Two Her Campus CNU team members went off campus to explore a costume shop in anticipation of Halloween. They decided to write about their experience here!:
There are DOUBLE the amount of costumes which could be considered insulting and degrading than there are those which could be considered empowering and classy: 32 to 16. The worst part of this adventure was the lack of surprise about the shortness of skirts that often show excessive amounts of skin on the thighs and buttocks, and the deep V’s of cleavage. Think of some of the sexiest, cliché female costumes you know: Nerd? Nurse? Maid? Greek goddess? Vampire? Angel/Devil? All of the above and MORE are engrained into the female psyche as sexualized portrayals, while men’s costumes are not. As a woman, no costumes are safe from indecent exposure including military uniforms, police officer and firefighter uniforms, and superhero outfits. So, what are we teaching young women about being authority figures? That you have to be sexy to gain these titles or be successful in these career fields? The key here is subtlety, and showing just enough to draw the eye to continue looking, rather than revealing all and leaving little to explore.
When “sexy” is too much:
Halloween is just around the corner and you know what that means: costumes galore. Every year, I get lost in the search for the ultimate new unique costume for the weekend of themed parties. In the process of all of the ‘Pinteresting’ and google searches on DIY outfits, I always see a difference in the level of modesty of men’s and women’s costumes. Most of the women’s ensembles are sexy characters, creatures, and queens, while the guys’ getups tend to be closer to what the characters actually look like. Then comes the question: “Where is the line?” Why can’t we, as women, have the option to be a more realistic version instead of only being offered the oversexualized version? Simultaneously, however, I have no problem with women dressing up to show off their body, as it is something that I do enjoy doing, but I tend to find issue with the reason many fellow ladies do it. Why do we, as women, feel the need to dress to please potential suitors? How often do we pick clothing because it makes us happy and not because it will “look hot”? Halloween shines a light on these questions. Some of these oversexualized costumes have the potential to bring out the goddess in all of us – just look at Catwoman and Poison Ivy. These two women are powerful and strong and don’t take crap from anyone. Their costumes by design are meant to show off their curves (sexuality), muscles (strength), and power. When we wear these outfits, why is it so hard to be appreciated for the choice of character over our appearance?
When classy is still sexy: