I was looking at everyone’s pictures from halloween this past weekend on facebook and thought a lot of people would have a lot to say about this topic:
Once every year, on October 31st, kids and adults of all ages dress up in scary costumes, have parties, and/or go trick or treating – it is a tradition here in America. Since when we were all little kids, it was a day everyone waited for to arrive. We couldn’t wait to get a stomach ache from eating too much candy and couldn’t wait to wear our frightening/funny costumes. These costumes most likely resembled Disney characters, like princesses, or things like animals, or funny masks. But once little kids mature into young adults and so fourth, a social phenomenon occurs.
Halloween has evolved from a night where scary costumes were the only ones accepted, to a night that gives girls and even women a reason to dress up to reveal as much skin as they are comfortable with. (Not every woman decides to reveal as much skin as possible, but in general). As Cady said in Mean Girls, “Halloween is the one night a year when girls can dress like a total slut and no other girls can say anything about it.” It is interesting to see the revelation halloween went through. While walking through a halloween store, it is rare to find a halloween costume for women that actually resembles the actual thing, whether it be a monster, profession, or Disney character. Almost every costume is modified to reveal as much skin as possible, allowing females to portray themselves as ‘sluts’. Although, being ‘slutty’ is not looked upon as being positive, it seems to be the norm on the day of halloween – it is as though it is the dresscode for halloween parties.
The most interesting point is that this ‘change’ has only effected women. It is true that it is not necessary for men to be scary or funny, but if guys do not wear revealing costumes it is not percieved to be weird as the case seems to be so when girls decide to wear something that covers their stomaches, butts, and breasts. Today, people are very judgmental and sometimes it seems that some girls buy and wear their revealing costumes to fit in with the rest, no matter how uncomfortable they feel. Nobody wants to be that “ugly girl” on halloween when all of her friends are dressing up as sexy pirates, or cute and revealing Disney princesses, etc.
The sad part is that the age where girls are beginning to dress so inappropriately keeps dropping. It is beinginning to become more and more common to see girls as young as twelve and thirteen wearing costumes that reveal way too much skin. These twelve and thirteen year old girls feel as though wearing costumes that reveal as much skin as possible is the cool way to dress on halloween. They think it is cool because that is how their female peers dress up for halloween and that is how female celebrities are seen to dress for halloween in magazines, on TV, and on the internet. Therefore, these young girls think it is okay. Sadly, in a world where women are striving for complete equality with men (even on a subconcious level), the night of a halloween is detrimental to their cause.
5 comments:
I agree! Woman's Halloween costumes are all now so revealing that, for me personally, I had a hard time picking out a costume for Halloween this year. These costumes are no longer hip or creative, in my opinion they are just plain "slutty!" I used to think that the only stores that sold skimpy Halloween costumes for women was Spencers, but now these revealing costumes seem to be everywhere (i.e. Party City, Hot Topic). I guess that since we live in a society that is so quick to judge, it seems like Halloween is the perfect opportunity to wear these types of outfits and have a reason for doing so. I mean, it's only Halloween right?
It is funny how women have only two options for Halloween- skanky or scary. Cute, funny, and creative costumes aren't appreciated nearly as much as slutty ones. It's really a shame that women are expected to wear skirts which bare their butt cheeks and tops that are hugely inappropriate for the chill of late October. What seems worse to me is that more and more girls and young women are fiercely embracing this tradition. I wish everyone would please put more clothes on next year. Thank you.
I agree too! It is such a shame that Halloween costumes are too revealing. I admit, I don't have the worst body shape and I don't have the best body shape, but I would never be caught wearing something like most of the costumes out there. I don't want to be considered a slut just for what I wore as a Halloween costume.
I'm sure it will be hard for me next year when I look for a cute, simple costume that I can wear to my teaching job to participate in Halloween festivities with my students. It's either a witch, or just a cute pumpkin sweater.
I totally agree. What happened to the tradition of Halloween? What ever happened to scaring people? On History.com it talks about the history of Halloween and states "On Halloween, when it was believed that ghosts came back to the earthly world, people thought that they would encounter ghosts if they left their homes. To avoid being recognized by these ghosts, people would wear masks when they left their homes after dark so that the ghosts would mistake them for fellow spirits." How did the tradition progress to dressing up as something you're not and give people an excuse to dress provocatively?
Brenda
It is very true, Halloween has definitely changed in regards to costume wearing for women and girls. All the stores today feature sexy and skimpy costumes that are extremely revealing and basically make females "eye candy" on Halloween night. Even more so, I feel as if Halloween has developed into a competition for girls, in that they try to be the sexiest at a party and this usually includes showing more skin and wearing less. I think that although many women and teens dress promiscuously on Halloween, the main problem is that it provides negative images for young girls who feel the need to imitate and copy what they see, which like you said is causing them to dress more revealing at a younger age.
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