becauseiamawoman:

By: Miranda

At this point, it’s well known that Halloween costumes made for women range from the provocative to the downright ridiculous. There is a virtually unlimited number of “sexy” costumes – you can choose to be anything from a sexy remote control to a sexy manta ray (really.) From the funny to the topical to the downright scary, there is a short and cleavage-baring version of it marketed to cis women.

The whole existence of gendered Halloween costumes is problematic, and it’s even more annoying that these costumes so firmly embrace the objectification of women’s bodies. It’s not hard to see why this is a problem – cis women are more than their legs and their breasts, and the implicit pressure to choose a revealing costume is degrading and uncomfortable for many.

The costume problem affects women of all ages. Little girls face a limited number of costume choices as compared to little boys, demonstrated most dramatically in the occupation costume category where girls can choose from half as many costumes as boys can. This only becomes worse with age - short and revealing costumes such as the are marketed to girls as young as 11 or 12. The same problem exists for them as it does for older women, compounded by the very uncomfortable fact that these prepubescent girls are little more than children and are not sexually mature.

The whole existence of gendered costumes categories and costume expectations allows for Halloween to earn its place as a pretty transphobic holiday. A recent popular Tumblr post depicts young boys and girls being berated by their parents for wanting costumes not marketed to their sex. It becomes that much more difficult to navigate Halloween costume culture you’re you don’t express your gender in the stereotypical ways that have been so firmly embraced by costume-makers.

Now, it’s important to draw a line between the problems with the costumes themselves and the people who choose to wear them. It’s hard to have a conversation about sexism in Halloween without checking our own slut shaming. People who enjoy the revealing costumes can and should be allowed to do so in peace – good for them for enjoying their costumes! The overabundance of “sexy” costumes as the only option is the problem, not the people who choose to wear them.

Want to learn more about sexism and Halloween and fighting back against it? Try the following resources: