For all the skeptical readers out there, I am not about to climb onto my soapbox and berate women for their choice of clothing on Halloween. It is not my place, this is not the platform, and, in all honesty, that’s not my opinion. If you want to wear something sassy (or sexy) for Halloween, go right ahead! I’ve spent my fair share of Halloween evenings in attire I wouldn’t dare wear in any other public situation. No one has any right to judge you for what you decide to wear; it’s your body, your costume, and your decision. You do you.
Now that I’ve gotten that out of the way, I do have a bone to pick with the costume industry in regard to the flagrant objectification and sexualization of my childhood (would someone please bring me my soapbox?). As Halloween approaches, I’ve been searching Google for costume ideas, and I don’t appreciate seeing Disney Princesses turned into pinups and Playboy Bunnies. It’s not that I disapprove of sexual costumes (see above); I just don’t like that particular approach to a children’s storybook character. There are undeniably sexual undertones to a multitude of women’s Halloween costumes, and it makes me cringe when I see them bleeding into and tainting the images of my childhood friends. Let me show you what I mean:
Baby Cinderella stole my heart,
10-year-old Cinderella is embracing her inner princess,
Full-Grown Cinderella is beautiful and seriously dedicated to the spirit of Halloween,
but Sexy Cinderella missed the mark.
Is nothing sacred? Sexy nurses, sexy animals, and even sexy food–I get it! It’s fun; it’s flirty; it’s an excuse to make use of that teeny-tiny dress you bought that looks damn good on you. But why do they have to bring Cinderella into this? By all means, rock that sexy cat costume, but leave Disney alone.
Disney Princesses are not the only victims here, either.
Minnie Mouse forgot to put on a shirt,
Tinker Bell could be modeling a Victoria’s Secret ensemble,
and apparently there is such a thing as Sexy Olaf. I kid you not.
There is no male equivalent to this exploitation of Disney characters. Relegated to plush onesies and brightly colored suits, men are depicted on these costume websites in exaggerated but accurately rendered versions of their Disney counterparts. There are arguments to be made regarding the differences in men’s and women’s Halloween costumes, but for the time being I’m not touching that topic. Suffice to say, there are obvious differences here, and the issue at hand is apparently only pertinent to women’s Disney attire.
Halloween presents an opportunity to gorge on chocolate and colorful, sugary sweets while wearing eyebrow-raising costumes that show off your creativity/craftiness/other assets. Have fun with it, but please, for the love of all that is good and magical in this world, don’t sexualize Disney.