In today’s society, the internet and social media control how we view everything. Whenever a holiday rolls around, it’s always interesting to see how the world views it. This Halloween, I have found myself in a constant loop of TikToks revolving around costumes. However, I have noticed a clear shift of how women are choosing to portray themselves. Specifically, I have seen countless TikTok creators ditch the ‘sexy nurse’ or ‘sexy cop’ personas for more comical and creative alternatives. Some of my favorites so far include two friends dressing up as Greg and Rowley from Diary of a Wimpy Kid, and a large amount of college-aged women dawning huge bows to become Jojo Siwa.
This shift has felt like feminist pushback to the traditional expectations of women on Halloween. I feel as though I have watched women abandon the male-gaze and move towards costumes that better reflect themselves. To preface, this does not mean that women shouldn’t wear sexy costumes. In fact, I encourage women to wear sexy costumes if that’s what makes them feel the best. What I am noting though is that these costumes are moving away from the traditional standards of sexy Halloween costumes. Previously, women were expected to be something mundane, and in order to make it ‘sexy’ they would just wear less clothing. Now I see so many women wearing costumes that can still be considered sexy, but in a much more creative way. For instance, I have seen women dressing as their favorite childhood cartoon characters but adding creative clothing pieces to make it more flattering to their body types.
Aside from the creative aspects, this Halloween has also felt more body positive. For so long, it was only expected for thinner women to dress as certain characters. For example, on the internet plus sized women would be ridiculed for dressing as Barbie or Britney Spears. This year though, I have seen dozens of plus size TikTok creators dressing as princesses or fairies, while adding sexy aspects to their costumes. Instead of being ridiculed, the top comments were all offering the creator praise for their creative costume.
This Halloween on TikTok has allowed creators to showcase their unique ideas, while also empowering women to wear whatever costume they want, without the input of others.