As I was driving home from school, a commercial began to drown out my thoughts as it mentioned a Halloween party that was going to take place at a nightclub. It sounded like it was fun and games, until they mentioned a contest for the “sexiest halloween costume.” After cringing, something hit me: why is this even a thing?

I remember a time where little girls would dress up as Strawberry Shortcake or little lady bugs and they would have a great time. They would go out and get candy with friends who also dressed in costumes that were innocent and light-hearted.

How did those little girls end up growing up into a society that took Halloween costumes for them from sweet to sultry?

If you go to a costume section in retail stores, or to costume vendors in the fall season, you would never imagine that the women/teen costumes were meant to be worn by  the same little girls that would go door to door asking for candy. I then began to realize that with age the costumes got shorter and more provocative.

This was especially hard for me because I was always that child who had a more developed body with an age that didn’t match. Halloween used to be a time where you would dress to emulate a character, an actor or basically dress as anything that was sure to get screams.

It would appear that Halloween has now turned into another chance for males to expect females to have their bodies on display as they are dressed as literally a sexy anything. I mean, when you read something as absurd as “sexy nun” for a costume you have to wonder where the line was ever drawn as to what would be considered too far.

It has gotten so bad that you have to go on the prowl if you want a costume that actually portrays what you are going for. What do I mean? Well, for example, something as simple as a Disney Princess has been sexualized and shortened to the point that it basically ruins the whole point of being something like a Disney Princess.

I endured this when I was searching for a Snow White Costume and I actually had to type in “full length” in the search bar to weed out all of the “sexy” options that drowned my search results.

If you have to describe the original being you are attempting to represent in order to get the accurate costume, there has to be something going on with our society.

I fear that this will soon begin to spill over into the young teen costumes as they are already being influenced by the sexed up feminine image which is fed to them on a day to day basis.

This causing our youth to wear more makeup or any makeup for that matter at a younger age. Push up bras have also managed to make their way into preteen girls’ closets…so maybe it is just a matter of time for the costumes to follow?

Nothing can describe my frustration and confusion as to when Halloween turned into body flaunting contest instead of a time of fun and scares than this scene from Mean Girls.

Women are then considered “slutty” for wearing these costumes annoyingly from the SAME people who expect and want them to dress the way they do. If this wasn’t the case, the regular and accurate portrayals that children’s costumes get would apply to the selection of costumes that women get to choose from.

If this isn’t bad enough, plus sized women’s costumes are definitely discriminated against. I have come across my fair share of “sexy” plus sized costumes that don’t show nearly as much skin as the “regular” women costume options. So now society is saying, “your body is sickening and unappealing to look at; therefore, your sexy costumes are going to cover you up way more than the ‘hot’ bodies we actually want to see.”
I just have to say, do what makes you comfortable. If you want to dress sexy, feel free to do so. This is meant for those females who feel the pressure to wear what is made available by the costume industry. Don’t feel ridiculous for wanting to be an accurate portrayal of a Disney Princess with a long poofy dress that drags on the floor. Don’t take the innocence of Halloween Costumes away from young growing girls and set an example for the future that you want to see.