Tim Benz: Former WPIAL athlete at the center of the ‘Sexy Mister Rogers’ costume controversy
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Is it a beautiful day in your neighborhood?
If Dessie Mitcheson is in your neighborhood right now, the answer is most assuredly “yes.”
Told ya.
However, the former Kiski Area High School diver and golfer has found herself at the center of a controversy.
It’s one that—in the words of Mister Rogers—leaves me asking those who are complaining,
“What do you think is important?”
A lot of Pittsburghers have gotten wind of this story in recent weeks. It’s the debate over the “sexy Mister Rogers costume.”
What do you think? I’m not sure if it’s exactly Lady Elaine Fairchilde’s style. But I’m no fashion expert.
“Yandy Specialty Apparel & Costumes” created the “Nicest Neighbor” costume in time for this Halloween season. No doubt, it was an attempt to capitalize on all the hype surrounding the Nov. 22 release of “A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood.” That’s the Tom Hanks movie based on beloved children’s television host Fred Rogers.
Coincidentally, the woman modeling the outfit for Yandy is Mitcheson, who grew up 20 minutes from where Rogers was born in Latrobe.
“It’s super ironic that it happened to be me,” Mitcheson told me during a phone call from California. “Yandy is based out of Arizona. They had no idea that I was from Pittsburgh.”
The story is getting national attention. TMZ , Inside Edition, E! and “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert” even picked up on it.
Given that Rogers is one of the most beloved Western Pennsylvania natives ever, some are protective of his image and memory. To them, the outfit is a little too racy and revealing to be associated with a children’s TV host of Rogers’ saintly reputation.
@Yandy your “nicest neighbor” costume is offensive to Pittsburghers and to the memory of Mr. Rogers. I hope you decide to choose decency over profits. #shameonyandy #noclass
— Shani Love (@smcglove) September 20, 2019
Apparently Yandy is selling a sexy Mr. Rogers costume for Halloween…is NOTHING sacred anymore?!
— Chitown Sass (@chitownsass) September 23, 2019
Please do not buy from Yandy. They are the WORST. They've even sexualized Mr. Rogers now with their "Sexy Neighbor" costume.
This is the worst timeline.https://t.co/rNi6awQr1X
— Jeff, Destroyer of Worlds (@Trollbreath42) September 20, 2019
MR. ROGERS WAS ONE OF THE LAST TWO PURE THINGS WE HAD!!!
— Zuggy Teh Cosmokitteh (@deanaaro) September 19, 2019
Looks like @Yandy has ZERO respect for humanity. Maybe they’re just a giant group of greedy pedophiles. That would be an extremely educated guess based on their latest Mr. Rogers “Costume”. No matter what they claim, it is neither fun nor “sassy”. Maybe they meant to say nasty ??♀️
— Kimberly C (@quimbyjo) September 20, 2019
You get the idea.
Mitcheson insists she likes the costume.
“I don’t even think it is as revealing as it could be,” she said.
There’s a joke about how it would look in the “Land of Make Believe” here, but I’m not going to try to make it.
In recent years, Mitcheson has appeared on SI.com, Maxim, CBS’ “Amazing Race” and Legends Football League broadcasts. She was also one of the ring card girls for the Floyd Mayweather-Manny Pacquiao fight. And she was the face of MGM Grand.
But she claims she has never gotten attention like this. And a lot of it hasn’t been friendly.
“It’s funny to me how big this has gotten,” Mitcheson said. “I think it made it worse when people realized that a girl from Pittsburgh ‘would do this to Mister Rogers.’ But it’s been fun. I don’t regret doing it at all. It’s been entertaining to me.”
Mitcheson said she was even getting social media posts from Pittsburgh telling her she should never come back home.
Ban her from the city. Mr. Rodgers is so much better than sensationalism like this.
— SkiOrDie (@MetalMeteor) September 20, 2019
Wait. Wasn’t one of Mister Rogers’ consistent messages to be nice to your neighbors? This seems a little counterintuitive, no?
In the age of social media, the only thing more important than getting a bag full of candy on Halloween is getting a bag full of likes and retweets when you post faux outrage over a costume deemed politically incorrect.
This year, it’s the Mister Rogers one. And Mitcheson is wearing it.
Every year, it’s a different debate. The difference is, this time no one’s race, religion or sexual orientation is being compromised. It’s not a Joe Paterno or Jerry Sandusky costume, capitalizing on a highly sensitive subject. It’s not sensationalizing a fatality, such as when Michael Jackson and Steve Irwin costumes were en vogue.
After all, Rogers died back in 2003.
But Halloween wouldn’t be Halloween if we weren’t offended by something. And Twitter would probably shut down if we went a week without whipping ourselves with a wet noodle over some phony societal catastrophe or another.
You know who isn’t offended? Rogers’ son, John.
He told TMZ “his dad probably wouldn’t have been upset or outraged at the costume.” He added that if his father had been alive today, “he’d get a chuckle out of it.”
But I know, I know. Twitter’s delicate sensibilities are much more important than the opinions of the family, right?
Pfft! What do they matter?!
Full disclosure, here. I’ve known Mitcheson for about 10 years. She did guest spots on “The X Morning Show” with me. Usually she’d come into the studio around this time every year as part of the “Costumes for a Cause” fundraiser, which benefited the American Heart Association. Specifically, funds went to the “Go Red for Women” campaign.
I’ll spare you the expected “she’s as pretty on the inside as she is on the outside” line. If I did write it, though, I wouldn’t be wrong. I’ve never known her to be anything less than an exceedingly nice person.
And her golf swing is probably better than yours, too.
So if you want to be triggered over a quasi-suggestive Halloween costume, go ahead. If you feel like your childhood memories are compromised by a pair of booty shorts and half a crop-top, I’m not going to stop you. You’ve got a right to your indignation.
But telling someone they should never come home again because you want to show the world you’ve got your knickers in a twist on your timeline is a bit much.
Mister Rogers once asked, “What do you do with the mad that you feel?”
There’s no perfect answer. But I’ll start with these two suggestions: Lighten up, and don’t hit “send.”