Martha Stewart dressed as a homeless woman for Halloween and plugged candles in the post: the photo vanished, two apologies followed

On 31 October, Martha Stewart - TV host, cookbook author and mogul of the American domestic idyll - posted a photo on Instagram in which she is dressed as a homeless woman. She's holding a sign reading "I'm hungry, help me!". And in the caption beneath the photo: a promotion for her candles sold on QVC.

The combination didn't fly. Many users saw the post as trivialising homelessness, with poverty reduced to a costume for one night. The post soon disappeared from her profile, but followers had already saved the image and kept sharing it, with comments calling it inappropriate and offensive.

The first response came through "People" magazine. Stewart said she was upset that the costume had offended people and that her intention had been to raise awareness about homelessness, citing her charity work on the issue. Awareness - with a candle ad. How many PR teams would sign off on that explanation without blinking?

A few hours later came the second, more direct apology, this time on Instagram. In it she admits the first statement wasn't enough and that the costume was insensitive and not funny at all. It's rare for a star to admit that even the apology missed the mark.

Homelessness isn't a costume you take off when the party's over. The people who really hold a sign on the street don't have a deleted post and a second apology at their disposal - they just have another night outside. How often does poverty serve celebrities as a prop, and how rarely as an issue they genuinely care about?