Dina’s Superstore Hot Cop Costume Caused Internal Debate, Says Star

While Dina’s Superstore hot cop costume may be iconic now, star Lauren Ash says that the Halloween outfit sparked debate in the writer’s room.

Lauren Ash, who starred in Superstore as Dina, says that her hot cop costume for the show’s Halloween episode sparked internal debate in the writers room. The NBC sitcom followed employees at a fictional big-box chain superstore in Missouri, and featured an ensemble cast that included America Ferrera, Ben Feldman, and Colton Dunn. In early seasons, Superstore featured dedicated Halloween episodes, which saw the Cloud 9 employees dressing up in costumes rather than their usual uniforms. From seasons 1 to 3, the usually-professional and strict manager Dina appeared in a revealing, sexy police costume.

While speaking at Entertainment Weekly‘s Bold School panel at the SCAD TVFest, Ash says that Dina’s hot cop costume created debate in the Superstore writer’s room. Ash says that though she has since lost weight, she was heavier during early seasons of the show, and there were discussions over whether or not putting Dina in a sexy Halloween costume would be “hot” for her body type. Ash goes on to say that she considers herself to be “super hot,” and didn’t see the need to debate whether viewers would agree or not. Read Ash’s full comment below:

“It was an interesting conversation that was being had at that time behind the scenes. And I haven’t really spoken on that a lot, but at the time I was in a larger body than I am now. And there was debate [in the writers’ room] about, ‘Is that a conversation?’ And I was like, ‘Is it a conversation?! I think that she’s super hot because I think I’m super hot. So do we need to have a conversation about her being hot for a specific body? I don’t think so.’ And luckily enough, that was the direction we took. But what’s so funny is the reaction when I was in that costume was like, ‘She’s so brave.’ ‘Oh, how brave.’ ‘She’s a size 14 and she’s put on pleather, how brave.’ And I was like, ‘That’s not brave. Being in those khaki pants the rest of time on that show, that was being brave.'”

Related: What Netflix’s Blockbuster Failed To Learn From Superstore’s Success

Why Dina’s Halloween Costume is So Iconic

Though Dina’s Halloween costume has now gone on to become an iconic outfit in the show, Ash says that many viewers considered her “brave” for wearing something so revealing and tight while she was a size 14. In response, Ash goes on to say that Dina’s sexuality is just “who she is,” and that she can be both a curvy woman and can be sexual. Ash adds that “that’s what real life is, by the way. I don’t know if you know this, but everyone can get laid. It’s not about having to look a certain way or not, it’s possible for all of us. There’s a butt for every chair.“

While Dina dropped jaws in her hot Halloween costume for the first time in season 1, Ash has revealed that it was her idea to bring the outfit back in seasons 2 and 3. She has said that not only is it in-character for Dina to constantly re-wear the same costume every year, but that Superstore was “never going to top it” with another outfit. Ash also openly admitted that she enjoyed the feeling of being sexy on television, especially because in almost every other episode of Superstore, Dina is stuck wearing unflattering khakis and a polo shirt.

In a culture that constantly shames women for not being a certain size or weight, especially women in Hollywood, Ash’s body positivity is refreshing. Not only did Ash stand up for herself in wanting to feel attractive, but her choice to bring Dina’s cop costume back in later seasons cemented the look as possibly the most iconic in Superstore‘s history. Though the NBC comedy has since finished, Ash’s role in Superstore will never be forgotten.

More: Superstore: 10 Most Heartwarming Scenes Of The Entire SeriesSource: EW