Women are allowed to be sexy (as my friend Kelsey wrote about here), even during Halloween. Women are allowed to choose what type of Halloween costume to wear, whether it’s a sexy witch or a funny banana costume. Women are allowed to wear short dresses, and they can wear long skirts. Women are allowed to wear low-cut shirts, and they can wear t-shirts. Women can wear whatever they want. Women also come in many different shapes and sizes. So, why do we keep excluding plus-sized girls from those revolutions of empowering women?
I’ve been a plus-sized girl my entire life. I know what it’s like being embarrassed about clothing options. I know what it’s like to have to shop at different clothing options than my friends because stores don’t always carry my size (can we get with the times already, @Hollister and @Abercrombie?!) I’ve tried every diet in the book. I’ve been harassed about my weight, and I completely understand being self-conscious about myself. I’m still on a journey of loving myself and how I look. That being said, “one size fits all” does not apply to me, and stores need to stop advertising that, especially during Halloween.
Take a look at this sailor costume labeled “plus-size” above. Yes, this girl is completely slaying, and she looks absolutely confident. But if you search for a “normal” size costume, you’ll get a completely different picture, such as the one on the below.
While both women are absolutely allowed to rock whatever type of costume they choose, I do not understand why these “sexy” costumes aren’t made for bigger people, too. It also seems like plus-size costumes lack details that smaller sized costumes have. And a sailor costume isn’t the only example; princess costumes also are bias towards smaller people. Most princess costumes for smaller sizes will have short skirts and give more options for crop tops, such as Princess Jasmine. But for plus-sized costumes, the dress length is usually full and to the floor. And don’t even get me started on the “sexy” nurse.
At the end of the day, any women should be allowed to wear whatever she wants. Whether you’re a size 2 or a size 20, you should (and will!) slay in any costume. It’s not smaller sized girls’ fault that most of their costume options are “sexier” than plus-sized ones. As women, no matter what size, we should raise each other up and not tear one another down because of a sizing number.