0" alt="Costco cake yelp" data-mce-source="Steven S./Yelp" data-link="https://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/costco-huntington-beach?select=jW8AMKRPRhcUjp14mutCtA" /></div></div></div></p><ul><li>Amazon employees are ditching the company to make even more money by <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/amazon-executives-leaving-expose-inner-workings-consultants-2019-10">helping others understand the e-commerce giant.</a></li><li>Lidl subtweeted Whole Foods with an announcement that <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/lidl-employees-get-medical-benefits-after-whole-foods-cuts-2019-10">it will give its part-time workers medical benefits.</a></li><li>Áine and Rich Feloni talked to Dick's Sporting Goods CEO Ed Stack about the company's <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/dicks-ceo-on-destroying-5-million-dollars-of-assault-weapons-2019-10">evolving</a> approach <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/dicks-sporting-goods-ceo-on-gun-control-and-leadership-lessons-2019-10">to guns</a>. </li><li><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/lularoe-founder-deanne-stidham-life-2019-10">LuLaRoe founder Deanne Stidham's</a> life is even weirder and wilder than you imagined. </li><li><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/forever-21-didnt-win-gen-z-downfall-experts-2019-10">Gen Z killed Forever 21</a>. </li><li>Yandy is selling a <a href="https://t.co/pYog296Yj7?amp=1">Sexy White Claw costume</a> to pair with a <a href="https://t.co/ckqlfJmGh5?amp=1">Sexy Beyond Burger costume.</a></li><li>Costco gives employees <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/costco-employees-get-a-cake-for-working-25-years-2019-9?utmSource=twitter&amp;utmContent=referral&amp;utmTerm=topbar&amp;referrer=twitter">a special cake for their 25th work anniversary.</a> </li></ul>

The Drive-Thru: Lowe's worker morale plummets, Target's back room nightmare continues, and McDonald's invests millions to speed up the drive-thru

<p><div class="KonaFilter image-container float_right click-to-enlarge"><div class="image on-image"><a title_source="Yandy" title_caption="" class="zoomin" href="http://static6.businessinsider.com/image/525c617469bedde33084c278-960/sexy-barney-halloween-costume.png"><span class="click-to-enlarge-icon" title="Click to enlarge"></span><img src="http://static6.businessinsider.com/image/525c617469bedde33084c278-661-495/sexy-barney-halloween-costume.png?maxX=480" border="0" alt="sexy barney halloween costume" width="480" /></a><p class="source"><a href="http://www.yandy.com/Sexy-Barney-Costume.php">Yandy</a></p></div><p></p></div>It's about to be <keyword id="600" type="ENTERTAINMENT" weightage="60" keywordseo="Halloween">Halloween</keyword>, which means that we're about to see another round of totally bizarre "sexy" costumes.</p>
<p>Beyond the usual sexy cheerleader and sexy nurse costumes, some people are coming up with even more gratuitously sexy costume ideas.</p>
<p>From our research, it seems just about anything can get sexy thrown in front of it on Halloween, from Barney to Osama Bin Laden to a "sexy" ear of corn.</p>
<p>Take a look at some of the most unnecessarily sexy costumes we were able to find.</p>

The 15 Most Bizarrely Unnecessary Sexy Halloween Costumes Of 2013

<p><div class="KonaFilter image-container float_right click-to-enlarge"><div class="image on-image"><a title_source="Yandy" title_caption="" class="zoomin" href="http://static6.businessinsider.com/image/525c617469bedde33084c278-960/sexy-barney-halloween-costume.png"><span class="click-to-enlarge-icon" title="Click to enlarge"></span><img src="http://static6.businessinsider.com/image/525c617469bedde33084c278-661-495/sexy-barney-halloween-costume.png?maxX=480" border="0" alt="sexy barney halloween costume" width="480" /></a><p class="source"><a href="http://www.yandy.com/Sexy-Barney-Costume.php">Yandy</a></p></div><p></p></div>It's almost <keyword id="600" type="ENTERTAINMENT" weightage="60" keywordseo="Halloween">Halloween</keyword>, which means that we're about to see another round of totally bizarre "sexy" costumes.</p>
<p>Beyond the usual sexy cheerleader and sexy nurse costumes, some people are coming up with even more gratuitously sexy costume ideas.</p>
<p>From our research, it seems just about anything can get sexy thrown in front of it on Halloween, from Barney to Osama Bin Laden to a "sexy" ear of corn.</p>
<p>Take a look at some of the most unnecessarily sexy costumes we were able to find.</p>

<img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/5e0a3f97855cc271a006b332-1960/carls jr-23.jpg" alt="Carl's Jr beyond star" /><ul class="summary-list"><li>Plant-based versions of fast-food classics flooded menus in 2019, as partnerships with <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/category/beyond-meat">Beyond Meat</a> and <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/category/impossible-foods">Impossible Foods</a> produced offerings such as KFC's Beyond Fried Chicken and Burger King's Impossible Whopper.</li><li>Beyond Meat sees fast-food partnerships as a major part of its future, executives told Business Insider. </li><li>"It's not a one-size-fits-all," said Beyond Meat's chief growth officer, Chuck Muth. Each chain that enters a partnership with Beyond Meat has its own team at the plant-based "meat" company, and CEO Ethan Brown signs off on each new menu item. </li><li>Fast-food partnerships help put plant-based "meat" in front of a massive amount of potential customers, helping change people's perception of meat-free products and build Beyond's sales.</li><li>"It's not that interesting to me that really rich people eat super healthy food. It's not moving the needle," CEO Ethan <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/dunkin-beyond-meat-ceos-explain-faux-meat-breakfast-sandwiches-2019-7">Brown told Business Insider</a> on the day that Dunkin' debuted its Beyond Sausage Sandwich. </li><li><a href="http://newsletter.businessinsider.com/join/4np/drivethru">Sign up for Business Insider's retail newsletter, The Drive-Thru, to get more stories like this in your inbox</a>.</li><li><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/?hprecirc-bullet"><strong>Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories</strong></a><strong>.</strong></li></ul><p>On August 27, a KFC in Atlanta, Georgia, descended into chaos as lines of cars and people stretched around the location, which had been painted green for the day. </p><p>The reason for the chaos? For a single day, at this single location, <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/i-tasted-kfc-meatless-chicken-review-2019-8">KFC was serving Beyond Fried Chicken.</a> </p><p>The Beyond Fried Chicken - made in partnership with Beyond Meat - sold out in five hours. According to a KFC representative, the location had been stocked with the plant-based equivalent of the amount of popcorn chicken that could normally last the chain a week. </p><p>KFC and Beyond Meat executives told Business Insider that the massive response was overwhelming and surprising, especially since it came just three months after KFC President Kevin Hochman mentioned, offhand, that he had been casually meeting with plant-based "meat" makers. </p><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/5d81a7092e22af6a817a19e3-1777/ap19239624549289.jpg" alt="beyond meat" /><p>However, it was just one of countless partnerships that Beyond Meat announced in 2020. Restaurant industry reporters found their inboxes flooded with announcements from Beyond and rival Impossible Foods, with new partnerships being penned on what felt like a weekly - if not daily - basis. And, increasingly, chains had their own take on plant-based foods, created with the help of Impossible or Beyond. </p><p>In addition to Beyond Fried Chicken, <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/burger-king-tgi-fridays-chains-sell-plant-based-meat-2019-5#little-caesars-14">2019 saw the arrival of</a> Burger King's Impossible Whopper, Del Taco's Beyond Taco, and Carl's Jr.'s Beyond Famous Star, as well as the Beyond BBQ Cheeseburger. McDonald's tested Beyond's P.L.T. in Canada, and Little Caesars tested the Impossible Supreme Pizza. </p><p>"It's been a gradual momentum build," Beyond Meat's chief growth officer, Chuck Muth, told Business Insider in an interview in November. </p><p>Each new test and menu launch was met with a flurry of articles and, in Beyond's early post-IPO days, a bump in its stock price. But, the long-term impact of the new menu items is far greater than a proportion of people swapping out a hamburger for a meat-free version of the same menu item.</p><p>Quick-service restaurant (QSR) industry partnerships are set to be a major part of Beyond Meat's growth plan moving forward, Muth says. And, fast-food executives and industry analysts believe their future is also full of plant-based "meat."</p><h2>Why fast food loves Beyond Meat</h2><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/5e04de41855cc23b845edbb5-2222/carls jr-22.jpg" alt="Carl's Jr beyond star" /><p>When a massive trend hits, from CBD to chicken sandwiches, fast-food industry executives quickly realize that they're going to have to have an answer ready. In 2019, that trend was plant-based "meat," with Amanda Norris, executive director of Chick-fil-A's menu, <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/chick-fil-a-explores-vegan-meat-substitutes-potential-2019-5">telling Business Insider earlier this year</a> that she anticipates every chain is soon going to have a "point of view" on the topic.  </p><p>This "point of view" could be amping up vegetarian options, which is the road that Chick-fil-A has chosen so far, <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/taco-bell-panera-snub-beyond-meat-impossible-food-2019-6">as have chains such as Taco Bell and Panera.</a> But, for many other chains, developing a point of view means taking a meeting with Beyond Meat, Impossible Foods, and other companies entering the plant-based "meat" business. </p><p>Muth says that just a few years ago, Beyond went into these meetings hoping that grocery store sales could help convince fast-food chains to partner with the plant-based "meat" maker.</p><p>While Impossible Foods started out with deals with fine-dining chefs such as David Chang, Beyond Meat first appeared in grocery stores <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/how-a-startup-that-makes-fake-meat-from-plants-caught-the-attention-of-bill-gates-and-the-founders-of-twitter-2015-7">such as Whole Foods and Target.</a> When Muth joined in 2017 after a career at Honest Tea and Coca-Cola, he said one of his missions was to ensure that Beyond products were sold in the meat aisles, not alongside vegetarian or vegan offerings. </p><p>Muth said early partnerships with chains such as A&amp;W in Canada and TGI Fridays required executives, many of whom believed in Beyond's pro-environment message, to trust that Beyond's grocery sales would translate into success at restaurants. Now, Beyond Meat can show figures from public companies' earnings reports, like with Del Taco, <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/del-taco-launches-beyond-meat-burritos-after-taco-success-2019-6">which sold two million plant-based Beyond Meat tacos in less than two months. </a></p><p>Analysts are increasingly predicting that plant-based "meat" will be a long-term necessity for most chains, as opposed to a short-term sales bump.</p><p>A Cowen report published in October found that Beyond and Impossible Burgers have a 79% retrial rate among omnivore respondents. Cowen also found that people are willing to pay more for plant-based burgers. The majority of people surveyed, including the majority of people in households making less than $60,000 a year, strongly agreed or somewhat agreed that Beyond's plant-based burgers were worth a premium price. </p><p>The report adds: "Further supporting the pricing power is virtually all concepts discussed plant-based products attracting new and lapsed users to the brand, which skew more affluent and younger."</p><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/5d84e45c2e22af07a97904f6-833/screen shot 2019-09-20 at 103700 am.png" alt="yandy beyond burger" /><p>Plant-based "meat" has also gained a certain cultural cachet that many fast-food brands would spend millions of dollars to get in 2019. Lingerie brand Yandy only deemed a few foods sufficiently sexy to transform into skimpy Halloween costumes this year. <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/sexy-plant-based-beyond-burger-costume-yandy-for-halloween-2019-9">The Beyond Burger made the cut,</a> joining the meme-able ranks of Sexy White Claw and Sexy Popeyes Chicken Sandwich. </p><h2>Beyond's mission to be the faux meat maker of choice</h2><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/5e0a400e855cc269180c7a2a-2151/del taco-15.jpg" alt="Del Taco beyond taco" /><p>If plant-based products become part of doing business, Beyond Meat's job is to convince chains that it is the best partner to work with as the industry evolves. </p><p>A major piece of the puzzle in these partnerships is the creation of the perfect collaboration: a new menu item that combines fast-food sensibility with plant-based startup buzziness. While originally chains simply served the Beyond Burger (or, the Impossible Burger), the new normal is the creation of a new, original item highlighting the plant-based "meat" maker's identity. </p><p>"These large QSRs want something that is unique and special that also reflects their culinary direction," Muth said. </p><p>"That's where our capabilities come in," Muth added. "We have the capabilities here of customizing items that work. And that's part of the entrepreneur scrappiness. It's not a one-size-fits-all."</p><p>Today, every restaurant partner has its own corresponding team at Beyond Meat. Chains guide the conversation but work closely with Beyond, including the company's leadership. According to Muth, every new menu item needs Beyond CEO Ethan Brown's seal of approval. Brown is involved even in seemingly smaller-scale partnerships, with a KFC source saying that leadership was impressed by how hands-on the CEO was in what was, at that point, just a one-day test of Beyond Fried Chicken. </p><p>Despite Brown's involvement, speed is crucial. Muth says creating a new burger for Carl's Jr. took about four months. According to a KFC source, Beyond was able to go from presenting a potential menu item to creating the Beyond Fried Chicken Version 1.0, which was served in Atlanta, in just four weeks. </p><p>Beyond Meat has built out its development lab to include a space adjusted to replicate the kitchen of all of its partners. Since Carl's Jr. charbroils its burgers, for example, Beyond Meat is now equipped with charbroilers to properly develop plant-based versions.</p><p>These new plant-based products are based on the tastes and preferences of different customers. But, they also give Beyond fans a reason to visit a specific chain and avoid Beyond burnout. </p><p>"To not be commoditized as a brand, you have to have uniqueness with each restaurant," Muth said. "If you can buy the same Beyond Burger at every one of the restaurants, how is that special for that restaurant?" </p><p>Essentially, this is the promise that Beyond make to fast-food chains: We'll make you whatever you want. We'll get it done fast, and it will be far cooler than anything else on the menu. Traditional suppliers cannot compete in terms of speed or brand value, according to one executive who worked with Beyond on a fast-food menu test. </p><p>Impossible Foods offers a similar bargain. Cowen identified Burger King as the best positioned chain on plant-based "meat," with the national rollout of the Impossible Whopper happening in August. Impossible's burgers earn the edge in reviews among taste testers -<a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/veggie-burger-taste-test-burger-king-impossible-burger-beyond-meat-2019-9"> including those at Business Insider</a> - who value the "real" bloody burger texture, which comes thanks to the <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/impossible-foods-bleeding-veggie-burger-ingredient-gets-fda-green-light-2018-7">use of the ingredient heme.</a> </p><p>According to one executive whose chain partnered with Beyond instead of Impossible, Beyond offers a few advantages. Since Beyond's products do not use heme, the executive said, companies that partner with Beyond can say that their foods do not contain genetically modified ingredients. Beyond also currently offers a wider range of products, from meatballs on Subway sandwiches to Beyond Fried Chicken. </p><p>"We always let the customer guide the conversation," Muth said, noting that Beyond is building capabilities to create new types of products.</p><p>"We don't like saying no," Muth said. "I can't remember if we've ever said no." </p><h2><strong>Why Beyond Meat loves fast food</strong></h2><p><strong></strong></p><strong><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/55ba86fc2acae700448b9319-2400/beyond meat-38.jpg" alt="ethan brown beyond meat" /></strong><p>Beyond Meat's and Impossible Foods' fast-food takeover can be seen, cynically, as an incredible money-making opportunity or, idealistically, as a democratizing of plant-based "meat." </p><p>Impossible started high-brow, with fine-dining partnerships, and has essentially trickled down into low-brow culture through menu items like the Impossible Whopper. </p><p>Beyond, meanwhile, started from the bottom of the food chain, with fast-food chains as its bread-and-butter as it entered the restaurant space. CEO Brown has been insistent that this is by design. </p><p>"It's not that interesting to me that really rich people eat super healthy food. It's not moving the needle," <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/dunkin-beyond-meat-ceos-explain-faux-meat-breakfast-sandwiches-2019-7">Brown told Business Insider on the day that Dunkin' debuted its Beyond Sausage Sandwich. </a></p><p>"Democratizing" plant-based "meat," to borrow a phrase from Dunkin' CEO David Hoffmann, also creates an incredible opportunity for Beyond. When plant-based "meat" is readily available at chains that they trust, closely mimicking the flavor of menu items they already love, people are more likely convinced to try the menu item at least once. </p><p>Muth and Brown often emphasize that they want plant-based proteins to thrive, no matter who is making them. The competition adds a sense of urgency and, crucially, helps force plant-based "meat" further into the mainstream. Impossible Foods CEO Pat Brown (no relation to Beyond's CEO) has voiced <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/impossible-foods-ceo-slams-rivals-awful-products-2019-9">similar sentiments about the positives around more companies producing high-quality plant-based "meat."</a> </p><p>"On the one hand I feel like it's great," Pat Brown told Busines Insider in September. "It's a great sign about the demand. On the other side, I feel like - and it may sound ironic to say this - I wish they would make better products, basically."</p><p>"Every time someone uses one of those products and it sucks, it's a setback" for Impossible Foods and plant-based meat alternatives more generally, Brown added. </p><p>Conversely, every time someone eats a plant-based faux meat product, it helps build demand for Beyond and Impossible. According to Cowen, "several concepts cited that as Beyond and Impossible offerings are adopted by competitors, the concept sees a halo benefit from growing awareness of plant-based offerings." </p><p>In May, Barclays estimated that the market for alternative meat could reach roughly $140 billion over the next 10 years, up from $14 billion. When Dunkin' launched its Beyond Sausage Breakfast Sandwich, Beyond's Brown said that it has been fascinating to see "a brand morph into a movement." </p><p>"That's not what we're doing, that's what the world is doing," Brown said. </p><h2><strong>The future of fast food</strong></h2><p><strong></strong></p><strong><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/5ddd9ccafd9db20cfc001a92-1752/dsc1355.jpg" alt="beyond meat burger" /></strong><p>With a symbiotic relationship between Beyond Meat and fast food, chains are set for a significantly more plant-based future. Citing NPD Group data, Cowen said in its October report that plant-based burgers currently represent 3% to 4% of all fast-food orders. Beef burger sales are somewhat stagnant, with the NPD Group finding that traditional burger sales were flat for the year ending in May 2019, with 6.4 billion beef burgers sold. In the same period, sales of plant-based burgers grew 10% to 228 million, according to NPD. </p><p>"Longer term, when plant-based proteins will presumably be permeated throughout the industry, we expect plant-based to be a cost of doing business," the Cowen report reads. </p><p>According to Barclays' report, 12% of people who had tried either the Impossible or the Beyond Burger said that their primary reason for trying the burger was social responsibility.</p><p>With climate change becoming more of a direct threat, the motivation to do more will also grow. </p><p>Scientists and analysts alike are anticipating climate change to have a major impact on the future. In November, more than 11,250 scientists from 153 countries <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/scientists-declare-climate-emergency-solutions-fewer-children-2019-11">co-signed a warning in the journal BioScience stating</a> "clearly and unequivocally that planet Earth is facing a climate emergency." The same month, Federal Reserve official Kevin Stiroh declared that climate change and related events <a href="https://markets.businessinsider.com/news/stocks/climate-change-impact-on-economy-has-cost-500-billion-fed-2019-11-1028675379">directly cost the US more than $500 billion over the past five years</a>.</p><p>Beyond Meat is also working to become increasingly relevant, both in terms of individuals and fast-food partners. Muth says the company's priorities are improving on nutrition, price, and taste. If Beyond's last earnings call is any indication, nutrition, in particular, will be front and center as Beyond moves into 2020, <a href="https://geneticliteracyproject.org/2019/10/31/food-scientist-marion-nestle-meat-industry-hires-zombie-lobbyist-group-to-attack-beyond-impossible-burgers/">especially following attacks from the meat industry.</a></p><p>For fast food, price might prove to be just as appealing. With Wells Fargo's Jon Tower calling protein inflation a matter of "when, not if (i.e., late 2020 or early 2021, in our view)" in a December note, plant-based proteins could provide a way to keep prices steady. Beyond has pledged to match beef in price in the next five years, meaning that striking a deal with Beyond now could pay off down the line. </p><p>"Should beef inflation meaningfully accelerate, we would not be surprised to see a greater number of restaurants embrace plant-based proteins," Cowen's Charles wrote in a note in December. </p><p>As plant-based "meat" becomes more mainstream, both from Beyond's work and global necessity, plant-based startups are becoming the fast food of vegetarianism - mainstream and, by design, intended to appeal to as many people as possible. </p><p>Beyond Meat's Brown has never wanted to be principled and niche; he wants the company to be everywhere. Today, there is no better way to be everywhere than to be aligned with the thousands of fast-food chains across the country. Roughly a third of American adults eat fast food on any given day, according to a <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/products/databriefs/db322.htm">2018 survey by the National Center for Health Statistics.</a> By grilling plant-based burgers alongside Big Macs, the burgers may no longer, technically, be vegan - but they do reach the largest possible customer base. </p><p>"I think that we're providing people with the opportunity to continue to do what they love: to eat meat," <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com.au/beyond-meat-ceo-says-company-has-become-movement-2019-7">Brown told Business Insider in July.</a> "But, it releases them from some of the inner anxiety they may have about it, or the inner questions they may have about it." </p>

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