Halloween... a joyous time of the year for people to dress up and pretend to be something they’re not. However, some people believe halloween is the opposite of joyous, simply because the sexualization of halloween costumes has a negative effect on the way our population views women. There is nothing more disappointing than shopping for halloween costumes and only finding fishnets and corsets. It makes women feel negative about themselves because they don’t feel comfortable wearing this type of thing. Not only that but it causes men to look at women in a more sexual way. How is it fair that men can wear full body costumes when the only one’s available for women are extremely sleazy? The truth is it’s extremely unfair. There is no reason women should have to wear costumes they don’t feel comfortable in.
“Sexy vampire”, “sexy nun”, “sexy nurse”, “sexy cat”, I can guarantee there are women costumes that go by these labels in your local halloween shop. When going on a halloween store catalogue and searching the term “sexy” the only items that appear are female costumes. Why aren’t men costumes labeled that way? A young woman stated “As a teenage girl, the idea of choosing a Halloween costume fills me with dread.” -C.Cozine. This statement really sums up the way quite a few young women feel when halloween rolls around. No young lady should have to feel this way. It’s understandable that some girls are very confident with their bodies and enjoy flaunting what they have when Halloween rolls around, but what about the girls that don’t? Why aren’t more costumes less revealing? It’s almost as if we’re forcing young girls to meet society standards when it comes to dressing up. By forcing girls to meet these standards it can lead to more severe issues. If a young lady doesn’t like the way her body fits into a costume it can lead into eating disorders, or even depression.
Though the number isn’t as high as it used to be, some people still view women differently than men. By sexualizing mainly women’s costumes is society really trying their best to end the negative stigma around women? If sexual halloween costumes continue to be mass produced men will always look down on women. Wearing sexual costumes on Halloween will cause people to look at women like they’re only sexual objects. Do you really want young women to be viewed this way? Society is teaching girls that stuffing themselves into tight clothing and wearing revealing clothing is proper, when in reality girls should have the freedom to dress to please themselves. If girls want to dress up as a non revealing superhero they should have that choice.
Not only that but sexual costumes don’t only affect the girls wearing them. How do you think the parents of these girls feel sending their daughters out wearing such revealing clothing. Sure they’re the girls’ bodies and they can dress however they want, but their parents must feel some sort of unease knowing their child is outside dressed in such a revealing manner. It isn’t safe for young women to flaunt their bodies like that late at night. It sounds rather rude to say such a thing but the truth of the matter is there are a lot of sick people out there. A joyous night could just as quickly turn into a dangerous evening.
Societies view on women is never going to change if sexual Halloween costumes continue to be mass produced. Tamer costumes should definitely be easier to access then they are today. Women are not sexual objects so they should not only be supplied with the resources to dress like it. By making less revealing costumes it would change the way society views women but it would also change the way young girls look at themselves.
Cozine, Caitlin. 'Halloween Costumes Too Sexy For Teens'. Mercurynews.com. N.p., 2015. Web. 27 Oct. 2015.
“Sexy vampire”, “sexy nun”, “sexy nurse”, “sexy cat”, I can guarantee there are women costumes that go by these labels in your local halloween shop. When going on a halloween store catalogue and searching the term “sexy” the only items that appear are female costumes. Why aren’t men costumes labeled that way? A young woman stated “As a teenage girl, the idea of choosing a Halloween costume fills me with dread.” -C.Cozine. This statement really sums up the way quite a few young women feel when halloween rolls around. No young lady should have to feel this way. It’s understandable that some girls are very confident with their bodies and enjoy flaunting what they have when Halloween rolls around, but what about the girls that don’t? Why aren’t more costumes less revealing? It’s almost as if we’re forcing young girls to meet society standards when it comes to dressing up. By forcing girls to meet these standards it can lead to more severe issues. If a young lady doesn’t like the way her body fits into a costume it can lead into eating disorders, or even depression.
Though the number isn’t as high as it used to be, some people still view women differently than men. By sexualizing mainly women’s costumes is society really trying their best to end the negative stigma around women? If sexual halloween costumes continue to be mass produced men will always look down on women. Wearing sexual costumes on Halloween will cause people to look at women like they’re only sexual objects. Do you really want young women to be viewed this way? Society is teaching girls that stuffing themselves into tight clothing and wearing revealing clothing is proper, when in reality girls should have the freedom to dress to please themselves. If girls want to dress up as a non revealing superhero they should have that choice.
Not only that but sexual costumes don’t only affect the girls wearing them. How do you think the parents of these girls feel sending their daughters out wearing such revealing clothing. Sure they’re the girls’ bodies and they can dress however they want, but their parents must feel some sort of unease knowing their child is outside dressed in such a revealing manner. It isn’t safe for young women to flaunt their bodies like that late at night. It sounds rather rude to say such a thing but the truth of the matter is there are a lot of sick people out there. A joyous night could just as quickly turn into a dangerous evening.
Societies view on women is never going to change if sexual Halloween costumes continue to be mass produced. Tamer costumes should definitely be easier to access then they are today. Women are not sexual objects so they should not only be supplied with the resources to dress like it. By making less revealing costumes it would change the way society views women but it would also change the way young girls look at themselves.
Cozine, Caitlin. 'Halloween Costumes Too Sexy For Teens'. Mercurynews.com. N.p., 2015. Web. 27 Oct. 2015.