Halloween Costumes - When Did This Happen?
 

I've never been much into Halloween, but sometimes I get invited out somewhere and need to dress up. This happened this year, so I went to the Halloween store to look for a costume.

When did the only options for adult female costumes become 3 inches below the butt? SERIOUSLY!

I found a grand total of 4 dresses that went to mid-thigh. Four. One of them was a very long (floor length) sack of a witch dress. Another was a strapless flapper dress that literally, barely came to mid-thigh (that's counting the fringe). Two more were pirate-ish/wench type costumes Every. Other. Female. Adult. Costume in the place stopped about 3 inches below indecent exposure or had a slit up even higher.

Now, I understand the appeal of Halloween for those who want to dress in a more provocative way than they might otherwise, and fully support building an industry of less-than-demure costumes for those who want them. But what about the industry for the rest of us, who'd like to dress, for example, as a regular policewoman, not a "Sexy policewoman" with a skirt just barely covering our underwear?

Don't even get me started on some of the costumes I saw for girls!

Am I just being a spoilsport? Or have other people noticed this too?

As for me, I have a short wool cape - combine with 60's style pumps, a black and white long plaid skirt, a stark bun with a pencil sticking out, and a book in my hand, and I'm a (not overtly, but still sexy) librarian.

i've really noticed that, and it pisses me off. all the girls modeling the costumes are silicone enhanced porn stars. what's worse is that they don't have costumes big enough. as of now i am a size 14, and i can fit into more things than i used to...but i went to the holloween store with my friend who is a size 24/26....and she couldn't find anything! bettor off putting together your own costume.

I've noticed the same thing. Several of our schools have banned dressing in costumes because they are too gory, too sexy, or just totally inappropriate for school (some are all 3).

walking through the mall the other day i saw the following costume options- and no other options- slutty nurse, slutty policewoman, slutty cave girl, slutty pirate, slutty maid, slutty bar wench, and slutty BEE?!?! how they ever though- you know what we haven't done before?! slutty bee girl. WHY?!

even Torrid just had slutty halloween constumes.


i'm wearing my regular clothes and if anyone asks i'm going to tell them I'm a witch. :D

I saw the slutty bee costume.

I also saw a slutty piece of candy corn (REALLY), and a "Slutty strawberry girl", which appeared to be just pink and lacy and short. Slutty firewoman (complete with hat) too. Slutty versions of every major fairy tale character (Snow White, Little Red Riding Hood, Dorothy). And nurse after nurse after mini-skirted nurse in thigh high vinyl boots.

I was there to spend money - to "throw money at the problem" of having a party to attend in costume tomorrow and no costume to wear...I ended up with a pair of fishnets. But come on! Before I used to think that I was unlucky and couldn't wear those costumes because I was heavy. Now I realizethat they just aren't my cup of tea.

I had been holding out hopes that it was only that way because I'm in a sorority-heavy college town. Sigh.

it is getting pretty crazy. What i can tell you is try a nice high end costume shop. You end up paying more, but they have a wide range. We had one in savannah when i lived there...it was open year round and had costumes for every holiday. They had some awesome costumes...but most of the "cheep" and quick costumes are slutty.

I've had some luck finding costume ideas at thriftshops and Goodwill. Several years ago my Red Hat group decided to all dress as old time saloon girls, and found some great dresses and hats at a local thrift shop.

A slutty piece of candy corn? hahahaha...

Also, about it being because you're in a college town...nope...it is that way everywhere. I went with a friend of mine looking for Halloween costumes for our kids...I picked a giraffe for my DS...she picked a fairy for her 5 year old. We got home and put the costumes on and the fairy costume had ribbons for the skirt - RIBBONS! She mentioned something about getting a pair of leggings to go underneath it. I just couldn't believe they would sell a costume like that for young girls.

and we wonder why some people are tempted into child sexual deviance...

I also loathe that they have "plus size" costumes and then say the model in the pic is 5'7 and 160 lbs.


I did find one that me though. It's a gothic madien witch costume.

Not picking on you - but really, my 4 year old should be able to wear whatever he wants without the danger of that. Or God forbid, if it would happen it wouldn't be my fault, the costume's fault or his little fault. The ribbon skirt doesn't sound that provocative, I've seen them on little girls at birthday parties and such. It's not the costume to blame - it's the sick person.

I think the kind of monsters who would be tempted into hurting a child would do so no matter what the kid was wearing.

I'm not trying to say it is the parents fault, but honestly...why dress a young girl in provocative clothing? The point of wearing provocative clothing in the first place is to display the "goods"....young children don't have any "goods" to display. Is it really appropriate for young girls to be wearing low cut shirts, shorts with a 1-2" inseam and pants that have "Juicy" written on the butt? Why draw attention to those areas? Young children are not sex objects, why dress them as such? Today's culture sexualizes children at a young age...and most parents don't give a second thought to the repercussions of such actions.

The ribbon skirt was completely inappropriate for a 5 year old. It was about 2 inches below her butt and was sheer to the waist - without any underpinnings. When she twirled, her underwear showed easily. Maybe that doesn't sound inappropriate to you, but I have a really big problem with flaunting a little girl's assets.

Yes, sexual deviants are sick...but, why tempt them into doing something awful. In their minds, it is ok to have sex with children. When children are dressed like sexy adults, it sends the message to people with a proclivity towards sexual deviancy that it is ok. It encourages their behavior rather than clearly delineate the line between normalcy and deviancy.

Didn't meant to start WW3 over costumes for girls. While I saw some options for girls yesterday that I probably wouldn't put my kids in without leggings/bodysuit/whatever, there were a lot of modest options for girls.

Similarly, I think girls who want to dress with skirts two inches below their butt on Halloween, because its one of the only nights when it is acceptable to do so, should be able to find costumes to meet that need.

I just want to be able to find something NOT like that for myself, and was really bothered that there literally WEREN'T any.

Rather than sending the (already kind of dubious) message of "On Halloween, you can dress extremely provocatively without reproach", the message being sent is, "On Halloween, you HAVE to dress extremely provocatively to call it a costume"). I'm not entirely sure it is driven by consumer demand, either. I heard girl after girl call out from the dressing room "I can't wear this! It's so short! My butt is hanging out!"

Besides the higher end costume shops that Gatorgal mentioned, I would never buy a costume from a store. They're just too mass produced and not unique or of good enough quality for me.

When I was a child I went trick-or-treating every year and my Mom never bought any costumes for us. She made them when we were younger (Little Red Riding Hood, Raggedy Ann and Andy, Cowboy, Cowgirl, etc.) and then we had to use our own creativity and make our own when we were between the ages of 8-13 (I borrowed my brother's boy scout uniform one year...LOL). As an adult, I have never dressed up, but I have helped my younger siblings make their costumes. I dressed my sister up as a dead prom queen last year using a combo of items from the store and our house. I think that everybody should design and make their own Halloween costume at least once in their lifetimes.

Mandalinn, I think that your homemade costume sounds great! I have been looking online at costumes with my 21 yo sister who is going as a slutty policewoman...http://www.3wishes.com/images/kinkycop_s-l.jpg She is 5'7 and 130-something lbs. and loves to show off her legs and boobs on a regular basis, so this isn't really a stretch for her. Plus, she is going out on Halloween w/ her boyfriend to the clubs in Scottsdale and I don't know if anybody is familiar with Scottsdale, AZ night life, but the dress code is basically underwear on a regular night, so on Halloween people will be pretty much naked. The options for women online are just as bad as the options in the mall, tho!