Halloween Costumes and Women

[The Straight Story]

Halloween Costumes and Women

by Liza Doubossarskaia, NOW Communications Intern

Traditionally people would dress up for Halloween as ghosts, witches and demons in hopes of evading evil spirits, who are said to cross into the world of the living at summer's end. The idea of wearing costumes for Halloween stuck around; although, today these costumes might attract more creeps than they deter.

If you're guessing this post is about highly revealing Halloween costumes for women, you are correct. Nowadays, we can expand our mundane Halloween dress-up options of zombies and pop culture icons to include sexy dirty cop, sexy prisoner, sexy bee, or even sexy gangster bunny costumes. As the names imply, most of these outfits look like a cheap version of Victoria's Secret lingerie, yet they cost the same amount of money. The costume industry was even thoughtful enough to create doggie versions of sexy Halloween getups, so now your pooch also has an opportunity to strut her stuff.

Guys can dress as Batman, Elvis or Freddy Kruger, but I have yet to see a male version of a sexy gangster bunny. If dogs can sex it up a notch, why can't dudes? "Nobody wants to see that," appears to be the most common objection to the idea, but it is a weak argument. While not everyone can get away with wearing a minimum amount of clothes, what is and isn't attractive is still a highly subjective matter of personal taste. Perhaps the underlining concern for men looking too sexy is the fear that one's masculinity might be called into question. How many men would be comfortable going as Dr. Frank-N-Furter (of Rocky Horror Picture Show fame) for Halloween, or being in a same room with a man dressed that way?

Once upon a time, sexual liberation was a big part of the women's movement, but now many can't help but wonder if our sexual emancipation has been turned against us, used as just another tool of oppression. Hyper-sexualizing everything to the nth degree is a trend in our society, but it is unfair to designate women as acceptable eye-candy and let men take the action costumes. Otherwise, Halloween fun turns into another reinforcement of the patriarchal worldview. Women are encouraged to dress provocatively, appealing to mainstream sexual depictions of women, while a man can become an object of derision if his choice of wardrobe crosses outside of heteronormative bounds.

http://www.now.org/news/blogs/index.php/sayit/2009/10/28/halloween-costumes-and-women

[mikelgb]

1. yay for RHPS reference

[MindPilot]

2. If one happens to live in a predominately gay neighborhood

guys in sexy costumes are kind of the norm.

Of course this thread is useless without pictures and I don't have any.

[HillbillyBob]

3. If you want to see guys dressed sexy and imaginatively

Go to a gay bar on Halloween.

Batman and Superman costume seem sexy to me, I mean they do wear tights and unders. You will also see many kinds of drag from 'realistic' to Barbarella..(her voice might be deep, but the make up is usually enough to fool anyone looking, except you might notice an adams apple)

[redqueen]

4. My daughter noticed it.

She's 12, but taller than I am, and while looking at costumes she asked why the majority of the costumes for girls were sexed up.

[Barack_America]

5. My husband noticed it.

The other day he asked me why all women's Halloween costumes had to be a "sexy" something or other.

Props to him for that.

Not to say that he would mind me dressing up in one though. :eyes:

[seabeyond]

10. yes... props to him

really. let him know. it is so in face and has been for a couple years or more.... but really, guys have got to notice. or men anyway in order for a shift.

[Captain Hilts]

13. He sounds like a 'keeper'. Keep him!

[peekaloo]

6. 30 Rock last night.

the male writers sucking up to Jenna so they could get an invite to a gay Halloween party where the straight, hot girls "dress all slutty".

My 11 year old niece wants to go as a Playboy bunny next year, when she *hopefully* has "boobays". :eyes:

[Blue_Tires]

7. i've seen plenty of guys cross-dress, fwiw

[seabeyond]

8. a real duh and what women have been saying on this board. nt

[LeftHander]

9. but everyone loves the classic gorilla suit....nt

[Gwendolyn]

11. Lots of gay and hetero guys who work out in our circle...

so lots of sexy guy costumes at our parties too. Topless GI Joes, Conan the Barbarian, Chippindale's waiters, buccaneers, Hercules, blah blah blah... the list goes on.

[Captain Hilts]

12. Women and girls are being forced into being sexualized in all settings - at work, play, etc.

Notice all the women who work in offices in television that wear shrink wrap. Well, it's not like that in most offices. If you want folks to focus on your work and not your girls, then, maybe, having your girls on display is not the right maneuver.

Halloween used to be for being scary, now it's for being tarted up.

[krabigirl]

29. Hmm, I see the opposite. Women being shamed for dressing "slutty."

Oh and BTW, I am a natural 34D (natural being odd where I live in Orange County, sadly..)and none of the office attire I wore hid it! I sure had many "looks" from uppity women who looked down on me. It's better to show a bit of cleavage in a high vneck than wear a turtleneck if you are well-endowed. The turtlenecks make you look like Dolly Parton on steroids.

[Captain Hilts]

33. Context is everything. Everything isn't appropriate everywhere.

No one's saying you have to hide your girls. Not at all.

[Echo In Light]

14. Within American corp culture climate, few are capable of discerning sexual liberation/exploitation

And that same lack of critical thinking, questioning, and deductive reasoning skill manifests everywhere. Scary.

[seabeyond]

17. right on. nt

[Barack_America]

18. Yep. They're selling us the part that's most appealing to men.

Women in "sexy" dress? Yes!

Equal pay for equal work? Hell No!

And so on and so on.

[HughBeaumont]

15. We went to this Halloween store in Crocker Park . . .

. . . even the female teen costumes are whore-y.

[Blue State Blues]

19. Even the little girl costumes ...

we're talking elementary and pre-school.

[seabeyond]

20. sexualizing our youth. yes, when i read teenager i was thinking even the young

we are whorifying our girls nice and young so they know their place and worth as they age....

[jaksavage]

16. Equal exploitation

What is good for the goose is good for the gander.
Same goes for bikini coffee, why no males in swimwear?
Equality!

[ChickMagic]

21. At work today, I'm Amelia Earhart

Tomorrow I will be a fully dressed pirate. There's still a way to do it.

[Gwendolyn]

22. I'm dressed as a cop today.

People are actually listening to me. :D

[ChickMagic]

24. Awesome!

:yourock: And a cop-aviator fist bump: :fistbump:

[Gwendolyn]

44. And right back to you! Hope you had a great "Amelia" day :-)

[Withywindle]

23. I was a Ringwraith one year.

(Or, as I liked to say, a Nazgrrrl)

I *scared* people. No one could tell my gender and nobody cared. Perhaps ironically, that's probably the closest i'll ever come to wearing a burka. By the end of the night, I was feeling REALLY ancient and sinister and rather disembodied.


The year I hooked up with my last SO, he was in drag as a zombie prom queen. Gown, tiara, makeup, fake blood, fishnet stockings underneath. :9 He said when he first saw himself in the mirror in the long wig, he freaked out because he looked so much like his sister! The year before that, he'd been the Omega Man, from that 70s Charlton Heston SF flick (also based on "I Am Legend", like the Will Smith movie, but better)

What's attractive about Halloween costumes isn't buying them off the shelf and putting no thought into it. It's imagination, the willingness to roleplay, take risks, and really BE the character.

[seabeyond]

25. that is a cool costume. i like. very cool. yes, we always were creative with the kids

a lot of fun. werewolf, mummy, frankenstein, .... vampire, zombie, lol. surprised me all over how creative i was. never knew.

[Withywindle]

30. Yeah, it's about creativity, or at least it ought to be.

My favorite costumes on my friends are the ones that show a lot of work and thought and a clever idea or good roleplaying.

Your avatar reminds me: the year I was a Ringwraith, my SO was a Jedi. We got into a big swordfight on the dance floor. Because we were in a crowded dark rock club and I had all that black mesh over my face, his glowing lightsaber was pretty much the only thing I could SEE, so I went for it. :D Halloween isn't just for kids.

[redqueen]

26. That's the costume my daughter picked out!

Not exactly but close enough... skeleton hands, big black robe thing with a hood... she got a skull mask to go with it but since her school doesn't allow skulls I had to paint her face this morning. :)

[Withywindle]

27. Go her!

I don't think there's anything wrong with being sexy per se -- but there's also something very educational and empowering about going all out to be SCARY.

[redqueen]

32. Oh definitely...

dressing up sexy is obviously fun for many and perfectly fine... I just wish that so many of the ideas aimed at girls weren't like that -- and I think that's actually the subject of the OP, which many here seem to be missing.

My daughter was kinda ticked that most of the scary stuff was in the 'boys' section.

[The Straight Story]

43. Just tell your daughter to dress up like my first X

Would scare the crap out of me :)

[krabigirl]

28. Meh. I'm a feminist and see nothing wrong with dressing in "those" costumes ro

Hey if I still was in good shape and not a modest type of person (I've tried not to be but I am very shy and anxious...), maybe I'd wear one of them. The problem with our society is thinking sex=bad. What's wrong with females dressing like this one day a year? I do agree with her that the men should be able to do so also.

As for the men, I think she is right on! Why can't they dress "sexier" without people thinking it is "cheesy." Outdated mores IMO.

[Captain Hilts]

34. No one's saying they're always bad. But being offered for little girls is what's bad. nt

[slackmaster]

31. This thread is worthless without pics

:nuke:

[juno jones]

35. Buy a costume, meh.

I used to go as the "Budget Rent-a Fairy". Old frilly prom dress, combat boots, cardboard wings and a tinfoil wand. Maybe a button that read 'Fairy godmother's local #666' or soomething.

I agreee that pre-made women's costumes seem to run to the 'sexy' side, but using one's imaginiation seems all the more rewarding. I know it was for me.

[seabeyond]

36. thats a clever idea. wonder if a son will let me do that one. lol. nt

[juno jones]

37. Whatever you do,

Have fun this halloween. :hi:

[seabeyond]

38. thank you. backatcha. hubby never got to do this stuff as kid. he goes wild

now that he is parent. lol lol. we carve so many pumpkins. he grew them this year. decorates adn becomes the place for adults to gather on halloween night.

so has become a big to do in this house

[XemaSab]

39. I worked in a costume store two years ago

My boss used to say stuff like "Yeah, pair the hot pants with the tube top. The little sluts will love that!" :D

My favorite costume from that time was a dude who came in shopping for a beige trench coat. :D

[shintao]

40. The Most Popular Halloween Mask??

My guess is, the most popular mask will be the one below, simply because of Obama, and because it is creepy.

[yawnmaster]

41. One word. Erotic exotic ball. discuss.

[PylesMalfunction]

42. A few years ago..

my husband and I wore "matching" costumes. He was GOP Sen. Ben Dover and I was GOP Senate Page Packd Nicely. Easiest costume in the world - I pulled my hair back and we both wore suits with name tags.