Unsexy Halloween

It’s possible I just haven’t been paying attention to Halloween costumes in the last couple of years.  My kids were younger.  The twins especially had no opinion on what costume they might wear and only last year did the light bulb go off about the miracle of trick or treating.  But in this year’s search for my older daughter’s costume I noticed something a little weird.  The sexy costumes that were pervasive for women (as Arun once pointed out: “slut” is not a costume) seemed to have filtered down to the younger set.  A large number of costumes I’m seeing are coquettish versions of story book characters, witches, fairies and animals.  Knee high socks that might have looked innocent with a longer skirt suddenly look Lolita-esque.  The skirts – short, ruffled, doll like in appearance – are just the tip of the iceberg.  Many of the costumes for young girls, especially the “tween” costumes (a term coined because presumably children are anxious to leave childhood) incorporate a corset, heels and knee highs or, worse, thigh highs.  They come in sizes for 7 and 8 year olds.  Seriously.

To make matters worse, putting a child in a costume like these ones not only make them look strangely sexual, but aren’t actual costumes.  This has been a trend for years in womens costumes.  Sexy Robin Hood, sexy Queen of Hearts, sexy Eskimo and so on.  Even animals were not immune.  Now even ladybugs wear thigh highs.  My personal favorite is a costume I saw recently called Ella Mental.  Poor Ella Mental is in Bellevue, but take a look at that costume!  Nothing says sexy like mental illness.

The girls costumes are similarly confusing.  This one for example.   Apparently it is a graveyard fairy child costume. I’m not sure what a graveyard fairy is, and I’d hazard a guess that your kid doesn’t either.  Plus, where am I going to get those stripper boots in her size?  Scratch that, I doubt it’ll be a problem.

Or, take a look at this Heidi costume.  Again, a corset and tiny skirt.  Also available in a size 4-6X.   All you need is a beer stein and your little one can look like she’s working the night shift during Octoberfest at your local tavern.  What gives?  When did Princess Leah trade her long white shift for a miniskirt?  Where did Pocahontas get that corset from?  And can someone please please explain to me what a princess vampire is?