"What's next, suicide bomber garter belts?"

October 27, 2009 11:14 AM

Women are choosing to wear the most revealing costumes this Halloween, sometimes to the point of absurdity. Popular family destinations now rely on seductive creatures of the night to draw in the crowds for their Halloween festivities. Parents are seeing big changes in costumes kids want to wear. Noah Cyrus, the nine-year-old sister of teen star Miley Cyrus (aka Hannah Montana) recently raised eyebrows with her "dominatrix" costume, worn to a Halloween children's party raising money for charity. (Of course, Noah has been called to task for her wardrobe before). But is this all just a reflection of the way we view the holiday now? Are we intent on turning Halloween into an adults-only party?
posted by misha (180 comments total)

Are we intent on turning Halloween into an adults-only party?

Maybe we are. But in a world where we insist that everything be "family friendly," maybe this isn't a bad thing.
posted by deanc at 11:16 AM on October 27 [29 favorites]

Really! Must we be intent on turning everything into "for the kids"?

Also, Noah looks more like Morticia Addams to me.
posted by scrowdid at 11:19 AM on October 27 [2 favorites]

I think there's a world of difference between non-family-friendly as a concept, and dressing up tween (and younger) females in skank costumes. It's like Halloween is turning into one giant festival for the guests of honor in To Catch A Predator.

But I'm all for bringing on the guts and gore part of halloween. Scare the little ones right into bed, and let the grown-ups have the fun, I say.
posted by hippybear at 11:20 AM on October 27 [5 favorites]

Are you a girl? Is it Halloween? Then why don't you come down to Girl's Costume Warehouse? We got every kind of girl's costume for Halloween!
posted by Flunkie at 11:20 AM on October 27 [25 favorites]

Deanc, could you clarify your terms? I don't think "family friendly" is the same thing as "Hi, have a look into my cleavage; I'm a slutty nurse/chef/vampire/Freddy Krueger and I'm ready to start creating a family RIGHT NOW, behind the building if you like!"
posted by gillyflower at 11:22 AM on October 27

I think we're all missing the bigger picture here. Namely, when the hell did "Noah" become a girl's name?
posted by total warfare frown at 11:26 AM on October 27 [54 favorites]

Cyrus’s costume looks more like vampire to me. Black clothing + boots + girl \= dominatrix
posted by Think_Long at 11:26 AM on October 27 [13 favorites]

I think that we can separate out the idea that kids shouldn't dress like skanks from the idea that grown-ups these days have different ideas of what makes for a fun party than their parents and grandparents did. You can have your adult masquerade on Friday night and save Halloween itself for the kids this year, it's not that tough to arrange. (he says, not actually having kids of his own.) On the other hand, if you really do want to do a sixties-style cocktail party this year, Mad Men is hot, go for it.
posted by Halloween Jack at 11:27 AM on October 27

It's like Halloween fashion these days is turning into one giant festival for the guests of honor in To Catch A Predator.

FTFY. Nine-year-olds don't need to wait for a holiday for old people to think they're dressing skanky. It was the same for our parents and their parents. What's next, hem lines above the knee?
posted by Plutor at 11:28 AM on October 27 [4 favorites]

It's obvious -- North American Halloween is turning into Carnival.
posted by i_am_joe's_spleen at 11:29 AM on October 27 [6 favorites]

Not an adults only party, but more of the ongoing sexualization of children. There's something really disturbing about the US obsession with endlessly locking up or tracking child molesters while kids are marketed to flaunt it.
posted by bearwife at 11:31 AM on October 27 [5 favorites]

Jon Stewart weighs in, complete with a delightful quip from Fox and Friends, and the awful neologism "prostitots."
posted by mccarty.tim at 11:32 AM on October 27 [5 favorites]

Sexy lobster ... sexy Abraham Lincoln ... Come on, get a fucking costume!
posted by Astro Zombie at 11:37 AM on October 27 [4 favorites]

I'd actually like to see a feature length "To Catch a Predator" Halloween special. Ideally, Chris Hansen would dress up as an old-school vampire (no sparkle makeup here!). Bonus points if Perverted Justice talks all the predators into showing up in costume.

Negative points if they fall back on bad puns like, "It turns out this werewolf was a real monster."
posted by mccarty.tim at 11:37 AM on October 27 [4 favorites]

Are we intent on turning Halloween into an adults-only party?

This Halloween, I will have 15 pounds of candy, 15 pounds of BBQ'd and grilled meat, two pots of chili, two boxes of wine, and a keg of beer.

It'll be dark and I'll be wearing a Shaun of the Dead costume.

So I guess what I'm saying is: "Adult Halloween - Hit it."
posted by robocop is bleeding at 11:37 AM on October 27 [4 favorites]

Nine year olds don't need to be dressed in slutty clothing, true, but a lot of this seems like manufactured outrage to me. That called to task link is screaming in fury about . . . a picture of two little girls in bathing suits. One piece bathing suits with little skirts at that, not french cut bikinis.

I went to a Halloween store this weekend myself and the costumes were laughably predictable: guy will dress in drag! Or have a huge foam rubber protrusion, wink wink, nudge nudge! Girl will dress in micro mini with fishnets and pretend costume has any other theme! But that's not really surprising and the interesting people will make their own costumes as they always have. Seems to me that Halloween is doing just fine for both kids and the adults.

If you want a get off my lawn Halloween is Sinking Fast moment, then how about the way kids get driven around to trick or treat instead of walking through their own neighborhoods? GRAR.
posted by mygothlaundry at 11:37 AM on October 27 [10 favorites]

Also, Noah looks more like Morticia Addams to me.

Ditto those who already said it, but there's little about that costume that says "dominatrix" to me. It looks a little like the one on the right, but that doesn't look like a dominatrix either.

The adults who express outrage over little girls in short skirts and slutty halloween costumes are the ones I worry about, to be honest. It seems like there's some projection going on.

Also, jokes about slutty female Halloween costumes are probably 10 years too old by now. If they didn't sell, they wouldn't make them.
posted by mrgrimm at 11:38 AM on October 27 [2 favorites]

There are also sexy costumes for dogs and cats, which makes even less sense.
posted by bewilderbeast at 11:38 AM on October 27 [16 favorites]

There seem to be a few different points being raised by this post.
Are adult Halloween costumes increasingly of the "sexy [occupation]" variety? Absolutely.
Are kids costumes (and in particular Miss Cyrus') the same? No, not in my experience/judgment.
Are kids in general being sexualized in media and marketing images? Yes, disturbingly.
Is this in any way to blame for actual acts of child molestation? No...stop blaming the victims or the victims' parents.
posted by rocket88 at 11:43 AM on October 27 [2 favorites]

First, in a trend starting with Christian (but not Catholic) schools, more school districts in an effort to keep church and state separate have “harvest festivals” rather than call them Halloween.

First, this hits on my huge annual pet peeve: churches (sadly, including my own) that eschew Halloween parties in favor of a "fall festival" or "harvest festival" which looks exactly like a Halloween party but with a different name. From what I can tell, they think that Halloween is too pagan a name, so instead of calling it a name which means The Hallow's Eve (i.e., The Holy Ones' Evening, or The Night Before All Saints' Day) they instead choose to celebrate either the changing of the seasons or agricultural fertility, thinking that this is somehow not pagan. "Harvest festival" sounds pretty damn pagan to me. Unfortunately, its a pretty established part of protestant church culture these days. Everyone else has Halloween, we have a stinkin' harvest festival, even in a downtown urban location where no one present has so much as set foot on a farm.

/rant off

That said, the sentence I quoted from the final link makes no sense. How is following the lead of churches in ditching the Halloween label in favor of something else "an effort to keep church and state separate"? Someone is confused.
posted by Pater Aletheias at 11:44 AM on October 27 [44 favorites]

Sexy lobster ... sexy Abraham Lincoln ... Come on, get a fucking costume!

My friend is actually going as a sexy lobster. And she hasn't seen this video.
posted by showbiz_liz at 11:44 AM on October 27

I don't know anyone of any age who chooses to wear a skanky Halloween costume. Both last year and this year I attended a bunch of Halloween parties, populated largely by 20- and 30-somethings, and I actually expected to be more embarrassed and uncomfortable than I was. I saw some really creative characters, but nothing at all showing a lot of skin.

Maybe that's a function of living in Minnesota?

The kids in my neighborhood are certainly more the princess/cowboy/doctor/firefighter/ghost costumes or storebought super than the skanky zombie or anything. I'm thankful for that.
posted by elmer benson at 11:44 AM on October 27 [2 favorites]

Negative points if they fall back on bad puns like, "It turns out this werewolf was a real monster."

Flagged as YOU COULDN'T BE MORE WRONG
posted by Alvy Ampersand at 11:45 AM on October 27 [1 favorite]

The Gabe Kaplan costume is both hilarious and a little terrifying. Halloween approved! (From the "seeing big changes" link in post.)

And if you're looking at kids and thinking "sexy" instead of "dressup" you're doing it wrong. Girls like makeup; I know this because in a former life, I was a little girl. They're not trying to turn you on. I promise.
posted by heyho at 11:47 AM on October 27 [4 favorites]

Joe's Spleen, that's a good conclusion. America is too puritanical to have a wacky, somewhat sexualized holiday. Halloween makes more sense here, because it's not that we're dressing up to celebrate our desires of the flesh, we're only doing it to scare away Satan!

True, there are people who complain that it was once a Pagan holiday (Ever hear a fundie call it "Satan's holiday?"), but so were Christmas and Easter. They were simply old holidays adapted to fit modern religious beliefs. IIRC, Christmas is supposed to occur in the spring, according to the Bible.

If Halloween Carnival dies on the vine, I guess Mardi Gras could work, but it's harder to act like it's a virtuous holiday within the confines of the dominant religion. It's basically a celebration of the last day before you have to give some of the nicer things up for four weeks; the spiritual equivalent of trying to return a rental car with as empty a gas tank as possible.
posted by mccarty.tim at 11:48 AM on October 27 [1 favorite]

Sexy lobster ... sexy Abraham Lincoln ... Come on, get a fucking costume!

These costumes seem to make up 90% of the costume market for women. I think they should just use the label "Themed Prostitute" and be done with it.
posted by ignignokt at 11:49 AM on October 27 [6 favorites]

Here's some tips on finding a masculine costume for your effeminate son. Onion parody, but it made me really uncomfortable.
posted by Nelson at 11:51 AM on October 27 [2 favorites]

Are we intent on turning Halloween into an adults-only party?

I truly don't think that's the case. First of all, it's a rare woman who thinks "you know what I've always wanted to be for Halloween? A slut!" Those of us who love the holiday and who don't look like we're Hef's next girlfriend have a hell of a time finding costumes that aren't humiliating.

I love Halloween - it's my favorite holiday and I don't get to celebrate it to the degree I'd like. I used to go all out and decorate the house, put together elaborate expensive goodie bags for the kids, carve pumpkins, dress up but I don't anymore. The only people who come to my door are either parents with children too young to eat candy, or sullen teenagers who don't even speak, just hold out a bag and then leave - not even bothering with a costume. I might be an adult without kids, but I really used to put a lot of effort into making it an awesome day for the kids, and at the end of it I don't think any of them cared - it's just free candy and a night to cause trouble.

At the heart of it - Halloween here in the States is an enormous money making enterprise. It's the new Christmas (proof? Target is selling Halloween "advent" calendars) and the American dollar is migrating directly from one money making holiday to the next. Long gone are the days where you knew every kid in the neighborhood and could give out home made popcorn balls.
posted by librarianamy at 11:53 AM on October 27 [3 favorites]

Are we intent on turning Halloween into an adults-only party?

Why does everybody have to be able to go to every sort of party? If adults want to have a party that kids aren't invited to (and, really, do you want kids at a party that's probably already involving alcohol and other adults-only things), what's the problem with that?
posted by ubernostrum at 11:54 AM on October 27

I think we're all missing the bigger picture here. Namely, when the hell did "Noah" become a girl's name?

I feel your pain. Some friends named their little girl "Declan". I had to be physically restrained from leaping at them in shock and confusion. Why not just name her "Bruce" or "Dick" and be done with it?
posted by Aquaman at 11:54 AM on October 27 [7 favorites]

This is primarily about the changed definition of the word "cute."

Not long ago, "cute" meant things looked pretty and harmless or childlike. In fact, dictionary.com today defines "cute" as "attractive, esp. in a dainty way; pleasingly pretty: a cute child; a cute little apartment. "

However, the word somehow got co-opted. Now, you will commonly hear women refer to incredibly revealing and suggestive outfits as being "cute." In the past, we would have called those outfits "hot" or "sexy." But those words apparently implied that the wearer of the outfit might be slutty. So somehow those outfits became "cute." It is much more socially acceptable to be "cute" than "hot" or "sexy."

That would be fine, but everyone wants their child to look "cute." Now that the definition has changed, what children wear to get that compliment has changed.

"Hey Susie, how do you this new outfit of six inch stilettos, pasties, and an eye patch?"
"Oh my God! That is so cute!"

Never underestimate the power of language.
posted by flarbuse at 11:56 AM on October 27 [1 favorite]

Right around the beginning of October every year, I get this sense of impending dread. I didn't have a lot of friends when I was a kid, so when I realized I was too old to trick or treat, I started spending most Halloweens confused about what I was supposed to be doing. And I still haven't figured it out.

I love adult parties; you know, music, wine, nice people, interesting conversation? The few Halloween parties I've been to as an adult didn't seem very "adult" at all. They seemed like long strings of awkward situations, full of people who were apparently better than I at hiding discomfort. "Well great, coworker's wife. I've seen your boob now. So how do you think the 49ers look this year?"

I suppose in a few years, my friends will start having more kids and maybe the Halloween parties will get more fun. Until then, it's the Feast of Carl's Jr and Super Mario Galaxy for me.
posted by roll truck roll at 11:57 AM on October 27 [3 favorites]

So it's ok again to label women who wear revealing clothing sluts and prostitutes?
posted by brain_drain at 11:57 AM on October 27 [38 favorites]

I almost committed a faux pas at last year's big West Hollywood costume bash. You see, the epidemic of sexy costumes was in full swing. Every third woman was dressed up as sexy nurse, sexy soldier, or sexy cop. It's pretty standard to get pictures with anyone in a cool or sexy costume and for them to mug for the camera. That's the whole point.

There was also, as usual, the sort of police presence you'd expect at any outdoor gathering of 400,000 people where alcohol is involved. I'm guessing you see where this is going.

There was one woman in a sexy cop costume who was just absolutely smokin'. So I'm going to get a picture with her. As I'm walking up to her I'm thinking "Hey, not only is she hot but she didn't overdo it with the stupid tight little 'sexy cop shorts'. That whole costume actually looks a lot more realistic. Nice cop mirrorshades! Nice handcuffs!" I'm approaching her, am like two steps away, and am about to address her in a rather, um, informal manner to see if I can get a photo while handcuffed or whatever.

It is at about this point that I stop abruptly and realize I am extremely close to making a serious error.

Still, they were nice handcuffs.
posted by Justinian at 11:58 AM on October 27 [39 favorites]

I f**king hate Halloween. There, I said it. I hated it when I was a kid. I hate it now.

I'm going in a grumpy old man costume. AS MYSELF.
posted by fourcheesemac at 12:00 PM on October 27 [7 favorites]

Maybe we are. But in a world where we insist that everything be "family friendly," maybe this isn't a bad thing.

Uh, really? Because I look around and see plenty of TV shows that wouldn't have been aired on networks even 15 years ago (or if they would have been, there would have been an uproar). I see tons of adult-appropriate films and books, and fashions that have gotten progressively more revealing as time progresses. For the record, I think all of this is good or at worst neutral, but c'mon, man, Halloween's always been at least partly about kids dressing up and having fun and getting candy.
posted by middleclasstool at 12:01 PM on October 27 [3 favorites]

If nothing else, I realize that cashing in on publicly enjoyed games is old hat, and I don't feel so weird about an Asteroids movie after seeing the shoddy Asteroids costume.
posted by filthy light thief at 12:06 PM on October 27

My view: Let's keep Halloween kid friendly for the kids (down to their costumes), and celebrate a more mature Halloween behind closed doors. If the parents or adults want to dress sexy, it will go over the kids' heads, but don't do that for the kids' costumes.

Also, if you're older than 18, I think you should be going to a party to celebrate Halloween rather than going trick-or-treating. Save the candy for the kids. You're an adult, you can buy all the candy you want.
posted by mccarty.tim at 12:07 PM on October 27 [2 favorites]

Count me among those who looks at poor Noah and sees "vampire" or "generic gothy witch type thing" not "dominatrix." I worry a little about somebody who sees a 9 year old in a black costume on halloween and thinks "dominatrix." Is the style of leg display age-inappropriate? Probably yeah. I would want a longer skirt on my daughter at that age. But I'm not a Hollywood celebrity. So I'm willing to give the benefit of the doubt, on Halloween, to the bazillionaire Cyruses who for all I know wear stockings and skirts that short while doing the laundry, or eating cheetos and watching soaps.

Dominatrix? Please. And the shocked article about a 9 year old in a one-piece swimsuit?

There's a lot of real exploitation of children out there to get outraged about. This seems unnecessary and trumped up.
posted by edheil at 12:08 PM on October 27 [5 favorites]

Argh, edit button. I wanted to say: Let's have two Halloweens that take place in parallel.
posted by mccarty.tim at 12:08 PM on October 27

The adults who express outrage over little girls in short skirts and slutty halloween costumes are the ones I worry about, to be honest. It seems like there's some projection going on.

I don't think I'm projecting when I say that this does seem to go a bit too far toward being a "sexy" outfit worn by a 9 year old.
posted by hippybear at 12:09 PM on October 27 [2 favorites]

Are we intent on turning Halloween into an adults-only party?

I fucking well hope so. Kids dominate music, tv, movies, and even my motherfucking lawn. It's time we take some territory back.
posted by shmegegge at 12:10 PM on October 27 [10 favorites]

(and I do see that it's a bathing suit. But a lot of it has to do with the attitudes the girls are assuming for the camera, doesn't it?)
posted by hippybear at 12:10 PM on October 27

What I liked least about Noah's costume (other than, yeah, better on someone older maybe) was I can't figure out what she's going for. Bat? Vampire? No idea.

Oh, and the comments on the sexy Freddy Kreuger outfit are comedy gold.
posted by misha at 12:11 PM on October 27

But a lot of it has to do with the attitudes the girls are assuming for the camera, doesn't it?

Yeah, she's mugging for the camera, but so do most girls her age.

Maybe I'm too far out of touch, but I feel like the person who wrote that blog post is very, very confused.
posted by roll truck roll at 12:12 PM on October 27 [4 favorites]

Agreed with the general sentiment on the Cyrus sibling. No way she's a dominatrix. I'd expect a lot more (p)leather and a whip for it to look like the typical dom you see in pop culture. She looks more like a female vampire, minus the fangs, and ironically less sexualized.

I bet I probably used "ironically" wrong.
posted by mccarty.tim at 12:13 PM on October 27

I'm going in a grumpy old man costume. AS MYSELF.
posted by fourcheesemac

I'm going as a sexy fourcheesemac.
posted by mazola at 12:14 PM on October 27 [18 favorites]

The adults who express outrage over little girls in short skirts and slutty halloween costumes are the ones I worry about, to be honest. It seems like there's some projection going on parents.
posted by middleclasstool at 12:15 PM on October 27 [3 favorites]

The problem with this overblown moral panic is that it will be over in less than a week - barely enough time for the landing gear to leave the ground.
posted by KokuRyu at 12:15 PM on October 27 [1 favorite]

Would someone please tell me if I'm supposed to be outraged or not?

It's for the children™, after all.
posted by sebastienbailard at 12:16 PM on October 27

roll truck roll: I almost committed a faux pas at last year's big West Hollywood costume bash. You see, the epidemic of sexy costumes was in full swing. Every third woman was dressed up as sexy nurse, sexy soldier, or sexy cop. It's pretty standard to get pictures with anyone in a cool or sexy costume and for them to mug for the camera. That's the whole point.

It should be said that this is basically a one-day version of DragonCon without the panels or walking.
posted by JHarris at 12:17 PM on October 27

Are adult Halloween costumes increasingly of the "sexy [occupation]" variety? Absolutely.

My wife decided it would be fun to try to that this to the illogical extreme, and the best we were able to come up with was sexy-garbage-collector.

Actually, that's not true. It's the best we could reasonably pull off, I still maintain that sexy-Level-A-Hazmat would be the most absurd, but that would suck to wear to a party.

As to the whole Halloween for adults vs kids thing; Halloween is just the new Christmas where the adults get to participate too. It only makes sense that more and more stuff is going to be aimed at adults, because some of the best things about Halloween are stuff that might actually be a bit too disturbing for little kids, if they ever realized how fucked up it was (I'm thinking of walking through a Halloween shop last year, and seeing a bin full of amputated arms. Really graphic, with bones jutting out. I laughed, because today that is considered safe if a little weird, but a couple of generations ago, it would have been reserved for the stuff of nightmares.)
posted by quin at 12:17 PM on October 27

I had posted this on the jealousy thread but it belongs better here:

If you want hilarious rants re; sexy Halloween costumes, The Sexist has taken care of that for you.
posted by emjaybee at 12:18 PM on October 27 [2 favorites]

I WORKED VERY VERY HARD ON MY SEXY SARTRE OUTFIT AND ALL YOU HATERS CAN SUCK MY PIPE.
posted by everichon at 12:20 PM on October 27 [4 favorites]

Next year: sexy third-stage Guild navigator. Rowr!
posted by everichon at 12:22 PM on October 27 [12 favorites]

In a society where we're pressured to conform sexually, turning Halloween into a chance to ramp up the sexuality seems almost inevitable.
posted by davejay at 12:22 PM on October 27

Agreed, KokuRyu. Us coastal liberals should be preparing for the War on Christmas 2009. Perhaps this year we'll push it all the way from "Merry Christmas" to "Happy Holidays," and then to "Happy Kwanzaa." If we work hard enough, we'll be forcing all the kids to celebrate Diwali.
posted by mccarty.tim at 12:24 PM on October 27

Those of us who love the holiday and who don't look like we're Hef's next girlfriend have a hell of a time finding costumes that aren't humiliating.

I was thisclose to making mention of this in the "Hi, Whatcha Reading?" thread, because it's an example of how "women = sexystuff" in the minds of the public. I went looking for a costume last night and ended up getting royally pissed off, because most of the options for women only came in the "sexy" variety. The "sexy" nurse. The "sexy" cop. The "sexy" pirate.

There was no just plain "pirate" option for women. It only was "sexy pirate."

I have nothing against the idea of sexy-dressup -- hell, I was the sexy genie once (when I was 23 and still had the abs for it). My ire, though, came from: why is that the ONLY option? Why, just because it's a costume for a woman, does it have to be "sexy"? What about the woman who just wants to be a "Pirate"? There was no equivalent "sexy pirate" in the men's section, but ooooh, the women's costume had to be the "sexy" version of whatever!

If they had had a REGULAR lady pirate, that would have been totally different. But no. It's for a woman, so it has to be sexy, because that MUST be what we wimmnifolk all want, right?

THAT'S the problem.
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 12:24 PM on October 27 [29 favorites]

I could see sexy hazmat working out. Just get the pattern for a hazmat suit and sew together clear plastic like you'd use for the visor for the whole costume. Underneath, wear a bra and panties. Completely exposed and covered at the same time.
posted by mccarty.tim at 12:26 PM on October 27 [3 favorites]

The problem is that we've forgotten the true meaning of Halloween. So, in that way, it's pretty much exactly like Christmas.
posted by dortmunder at 12:26 PM on October 27 [1 favorite]

I think we're all missing the bigger picture here. Namely, when the hell did "Noah" become a girl's name?

We must consider the family from which she came. Naming a girl Noah is pretty much the moniker equivalent of the Achy Breaky Heart mullet.
posted by MCMikeNamara at 12:32 PM on October 27 [2 favorites]

I think the bigger problem with halloween costumes is that people think they have to purchase them. Homemade costumes are far better, imo. Why let someone else dictate who/what you're going to be on your one carefree, no-holds-barred, divil-may-care holiday?
posted by heyho at 12:34 PM on October 27 [1 favorite]

Since this is the bitch-about-costumes thread, can I be the cranky old fart who looks down her nose at people who *buy* costumes? I mean really. If it doesn't involve cardboard, tinfoil, and/or spray paint, (or for the advanced, sewing) it's not a real costume. C'mon people.

(My kid is going as Percy the Tank Engine: long sleeved green shirt under short sleeved black shirt with iron on letters "Percy" and number 6, black toboggan hat with homemade funnel on top. Jeans and sneakers and goodie bag. Cost me maybe 10.00, almost all reusable as actual clothes. I dread the year he insists on some nasty plastic Spiderman POS costume from Target because All the Other Kids Are Doing It).
posted by emjaybee at 12:37 PM on October 27 [3 favorites]

One benefit of choosing a "sexy" Halloween outfit is cost effectiveness. If you're going to shell out fifty bucks or more for a costume, you'll want one you can wear more than one night a year.
posted by rocket88 at 12:38 PM on October 27 [3 favorites]

Halloween started as an adult only affair. Maybe we're just getting back to basics.
posted by c*r at 12:41 PM on October 27

One benefit of choosing a "sexy" Halloween outfit is cost effectiveness. If you're going to shell out fifty bucks or more for a costume, you'll want one you can wear more than one night a year.

I always wear my sexy outfits for Hallowe'en. So I wear them more than just 1 day a year.

: (
posted by mazola at 12:41 PM on October 27

Does Halloween for kids exist any more? I have not had to deal with kids knocking in my door looking for candy in ever. I thought all the 70s/80s scaremongering about OMG I HEARD SOMEONE PUT RAZOR BLADES IN APPLES AND KILLED A KID!!! and OMG SOMEONE COULD HAND OUT POISON CANDY!!! pretty much killed the "trick-or-treat" thing.

So, yeah, if it ain't for kids any more, why not let adults celebrate it?

Masks and costumes are awesome; they give you an excuse to be someone you can't be in daily life. America doesn't have many outlets for that. Halloween is slowly becoming a nationwide Carnival, that gives everyone the excuse to dress up like... whatever. Want to imagine you have power you don't in daily life? Want to show off your body in a way you're usually too self-repressed to? Want to hint at the animal rage you keep firmly in check the rest of the year? Want an excuse to gingerly step across the gender line? Halloween is there for you.
posted by egypturnash at 12:45 PM on October 27 [5 favorites]

Since this is the bitch-about-costumes thread, can I be the cranky old fart who looks down her nose at people who *buy* costumes?

yeah, I'd end up having as much luck making my costume as Charlie Brown did.

My mother always went all-out making costumes for my brother and I -- glorious things. She drew on years of experience sewing and her entire fine arts degree to make them. I, however, am living proof that skill in the visual arts is NOT a genetic trait.
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 12:47 PM on October 27 [2 favorites]

Halloween is slowly becoming a nationwide Carnival, that gives everyone the excuse to dress up like... whatever.

Not if you're a woman -- if you don't want to be the "sexy" version of whatever, you're often SOL.
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 12:48 PM on October 27 [2 favorites]

Just get the pattern for a hazmat suit and sew together clear plastic like you'd use for the visor for the whole costume. Underneath, wear a bra and panties. Completely exposed and covered at the same time.

I believe that fashion trend is known as industrial bukkake.

Or maybe it's ambient house. I can never tell.
posted by rokusan at 12:50 PM on October 27 [1 favorite]

Want to imagine you have power you don't in daily life? Want to show off your body in a way you're usually too self-repressed to? Want to hint at the animal rage you keep firmly in check the rest of the year? Want an excuse to gingerly step across the gender line? Halloween MetaFilter is there for you.
posted by everichon at 12:52 PM on October 27 [1 favorite]

I present to you: Anna Rexia.
posted by ifjuly at 12:53 PM on October 27 [1 favorite]

No one else gets trick-or-treaters anymore? Maybe they're all at my house. And they're all walking door-to-door, a couple of parents waiting on the sidewalk. They wear the plastic capes and long underwear of my 80s childhood, just for cartoon characters I've never heard of. The Snickers still go first.
posted by palliser at 12:55 PM on October 27 [3 favorites]

Halloween has always been family friendly. From its inception. Slaughtering the livestock, doing the harvest, gearing up for the winter. Hell, you even invited the ghosts of your dead ancestors over while scaring off the bad spirits with the masks and such.

What’s irritating about the sexualization of Halloween is that it’s so infantile like most titillating spectacle. Of course people get upset about it. They’re supposed to get upset about it. People who actually, y’know, fuck, are completely exceptional to the landscape here. You’re not supposed to actually have sex. Just want to. And feel ‘naughty.’

It’s essentially what Miley Cyrus, Spears, et.al. are based on. Forbidden fruit, titillation, etc. They can’t sell actual sex. And having blue noses come down on it is exactly part of the game there.
Yeah, no thanks. After taking the kids door to door (not for ‘safety’ but c’os it’s fun) I’m going to be having sex with my wife no matter what she dresses up as. (I’m going as ‘Mr.Strong’ – full red, weight belt, eggs, etc. And still someone will ask if I’m Hellboy)

And I have to agree with EmpressCallipygos. Both sides of the equation are forcing a definition of female sexuality to the detriment of women in general. But hey, you gotta shill product or shill God, yeah? Can’t just have people going around thinking for themselves or being *gasp * creative.

“I WORKED VERY VERY HARD ON MY SEXY SARTRE OUTFIT AND ALL YOU HATERS CAN SUCK MY PIPE.”
I thought it was a Magritte outfit. Since that is not a pipe.
posted by Smedleyman at 12:55 PM on October 27 [10 favorites]

> This hits on my huge annual pet peeve: churches (sadly, including my own) that eschew
> Halloween parties in favor of a "fall festival" or "harvest festival" which looks exactly like
> a Halloween party but with a different name.

My kids are too old for Sunday school parties but if they weren't I'd certainly suggest they tell people "My church doesn't celebrate Halloween, but they did have a big bash for the kids on Samhain."

I'm past trick-or-treating and haven't much interest in skanky costume parties. I actually was planning on hanging around the house to answer the door and hand out treats. Sounds as if there may not be too many of us.
posted by jfuller at 12:58 PM on October 27

I can understand the adults wanting to have fun on Halloween.

For those lamenting the lack of kids walking around on Halloween, what I had noticed is that the only people who went "trick or treating" beyond age 12-13 were either the parents (or the older siblings) with the younger kids or the Jimbos, Nelsons, Kearneys, and Dolphs of the neighborhood and that they ruined it for everyone in the name of "fun" (i.e. assaulting young children for candy, grabbing all the candy at once and running, etc.) This is why we personally don't give out candy anymore, let them go to the malls or whatever, let security handle them - it's safer anyway.
posted by peppito at 1:01 PM on October 27

I don't think I'm projecting when I say that this does seem to go a bit too far toward being a "sexy" outfit worn by a 9 year old.

I understand your concern, but again I'd disagree. It was a pool party.

The adults who express outrage over little girls in short skirts and slutty halloween costumes are the ones I worry about, to be honest. It seems like there's some projection going on parents.

I have a daughter. I take care in what she wears. I don't care much what other girls wear. YMMV.

I dread the year he insists on some nasty plastic Spiderman POS costume from Target because All the Other Kids Are Doing It).

Don't let him do it! For some reason when I was a kid (late 70s, early 80s), it was considered cooler to have a store-bought costume. I knew something wasn't right, but I'm glad my mom insisted we didn't do that.

I thought all the 70s/80s scaremongering about OMG I HEARD SOMEONE PUT RAZOR BLADES IN APPLES AND KILLED A KID!!! and OMG SOMEONE COULD HAND OUT POISON CANDY!!! pretty much killed the "trick-or-treat" thing.

I'm pretty sure kids still trick or treat. In the U.S., I wouldn't be surprised if it was over 80% of kids 5-12. (Though I favorited the 2nd half of your post. ;)

Not if you're a woman -- if you don't want to be the "sexy" version of whatever, you're often SOL.

People have already said it, but I'll be louder: YOU CAN MAKE YOUR OWN COSTUME. MOST PEOPLE DO.

This is why we personally don't give out candy anymore, let them go to the malls or whatever, let security handle them - it's safer anyway.

BOOO. It's no better to be safe than sorry.
posted by mrgrimm at 1:09 PM on October 27 [1 favorite]

My girlfriend went as "Sexy Whistler's Mother" last year. It was amazing to see the perplexed look on people's faces....
posted by brand-gnu at 1:11 PM on October 27

I can actually attest to some places where Halloween is still kids' day.

My street where I grew up was a little piece of the Eluysian fields (or however the hell you spell that) as far as being a kid was concerned. It was so safe that people from other TOWNS brought their kids trick-or-treating on my block. I was allowed to trick-or-treating unescorted by an adult, with a couple buddies, when I was ten (the biggest danger we had was Greg Stevens jumping out and going 'boo' at us to make us drop our candy, but Lisa was dressed as a majorette so she was ready to fight him off with her baton anyway). It's still a very family-friendly block, by all reports.

And that's why I love my little neighborhood in Brooklyn so much -- I'm on Clinton Avenue in Brooklyn, and ten years ago, one house on the block started going all-out with Halloween decorations -- and they also stage a short pageant in their front yard, complete with skits, choreography, dancing, and the like. It mushroomed out from there to the point that now two whole blocks of the street are shut down to car traffic, all the houses on those streets dress up their houses to the nines, and they're designated "trick or treat" zones, and if you go out for a walk you can see all kinds of tiny bumblebees and witches and cows and Spidermans and what-have-you tearing from house to house and getting candy and going out of their tiny little minds from sheer glee. The adults dress up too, but mostly just to get into the spirit of things as they walk around and watch -- another house on another block rounded up a bunch of friends to dress up in weird costumes and grab all their instruments and give an impromptu concert on the sidewalk, playing songs like "monster mash" and "zombie jamboree."

I didn't see a single "sexy" anything in the costume department either, for children OR adults. On the contrary, the best costumes I saw all night was a guy who dressed himself up like the Log Lady from Twin Peaks (complete with a "talking log" he'd rigged up using cardboard tubing, papier-mache and a magic 8-ball) and a guy who dressed as Zoidberg from FUTURAMA (he even had lobster-claw hands; I saw him at a bar later, and he refused to take the hands off even though at one point it took him a full three minutes to pick up a bottle of beer). The neighborhood is Halloween as I remember it; there are communities where it still happens that way.
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 1:15 PM on October 27 [9 favorites]

I'm going to EmpressCallipygos' neighborhood this year.
posted by brand-gnu at 1:18 PM on October 27 [3 favorites]

Heh - my Halloween will involve escorting several small children and 3 dressed-up dogs around the neighbourhood whilst the missus hands out candy in -10-18c temperatures . If there are any "sexy" kid costumes, they will most likely onlt be recognizable as "corpsicles"...
posted by jkaczor at 1:19 PM on October 27

the only people who went "trick or treating" beyond age 12-13 were either the parents (or the older siblings) with the younger kids or the Jimbos, Nelsons, Kearneys, and Dolphs of the neighborhood and that they ruined it for everyone in the name of "fun" (i.e. assaulting young children for candy, grabbing all the candy at once and running, etc.)

I went trick or treating several times as a teenager (in costume) with my friends. For us, it wasn't about being bullies or harassing any kids but just having some fun, and ending up with big bag of candy when the night's over. Nobody got hurt, people seemed to be generally amused, and we all had a good time.
posted by krinklyfig at 1:20 PM on October 27

She looks more like a female vampire, minus the fangs, and ironically less sexualized.

Wait, you mean those are her real teeth? Lil' Noah may have more to worry about than having a boy's name.
posted by pick_the_flowers at 1:26 PM on October 27 [2 favorites]

I'm going to EmpressCallipygos' neighborhood this year.

:-) It's going to be even more fun -- because it's a Saturday this year, so there's a kids' party in the nearby park, with hay rides and a parade and sack races, as well as a DOGS' costume parade. And there's another costume parade somewhere in my neighborhood a little after that, and then my own streets' events will kick off a little after that, helmed by the main house, which seems to have a sideshow theme this year.
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 1:27 PM on October 27 [2 favorites]

YOU CAN MAKE YOUR OWN COSTUME.

I CAN'T SEW AND DON'T KNOW MANY PEOPLE WHO CAN. (But I would love to learn.)
posted by Mavri at 1:29 PM on October 27 [1 favorite]

Oh jeese. They're taking away all the fun. It can be both ways. If you're a parent, then dress your kids in appropriate costumes. Noah just looks stupid (and that short pink thing is shameful for her age) and her parents should say no.

But if you're an adult, do what you want. I don't mind it. I LOVE Halloween and I attend Dragoncon yearly. Not every costume has to be sexy. It's ladies' choice and BrainDrain is right. Sexy costume doesn't mean prostitute, slut, and every other spiteful and acid word thrown around here. A short skirt on a tinkerbell or Freddie Kruger doesn't mean prostitute. Flaunt it if you got it.

And based on that one link, what if we had a sexy Mr. Kotter wearing Dick in the Box?
posted by stormpooper at 1:39 PM on October 27

There are also sexy costumes for dogs and cats, which makes even less sense.
posted by bewilderbeast at 11:38 AM on October 27

It probably leaves the animals confused too.
posted by Brak at 1:40 PM on October 27

Some people up here seem to be bemoaning the "'70s/'80s paranoia killed trick-or-treating!" As a 20 year old suburbanite, I can reassure you that it's still alive and well. I went up until I turned about 15, and I trick or treated with my little sister two years ago (she's grown out of it pretty much this year), and almost every house gave out candy.

Of course, we're told by the local police officer (the same guy who does DARE) to not trust anything that isn't an individually wrapped candy. That means no homemade treats or fruit. As a 4th grader, this was not a big deal (I got fruit all year, give me candy!), but now as a pretentious slow foodie, I'm regretting that I can't give the kids pocket pies stuffed with local apples or popcorn balls, even though I'd probably be too lazy to make more than 20-40 or so (yes, we get way more than that). This paranoia spiked post 9/11, but I still went and accepted all my candy, and my mom had no issues. It was Halloween, and you're giving the terrorists way too much power if you don't enjoy it!

So, trick-or-treating didn't die. It just got more commercialized, like most American experiences.
posted by mccarty.tim at 1:40 PM on October 27

My recollection of store-bought costumes is that the ones for kids were merely lame, while the the ones for adults were lame and trashy.

I was lucky enough to have a mom who could sew and made me awesome costumes as a little kid. I can't sew AT ALL, but when I too old/aspiring to be too cool for a costume sewn from a pattern, I "made" my own by putting together stuff from Goodwill. I don't know anyone who wanted the storebought costumes, actually.
posted by desuetude at 1:42 PM on October 27 [1 favorite]

I can't believe no ones mentioned "Trunk-Or-Treating" yet. Several churches in our area are doing these this year. Lame.
posted by Big_B at 1:43 PM on October 27

All of this outrage at the loss of morals is just a product of propelling shitty people into the public eye.

Dress your kids like a fairy princess and a hobo, and don't worry about what morons with reality shows dress like.

And if your daughter protests that all the other little girls are dressed seductively this year? Get over it. You're a parent. Disappointing children is part of your job.
posted by jefficator at 1:44 PM on October 27 [4 favorites]

It's ladies' choice and BrainDrain is right. Sexy costume doesn't mean prostitute, slut, and every other spiteful and acid word thrown around here. A short skirt on a tinkerbell or Freddie Kruger doesn't mean prostitute. Flaunt it if you got it.

Let me be very clear about something:

I have no problem with the people who WANT to dress like the "naughty nurse" or whatever. I am not objecting to the fact that "naughty nurse" exists. If that is truly what you want, then more power to you.

What I AM objecting to is the fact that there IS no choice between "naughty nurse" and "regular nurse." The choice is between "naughty nurse" and "no costume."

And that is NOT a choice. That's a marginalization.
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 1:45 PM on October 27 [7 favorites]

Speaking of (non-sexy, it appears) costumes for dogs, why not enjoy this massive costumed dog thread on Flickr?
posted by emjaybee at 1:45 PM on October 27

I went trick or treating several times as a teenager (in costume) with my friends. For us, it wasn't about being bullies or harassing any kids but just having some fun, and ending up with big bag of candy when the night's over. Nobody got hurt, people seemed to be generally amused, and we all had a good time.

Hell, a group of us went trick or treating when we were in our late 20's. We were decked out to the nines with our great homemade costumes and our pillow cases. The homes we visited got a kick out of it, the candy we gathered was rolled back into our hand-out bucket, and everyone was happy. The only hassle was got was from single non-costumed teenager who was simultaneously trying to trick or treat and be too cool for school.

Some people just don't get the basic pleasures of Halloween. It's joy of being with your neighbors and friends, having a good time on the front stoop, and finding the last peanut butter cup in the bucket.

*dressing as Professor Layton this year*
posted by cheap paper at 1:45 PM on October 27 [1 favorite]

By the way, for you non-sewing types, this horribly-designed website nonetheless has oodles of amazing and creative homemade costume pics, many of which depend heavily on glue, paint, and random bits of cardboard.
posted by emjaybee at 1:49 PM on October 27

Are we intent on turning Halloween into an adults-only party?

Oh, please say "YES"!
posted by Mental Wimp at 1:49 PM on October 27

Me: (female): "What's a good costume that involves glasses?"

Friend: "Well, my first thought is Sexy Ben Franklin..."
posted by Madamina at 1:55 PM on October 27 [1 favorite]

If anyone goes as Sarah Palin this year I'm going to go absolutely apeshit on them. In the bad way. Don't do it.
posted by josher71 at 2:00 PM on October 27

Man. How am I supposed to make my H1N1 costume sexy?
posted by the littlest brussels sprout at 2:03 PM on October 27 [2 favorites]

Just stitch together some aluminum foil and cardboard; add some computer printouts and string; and you too can have a tasteful and wholesome Halloween costume!
posted by brain_drain at 2:06 PM on October 27

What I AM objecting to is the fact that there IS no choice between "naughty nurse" and "regular nurse." The choice is between "naughty nurse" and "no costume."

And that is NOT a choice. That's a marginalization.
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 1:45 PM on October 27 [+] [!]

What about scrubs? It's what nurses wear anyway? I understand your point. I typed in nurse costume and holy cow. Since when does a nurse wear a bikini?

I don't even think of nurses as a costume. For me it is all about the seductively wicked (no short skirt needed). Harley Quinn, Lara Croft, nightshade PS2 game ninja, would LOVE to do Hellgate Templar but I have no armor-making skills. But that's just me. I think a seductive Snow White carrying around a bloody dwarf's head is the way to go. :)

I think people can use their imagination and go a lot further with a costume (either sexy or not) than the store bought crap. And trust me, crushed velvet and bad polyester for $50 is crap.
posted by stormpooper at 2:11 PM on October 27

There are also sexy costumes for dogs and cats, which makes even less sense

Except to protect paws or keep a thinly furred pet warm in winter, never have understood why people dress their pets in clothes. None of the animals on the Flickr thread linked through emjaybee's comment above seem at all happy. There's some interesting synchronicity between the idea of clothing for animals and the post today on declawing cats.
posted by bearwife at 2:12 PM on October 27

I think people can use their imagination and go a lot further with a costume (either sexy or not) than the store bought crap. And trust me, crushed velvet and bad polyester for $50 is crap.

In an ideal world, maybe. But for those with a lack of time, y'all don't always have many options...

I mean, I hear you on the "but you can make your own" camp, but if you go crazy with the imagiation that can get you into trouble.

(Last year I did make something -- I have a long "old-fashioned-y" looking nightgown that looked like a muslin blouse and petticoat, and I threw another shirt and a long skirt on top of that, added a mob cap, and walked around with some knitting in my hands and went as Madame LaFarge from A TALE OF TWO CITIES. No one knew who the hell I was -- they all thought I was "Betsey Ross." So much for that -- this year I finally bought a somewhat-modest Renaissance lady costume and called it a day.)
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 2:19 PM on October 27

Justinian: "I'm approaching her, am like two steps away, and am about to address her in a rather, um, informal manner to see if I can get a photo while handcuffed or whatever.

It is at about this point that I stop abruptly and realize I am extremely close to making a serious error."

What the hell kind of story was that? Embellish the damn ending, man! What if every story fizzled out like that?

"Back in 1912, I managed to get a ticket on the Titanic. During the journey, I ran into this smokin' hot chick, but it turned out she was engaged to some other guy.

It was about this point that I stopped abruptly... I didn't want to be an asshole to some dude who never did anything to me, so I said goodbye and went back to the lower deck. When the ship hit the iceberg, I wasn't able to get on the lifeboats, but fortunately there was a door floating in the water that could support my weight, so I was able to float on it until I got rescued."

or...

"This one time this guy told me the world was imaginary and gave me a choice between two pills: one to go, in his words, 'further down the rabbit hole' and the other to go back to my normal life.

It was about this point that I stopped abruptly and realized I probably shouldn't take anonymous pills handed to me by an international terrorist in improbably shiny sunglasses and a leather coat. I went home and decided maybe it was time to cut back on the late-night hacking and goth clubbing."

or...

"When I was a boy my mom told me that I was the son of the one true god and his human manifestation on Earth, sent to suffer and die for the sins of mankind.

It was about this point I stopped abruptly and realized that there was a much more likely explanation for her getting pregnant before she married my dad, so I just smiled politely and grew up to take over the family carpentry business."
posted by Riki tiki at 2:19 PM on October 27 [25 favorites]

Where I live, kids still trick-or-treat in droves, but the bulk of it happens before sundown. I think there has been a trend of doing it earlier since I was a kid, where you wouldn't even start until it was good and dark out. Also, I was allowed to go around the neighborhood alone with my friends at a pretty young age, but it seem all kids have an escort these days. I blame the pedocalypse fear-mongering for this development.

Also, this came up in an askme.
posted by cj_ at 2:28 PM on October 27

I can't believe no ones mentioned "Trunk-Or-Treating" yet.

Maybe because it sounds like a sinister kidnapping plot.
posted by the littlest brussels sprout at 2:31 PM on October 27 [1 favorite]

I have no problem with the people who WANT to dress like the "naughty nurse" or whatever. I am not objecting to the fact that "naughty nurse" exists. If that is truly what you want, then more power to you.

What I AM objecting to is the fact that there IS no choice between "naughty nurse" and "regular nurse." The choice is between "naughty nurse" and "no costume."

And that is NOT a choice. That's a marginalization.

Agreed. Here's a prime example. Go look for a Ghostbuster's costume. This is what the men's costume looks like. This is what the women's costume looks like. It's a world of WTF.And it's like that for everthing. A sailor, and a sailor. A native american (leaving aside the issue of making someone's ethnicity into a costume, which is a whole other post) and a native american (whoa, those are some authentic shoes there!). How about a devil and a devil?Walk through any of those Halloween stores that pop up around this time of year, and the difference leaps out at you.
posted by Karmakaze at 2:32 PM on October 27 [6 favorites]

I CAN'T SEW AND DON'T KNOW MANY PEOPLE WHO CAN.

I can't either yet I somehow manage to make a costume every year... Last year I was Dr. Venture (red beard (glued fabric), glasses, speedsuit, not too tough), and the year before I was a PBA bowler (wig, moustache, bowling ball bag (with bowling ball!), bowling shirt and sansabelts).

Admittedly, almost no one knows "what I am" and are generally disappointed when they learn. But it's good to cull those chaps/gals from the people I want to talk to anyway. ;)

What I AM objecting to is the fact that there IS no choice between "naughty nurse" and "regular nurse."

And what I am saying is that it's pretty easy to make a "regular nurse" costume without much sewing or even creativity. Go to thrift stores. Early. Or get a white dress that's close and stick two red-duct-tape crosses on it...

The fact that there is no commercial choice for "regular nurse" (and 1 million adult nurse costumes) is likely based on demand, I assume. If one company was making a regular nurse costume and it was selling like hotcakes, other companies would follow.
posted by mrgrimm at 2:33 PM on October 27

The fact that there is no commercial choice for "regular nurse" (and 1 million adult nurse costumes) is likely based on demand, I assume. If one company was making a regular nurse costume and it was selling like hotcakes, other companies would follow.

Well, gee, it'd be easy to see if that were true if any one company DID make a "regular nurse" costume. Except they're not.

Please.
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 2:38 PM on October 27

Couldn't you just buy hospital scrubs to be a regular nurse? They're more comfortable, and likely cheaper than about half the costumes on the market.

If you need props, just go into a medical supply shop, or even just a regular pharmacy.
posted by mccarty.tim at 2:38 PM on October 27 [2 favorites]

Your kid can always go as Helen Keller.
posted by the littlest brussels sprout at 2:43 PM on October 27

We understand that we have the choice to make our own costumes. But, what sucks is that women don't have the privilege of buying Halloween costumes that don't sexualize the shit out of us. Men, on the other hand, have a choice. A man can buy a sexy costume showing off his biceps or abs, or he buy a costume that completely covers his body. With women's store bought costumes, we really don't have much of a second option.
posted by Eleutherios at 2:43 PM on October 27

Agreed. Here's a prime example. Go look for a Ghostbuster's costume. This is what the men's costume looks like. This is what the women's costume looks like. It's a world of WTF.And it's like that for everthing. A sailor, and a sailor. A native american (leaving aside the issue of making someone's ethnicity into a costume, which is a whole other post) and a native american (whoa, those are some authentic shoes there!). How about a devil and a devil?Walk through any of those Halloween stores that pop up around this time of year, and the difference leaps out at you.

Wait, what? With the ghostbuster's costume especially (but all of these, really), why not just buy a "dude" costume? The GB thing is only accurate (and, therefore, awesome) if you're wearing a jumpsuit, anyway.

In any event, my Halloween costumes of last year, and now this year, have been "sexy"--last year I was a TOS-era Vulcan in a minidress, and this year I'm going as Joan from Mad Men. I tend to have a cos-play like obsession with accuracy with my Halloween costumes, though, and it would be inaccurate to be non-sexy Joanie (though, really, the dress I bought is pretty demure), or to be a female TOS-era Starfleet officer and not wear a minidress.

Also, when I was a kid I did the bunny-hop with a bunch of other little girls in a talent show. We wore pink leotards, bunny tails, and rabbit ears. Even if that is a "playgirl" outfit (a fact of which we were unaware), we weren't sexy--we were seven, for Christ's sake. I say ditto for little Noah, though props to her for being able to wear those platform shoes. I don't think I'd be able to walk in those even now.
posted by PhoBWanKenobi at 2:56 PM on October 27

Wait, what? With the ghostbuster's costume especially (but all of these, really), why not just buy a "dude" costume?

I wore a dude costume last year, it looked sloppy, because it was like 4 sizes too big. Many women are to small for men's costumes.
posted by Eleutherios at 3:00 PM on October 27

bearwife : never have understood why people dress their pets in clothes.

In my case; it's because I'm a complete and utter monster. My Australian cattle dog is... let's just say "willful" and be kind. She will stand a be naughty just outside of my reach, because she is smart enough to know exactly how far she can go before she will actually get yelled at.

I don't want to say that she is the Devil, because that would be denigrating to Satan.

But, I have a nuclear-option that I can roll out whenever she goes to far. I can put her in a doggy t-shirt, and maybe tie a scarf around her head.

She slinks to the end of the bed, and spends her time alternating between looking pitiful and mournful at what the cruel, cruel world has done to her.

And in my eternal war with this dog, this makes me the victor for a night.
posted by quin at 3:03 PM on October 27 [5 favorites]

Nothing spells "class" like having your pre-adolescent child dress as a slut!

Jesus, Cyruses, WTF? When the money checked in, did your brains check out? Fuuuuuuuuuuucccc..
posted by five fresh fish at 3:16 PM on October 27

Some of these are awesome. Love the Wild Things outfits.
posted by aeschenkarnos at 3:41 PM on October 27 [1 favorite]

Sexy Abstinence Counselor?
posted by jtron at 3:57 PM on October 27 [1 favorite]

People upset that adults celebrate Halloween need to lighten up. I went to a party last weekend and got to see this amazing costume. Not shown: The entire family was done out, down to the toddler dressed as Mei. Good stuff. Not sure how people think adults having fun along with their kids is a bad thing. If the complaint is abut all the childless 20-something's partying, well, that's what childless 20-something's do nearly every weekend, minus the outfit, so I'm not sure what's at stake here.
posted by cj_ at 4:00 PM on October 27

What I AM objecting to is the fact that there IS no choice between "naughty nurse" and "regular nurse." The choice is between "naughty nurse" and "no costume."

I'm sorry, Empress, but I don't quite understand your specific stridency on this point either, as there are a thousand ways to dress up as the sort of stock characters that are the typical costumes offered for sale. The stores offer overpriced dippy cheaply-made costumes based on whatever the trade magazines told them to buy this year. Cheaply-made gendered merchandise tends to be sexist, why would Halloween costumes be any different?

Was killing time in the Denver airport after a business conference in the tourist-junk store and saw a rack of copper "Sherrif's Stars." They were pretty cute, I totally wanted to get one for my boss, who would have gotten a kick out it. Turned the rack. Turned the rack again. No women's names. Apparently only men can be Sheriff.
posted by desuetude at 4:17 PM on October 27

I honestly don't understand why people are not understanding my point here:

there are a thousand ways to dress up as the sort of stock characters that are the typical costumes offered for sale.

If you can find me even ONE example of a "typical stock character offered for sale" for a woman that is NOT the "sexy/naughty" version of whatever that stock character is, I will be very surprised.

Cheaply-made gendered merchandise tends to be sexist, why would Halloween costumes be any different?

THAT, RIGHT THERE, IS PRECISELY MY COMPLAINT. The fact that cheaply-made gendered merchandise IS sexist. The fact that "other cheaply made gendered stuff is sexist" isn't an excuse, it is the description of the problem.

Couldn't you just buy hospital scrubs to be a regular nurse? They're more comfortable, and likely cheaper than about half the costumes on the market. If you need props, just go into a medical supply shop, or even just a regular pharmacy.

Okay, how about the people who don't have access to hospital scrubs? Or how about the women who want to be the pirate? The Ghostbuster? The fairy? The witch? The judge? The sailor? The [insert any damn thing here]? I'm talking about a general trend, not a lack of nurse costumes in the specific.

And incidentally, why is it that the regular-costume people have to jump through hoops? Why not say to the people who want to be a "naughty nurse" to just go to Victoria's Secret and be done with it?

With the ghostbuster's costume especially (but all of these, really), why not just buy a "dude" costume?

They're too big.
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 4:31 PM on October 27 [3 favorites]

If you can find me even ONE example of a "typical stock character offered for sale"...

Here we go.
posted by everichon at 4:47 PM on October 27

Here we go.

lol
posted by Ouisch at 5:05 PM on October 27

Wait, that was supposed to prove a point or something, right?
posted by Ouisch at 5:08 PM on October 27

My husband will only wear a costume if it is very minimal. One year I fashioned tin foil hats. Another year I bought 4 boxes of kids bandaids for us to stick randomly all over ourselves including our hair and our clothing.

churches (sadly, including my own) that eschew Halloween parties in favor of a "fall festival" or "harvest festival"

Churches here in NC love to do the Hell House thing. This year one local church is doing a Hallelujah House instead while another is doing HOLYween (whatever the hell that is.) One NC church is even having an old fashioned Bible burning....burning any version that is not King James. They will also be burning Satan's popular books by James Dobson, Billy Graham, Rick Warren, and Mother Theresa, among others, as well as Satan's music-- rap, rock, jazz, Southern gospel, Contemporary Christian...
posted by Secret Life of Gravy at 5:12 PM on October 27

If you can find me even ONE example of a "typical stock character offered for sale" for a woman that is NOT the "sexy/naughty" version of whatever that stock character is, I will be very surprised.

From the website that Karmakaze got those pics from: jester, geisha, clown, hippie, rabbit, spider, flying nun. Going through this website, I'm surprised by how many costumes actually cover a lot of flesh even if you would expect them not to (this Barbie costume is a mod mini dress, but has a high neckline), even if they have some weird gender (or racial, like in the case of the geisha outfit) stuff built in--like this bizarrely pink gangster outfit or this "Supa Mama Pimp" costume. There are even quite a few unisex costumes listed--a set of scrubs, a totally redonk golden Buddha get-up.

I genuinely don't think that the entirety of the problem here lies with the costuming industry. Take our example of the nurse. A real nurse has a totally unisex costume--they'd wear scrubs, male or female. In that case, it really doesn't matter if the costume looks baggy--it's not meant, in any way, to be form-fitting. I'd say ditto for the ghostbusters costume. As a culture, it seems that our conception of a nurse Halloween costume for a woman though is totally rooted in this weird 1950s Red Cross nurse stereotype, which is fairly gendered and (perhaps) sexist already. That seems very weird to me.

Okay, how about the people who don't have access to hospital scrubs? Or how about the women who want to be the pirate? The Ghostbuster? The fairy? The witch? The judge? The sailor? The [insert any damn thing here]? I'm talking about a general trend, not a lack of nurse costumes in the specific.

Most of these costumes could be very easily and cheaply made from thriftstore clothes. You can claim that that's jumping through hoops, but I don't see how that's any harder than going to one of those Halloween Store outlets. In fact, selling sexy clothes in specific, separate places makes more sense to me, since it would be more difficult to cobble together that kind of form-fitting stuff from used clothing or through stuff like buying a genuine nurse uniform (and, seriously, most drug stores and department stores sell scrubs. They're not hard to find).
posted by PhoBWanKenobi at 5:23 PM on October 27 [3 favorites]

mrgrimm: "The adults who express outrage over little girls in short skirts and slutty halloween costumes are the ones I worry about, to be honest."

Uh-oh. So I should keep my thoughts on this "Raspberry Beret Child Costume, 7-8 Child" to myself, I guess.
posted by The corpse in the library at 5:28 PM on October 27 [1 favorite]

Wait, that was supposed to prove a point or something, right?

No, actually--I pretty much agree with Empress. When I see "find me one..." challenges, though, I get all itchy.
posted by everichon at 5:29 PM on October 27

Since someone brought up the animal costumes, here is my sister's dog, who might as well wear the outfit since he rules the house.
posted by misha at 5:32 PM on October 27

I'm going to wear a tinfoil hat, a pro-life t-shirt, and some booty shorts. I'm going to tuck a bunch of Ron Paul pamphlets along with other weird anti-government and pro-lock ness monster stuff into my pockets. Then I'm going to go out to the streets and start ranting about slutty children costumes.

That's my plan for this evening anyways. I still don't know what to do for a halloween costume though.
posted by Bageena at 5:37 PM on October 27 [5 favorites]

“I typed in nurse costume and holy cow. Since when does a nurse wear a bikini?”

So you don’t have Blue Cross then?

"As a culture, it seems that our conception of a nurse Halloween costume for a woman though is totally rooted in this weird 1950s Red Cross nurse stereotype, which is fairly gendered and (perhaps) sexist already. That seems very weird to me."

Yeah, I think the cultural thing is more the beef than the specific costume details.

But you can play with that too. One year my wife and I went as Batman and Robin. I’m at least a foot taller and about 160 lbs heavier than her, so it was pretty funny.
…did I mention I was Robin?
posted by Smedleyman at 6:00 PM on October 27 [2 favorites]

I have a daughter. I take care in what she wears. I don't care much what other girls wear. YMMV.

I care very much what other kids wear if they are public figures that my kids would be likely to look on as role models or at least fashion examples. Pop culture sexualizes and objectifies women enough. Starting on them that young is beyond tacky. YMMV.
posted by middleclasstool at 6:12 PM on October 27

There are some more modest costumes out there for women:

Modest Lady's Pilgrim costume

Full-length Princess Leia costume

Reasonable Pirate Wench costume

Female Death Eater gown

And this one is pretty unisex, really:
Convict costume
posted by misha at 6:23 PM on October 27

As a culture, it seems that our conception of a nurse Halloween costume for a woman though is totally rooted in this weird 1950s Red Cross nurse stereotype, which is fairly gendered and (perhaps) sexist already. That seems very weird to me.

It seems to me that "dress up nice" and "look sexy" are pretty much synonymous. Especially if you're a single, heading to a social function. Go ahead and wear the shapeless authentic unisex nurse uniform if you're hanging with friends or just plain don't want to attract others' attention.

It's the difference between showing up in a tailored dress or slacks, or slumming it in a fisherman knit sweater and fleece trackpants. I don't think it seems weird at all that the "sexy nurse" outfit would terrifically outsell the "sexless nurse" outfit.
posted by five fresh fish at 6:27 PM on October 27

Furthermore, as the sexless nurse costume idea goes: (a) it's foolish to think you're going to compare well to all the real nurses who just wear their work clothes after-shift; (b) if you really want to go there, wander down to ER and slip a nurse a twenty to get you some old hospital greens. Heck, that's half the price of a sexy costume, so you can spend an extra twenty on getting drunk enough to not care that the real nurses that are looking to score are wearing sexy nurse costumes.
posted by five fresh fish at 6:35 PM on October 27

stormpooper: Harley Quinn, Lara Croft, nightshade PS2 game ninja, would LOVE to do Hellgate Templar but I have no armor-making skills. But that's just me. I think a seductive Snow White carrying around a bloody dwarf's head is the way to go. :)

Let me introduce you to the Garbage Can samurai from a few years ago.
posted by Decimask at 6:43 PM on October 27 [3 favorites]

My parents went to a lot of Halloween parties in the 60s-- I think my dad was a frustrated actor and so every year they had elaborate costumes, usually made by my mother. One year they went as a Roman Senator and his wife: draped white togas trimmed with gold ric-rac, sandals, and my dad had a wreath of laurel leaves. Thrifty housewife that she was, the togas got turned into kitchen curtains afterward.
posted by Secret Life of Gravy at 6:50 PM on October 27

It's the difference between showing up in a tailored dress or slacks, or slumming it in a fisherman knit sweater and fleece trackpants. I don't think it seems weird at all that the "sexy nurse" outfit would terrifically outsell the "sexless nurse" outfit.

I don't think it's weird, either--I think it's understandable in our cultural context. But I think less logical and more troubling is the fact that women are made to feel unattractive if they're not wearing something form fitting and explicitly sexualized. It should be okay for a woman to wear a costume that doesn't show off her cleavage, and she should feel okay doing so, particularly if the costume is awesome--I think that's my problem, personally, with most of the "sexy" outfits: they're mega lame-o, as far as costumes go.

Granted, though, I've worn costumes that weren't all sorts of sexy to Halloween parties, and still gotten plenty of dudes hitting on me. Three years ago, I was Daria Morgendorffer, and had plenty of sleezeballs try to get my number, but that could have been because it was a costume with nerd cred, at a pretty nerdy party.

Heck, that's half the price of a sexy costume, so you can spend an extra twenty on getting drunk enough to not care that the real nurses that are looking to score are wearing sexy nurse costumes.

Even the male nurses?
posted by PhoBWanKenobi at 7:22 PM on October 27

Wonderful trend. Now, let's get it spread to the other Pagan holidays, Xmas and Easter. Miniskirt "Sexy Santa" costumes would work in southern climes. And the Easter Bunny? Piece of cake.
posted by telstar at 7:30 PM on October 27 [2 favorites]

What is Halloween really all about?

There are two different Halloweens: one for kids, and one for young adults/students.

For kids, it is about getting as much candy as possible.

For young adults/students, it is about identity; experimenting with alternate identities, and also getting drunk.

(there is no third Halloween for Pagans, from my knowledge).
posted by ovvl at 7:32 PM on October 27

"I think that we can separate out the idea that kids shouldn't dress like skanks from the idea that grown-ups these days have different ideas of what makes for a fun party than their parents and grandparents did. You can have your adult masquerade on Friday night and save Halloween itself for the kids this year, it's not that tough to arrange. (he says, not actually having kids of his own.) On the other hand, if you really do want to do a sixties-style cocktail party this year, Mad Men is hot, go for it."

Didn't the sixties give us free love and key parties?


"I could see sexy hazmat working out. Just get the pattern for a hazmat suit and sew together clear plastic like you'd use for the visor for the whole costume. Underneath, wear a bra and panties. Completely exposed and covered at the same time."

I was thinking LeeLoo's costume just 6" from the skin.
posted by Mitheral at 7:35 PM on October 27

>
Does the person running that site know that Helen Keller was a socialist who was for birth control? And not the kind of "socialism" Glenn Beck complains about, which basically means you're less conservative than Bush Sr. No, she actually was part of the Socialist Party (not code for Democrats, the real socialists), and was part of many worker's rights groups.

She is an American hero, but I just get kind of curious on a site that jingoistic, complete with "Colonial Santa," specifically explaining they don't offer boys sizes of the girls costumes (meaning they thought about it, and decided Halloween crossdressing was too weird) and a bunch of 9/11 memorial songs. For all I know, they could be politically agnostic, but it definitely has the trappings of a right wing site.

Also, let me just say you're asking for trouble dressing as that. I can just see that costume on a young girl who earnestly, dearly loves Helen Keller. Perhaps she has a disability of her own, which makes Keller all the more inspiring. Then, her peers tell her every damn Helen Keller joke in the book.
posted by mccarty.tim at 7:56 PM on October 27

I never dress up for Hallowe'en and guaranteed every year* some smart aleck will say something like, "Hey, nice costume! What are you going as? A hobo?"

This year I will retort, "Yes. A sexy hobo".


-----
Thus guaranteeing no one will say anything remotely like this.
posted by mazola at 8:03 PM on October 27

there are a thousand ways to dress up as the sort of stock characters that are the typical costumes offered for sale.

If you can find me even ONE example of a "typical stock character offered for sale" for a woman that is NOT the "sexy/naughty" version of whatever that stock character is, I will be very surprised.

I think you sorta zoomed past my point -- "stock characters" peddled by The Halloween Store can be better and more appropriately replicated shopping elsewhere. i get that the sexism of commerce pisses you off, I don't like it either. But I don't understand your insistence that cheap ready-made costumes are an important and valuable aspect of the Halloween experience.
posted by desuetude at 8:12 PM on October 27 [2 favorites]

I'm going as Lady Gaga as a space viking (viking helmet, silver crocodile pleather cape, blonde wig, INSANE amount of faux fur)...... it's not so much a sexy costume as it is a crazypants costume. Plus, I already had the viking helmet, so there's that...

Pretty much everyone I know is going as some variant of Lady Gaga, because there's such a wide range of loony getups you can pull together. What this means in the greater scheme of things, I don't know, but I can tell you that my former intern (who went as a Lady Gaga zombie in a recent zombie walk) told me the only person to 'get' who she was immediately was 8 years old. Draw your own conclusions there.
posted by bitter-girl.com at 8:26 PM on October 27 [2 favorites]

MrGrimmThe fact that there is no commercial choice for "regular nurse" (and 1 million adult nurse costumes) is likely based on demand, I assume. If one company was making a regular nurse costume and it was selling like hotcakes, other companies would follow.

See, that's the problem. It's not about demand, it's about profit margins. Any costume that fits comfortably in a one-quart baggie probably costs under $5 in materials and labor to make. The rest is gravy for either the company that made it or the store that sells it. A /real/ nurse's costume, say one that looked like this one - Capped sleeves, lapel, folded hat, buttons? That's a lot more fabric and a whole lot more in labor. Plus the fact that people are going to be looking at the actual costume and not ogling the exposed flesh of the model means that the details have to be right.

Since no retailer is going to restock a halloween costume, if the store buys one and it doesn't sell, then they're going to have to mark it down until it /does/ sell, after halloween. Which means at a loss - How much of one, depending on the original purchase price.

And in a season when they've begun marking down the halloween goods a week before the end of the month, nobody's going to risk sticking their neck out any farther than necessary.

PS: I hope everybody here that needs a costume and lives in an actual city has looked into renting from a costume shop? Pierre's has a really impressive selection in Philly, but they're all over the country - and being put out of business by the same people who produce 'Sexy *' costumes.
posted by Orb2069 at 8:35 PM on October 27 [2 favorites]

I can't believe no ones mentioned "Trunk-Or-Treating" yet.

Please don't, I'm still mad that my Sexy Pissing Elephant costume won't arrive by the 31st.
posted by Alvy Ampersand at 9:55 PM on October 27

Heck, that's half the price of a sexy costume, so you can spend an extra twenty on getting drunk enough to not care that the real nurses that are looking to score are wearing sexy nurse costumes.

Even the male nurses?

Sure. Get a Speedo swimsuit in red, and bleach a white cross into the ass. You're costumed as a sexy nurse. Heck, any male costume as campy as sexy nurse is going to boil down to a Speedo swimsuit, a sock, and an accessory (oversized hypo, campy hat, power tool, jungle rope, spear and shield, etceteras.)
posted by five fresh fish at 10:47 PM on October 27

A /real/ nurse's costume, say one that looked like this one - Capped sleeves, lapel, folded hat, buttons? That's a lot more fabric and a whole lot more in labor.

A well-fitting, regular dress shirt, a pair of latex gloves, a cardboard cap thingy hairpinned in place, and a nametag.

The reason they don't sell that costume is because you can buy it for $5 at Value Village.
posted by five fresh fish at 10:52 PM on October 27

A little late to the party, and I missed about the last half of the thread because its late and its the week before Halloween and I need to get sleep so I can deal with the madness in the morning, so pardon me of its been addressed.

I work at a Halloween vendor. So I've got a few opinions on the matter. First of all, the reason there are so many sexy costume is because SEXY COSTUMES SELL.

Yes, women of all age groups want sexy costumes. Some are more conservative than others, and some are . . . not.

I think we do a great job with our costumes. We have a large selection of plus sized costumes for women that are also branded sexy. Some are just larger versions of the small costumes, but many are well thought out to make some who might be larger really look and feel sexy. This is largely due to the dedication of some staff members who have made it their own issue to ensure that its not just for the fun of tight-bottomed girls in their early 20's.

As for the non-sexy version of costumes. They're out there. The demand isn't as high, but there is still a decent selection. In fact, speaking of pirate, at the moment two of the three top selling women's pirate costumes are not sexy costumes (of course, the top one is).

As for girls costumes, yes, I've seen a few that make me winch. Most, however, are as stated upthread, about playing dress-up. Girls want to wear pretty dresses and makeup. They want to wear what the big girls are wearing.. But most of the girls costumes are pretty cleverly NOT sexualized. They're versions of the adult costumes, but they're subtly but importantly different. Longer skirt, high neckline, leggings included so they don't have bare legs, etc. They look a lot LIKE the sexy adult costumes, but the things that make the adult versions sexy removed or altered. They're no worse than what you'd see at a dance recital or gymnastics meet.

. . .

Also Metafilter, when did you get so old and crotchety?
posted by [insert clever name here] at 10:56 PM on October 27 [1 favorite]

Girls want to wear pretty dresses and makeup.

And they think math is hard, too! ::bats eyelashes::

To go off on a tangent a bit: when did Halloween costumes become all about occupations and celebrities, anyway? As a non-American, my tv tells me that Halloween outfits are meant to be scary things like vampires and ghosts and stuff. I thought the holiday was a confrontation of the things that go bump in the dark?
posted by harriet vane at 11:47 PM on October 27 [1 favorite]

please, MeFites... don't fight! I am here to solve your costuming woes. Just get yourself a MetaFilter T-shirt, a pair of unisex fish pants, and carry a plate of beans - or, alternatively, for the "sexy version," a bucket of cocks. Fedora optional.

Not everyone will get it, but those who do will flag you as Excellent.
posted by taz at 1:46 AM on October 28 [3 favorites]

...or punch you in the face.
posted by ryanrs at 2:09 AM on October 28 [1 favorite]

To interject a bit of reality: I just went shopping with my girlfriend for a last-minute costume, and I didn't see this at all. Yeah, you're going to see nothing but sexy pictures when searching google. Google is sort of like that about anything you search for? In the actual brick and mortars, I found they were mostly full of props and children's costumes. The amount of shelf space taken up by pre-made adult costumes was vanishingly small, and the Sexy X costumes a mere top-shelf novelty. There were plenty of non-sexualized women's costumes. More than the Sexy X ones, even. I saw witches, a Sally (from Nightmare Before Christmas), a female pirate costume that wasn't in the least bit revealing, among other things.

It's worth noting that none of these were exactly flying off the shelf. There seems to be this meme going around this year that Halloween has been taken over by adults. I have seen exactly zero evidence of this, and it reads like total bullshit to me. As long as I've been alive, adults have enjoyed halloween, 20-somethings have partied, and kids have gotten their candy. I think this sudden moral panic is totally misplaced. Are we so out of things to get outraged at that we have to manufacture them? I can think of about 1000 things that piss me off more than halloween without even trying.

But, let's pretend for a moment that the stores are really full of nothing but "slutty" costumes. Is the contention here that they are doing this to pursue some sexist agenda rather than meeting demand? I am dubious of this, to put it mildly. From what I can tell, there just isn't a lot of interest in lame pre-made costumes for adults, and the vast majority of people who are interested are down with the sexy costumes. I'd be shocked if there were any women at all genuinely interested in purchasing shitty pre-made costumes as long as they were non-sexual.
posted by cj_ at 3:32 AM on October 28 [2 favorites]

Also Metafilter, when did you get so old and crotchety?

In my case, it was when I went to MY local costume shop, which apparently sucks, from the sound of it. Because cj's experience to the contrary above, I found only THREE costumes for women that were not the "sexy" version of something.

And cj - just to set the record straight, I wasn't attributing an intentional "ha-ha, we shall make women's costumes slutty" motivation to the "naughty" costumes -- more like a blind spot. As a matter of fact, I DID want to purchase a "shitty pre-made costume as long as it was non-sexual" -- my job hours have escalated to the point that I didn't HAVE the time to go to a thrift store just like everyone is assuring me. so I had to buy something, and I don't want something too skimpy -- not because I'm all "too much skin is skanky", but because I live in a northern climate and it is cold.

I didn't start getting annoyed until I saw the dearth of options where I was shopping. I will allow that I may have had a biased perspective because of the selection where I was, but I also didn't have time to go hunting for better stores either.

And that's all I have to say about that.
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 3:40 AM on October 28

EmpressCallipygos, all I'm saying here is that these sexy-version-of-x costumes are novelty costumes, and understood as such by most people. If the only store in your area selling costumes was full of novelty items, that is sorta weird and unfortunate, but I don't think representative of a larger problem. I don't in any way mean to say that sexism or inappropriately sexualizing women isn't a real issue, I just don't think that's what's happening in this case. Pre-made costumes for adults is a small market already. In my experience, most adults interested in halloween want to make their own costume or not bother at all. I'm sorry your need wasn't met here, but sometimes that's just how it is when you want something that isn't in much demand. Let me tell you how fucking hard it is to find men's shoes in 10 1/2 sometime if you're ever really bored.
posted by cj_ at 4:23 AM on October 28 [2 favorites]

these sexy-version-of-x costumes are novelty costumes, and understood as such by most people. If the only store in your area selling costumes was full of novelty items, that is sorta weird and unfortunate, but I don't think representative of a larger problem.

....Mmmmm, I've seen the "novelty costumes" sold in other stores -- not just the one I'm talking about -- as regular costumes, not just "playtime in the bedroom" costumes. But yeah, the selection where I went sucked utter dingo kidneys for that very reason.

I will disagree with you about pre-made costumes for adults being a small market -- at least, in New York City it's not. I used to live near a place that had a much, much better selection -- and it got so busy towards the end of October they had to set up security and velvet ropes and cherrypick how many people could even go IN at one time. You could get full-on costumes or just wigs and crap -- and it's mostly adults.

It COULD be interesting to note that the difference between the two places I've seen is: the place with the better selection was in a more, er, economically healthy area. Can't say for certain whether there's a connection there (it's early and I've only had two cups of coffee, plus I'm not an economist), but it's interesting to note.

As for shoes: feh. Try finding women's dress shoes in size 9 NARROW. Better still: try finding tap shoes in size 9 DOUBLE-A. I completely freaked out the entire staff of a Capezio's.
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 5:24 AM on October 28

all I'm saying here is that these sexy-version-of-x costumes are novelty costumes, and understood as such by most people. If the only store in your area selling costumes was full of novelty items, that is sorta weird and unfortunate, but I don't think representative of a larger problem.

My experience with the local Halloween shop was a whole lot closer to Empress' than cj's. (I was looking for a prop and eventually gave up.) I didn't see a single outfit with a skirt below the knee except for one "Athena" costume, which was floor length. (And if there were a chance in Hades that it came in my size, I might actually have tried that one.) Aside from that, there were two categories of adult female costumes that weren't Sexy RandomThingHere - the flapper dresses and the Amy Brown fairies.

I can't buy the "they're just novelty costumes" argument. It's a reflection of the overall cultural idea that the only appropriate female mode is sexy. The Ghostbuster costume is pretty much the perfect example there. The male version is normal based on the source material, and the female version is "sexy" because that's how you code something as female. Then, of course, you get WTFery like the spidergirl costume - it had a picture of spidergirl's actual costume on the box, so it's not like the designers didn't know what the original looks like. Granted, I'm really offended on a geek basis there ;)
posted by Karmakaze at 5:33 AM on October 28

Just on a lark I Googled "female pirate costume". While not all the results had a sexy element to them, the majority did. Pretty eye opening.

It gets kinda hilarious. Here's one of a female pirate captain. She's holding a gun. She's a captain, meaning she leads the merry band of pirates who will attack and kill you. Yet it's a sexy costume, go figure.
posted by Brandon Blatcher at 6:06 AM on October 28

The only costume shop I've been to that didn't have a ton of 'sexy' costumes for women to the exclusion of normal ones was owned by women who made the costumes themselves. They've since expanded to larger premises because they got so damn popular.
posted by harriet vane at 6:20 AM on October 28

if you're older than 18, I think you should be going to a party to celebrate Halloween rather than going trick-or-treating.

18? 18?!?!

If you've hit puberty, buy your own damn candy. I hate it when the teenagers start showing up. They're not cute, their "costumes", if they exist, are terrible, their attitude is lousy, and they ring the door bell way too late in the evening.
posted by IndigoJones at 6:33 AM on October 28 [2 favorites]

Are we intent on turning Halloween into an adults-only party?

I split from a long-time GF in '96 and shortly thereafter had my first halloween in a long time as a single guy, and discovered that in my town at least, Halloween had become a huge drinking and partying holiday. Almost as licentious (in the sense of being a holiday of license) as New Years Eve. So it's been going that way for a long time, I think.

Halloween was definitely one of the nights that shy people could get laid by fronting an interesting or provocative costume. (Not that I ever did, but then I have an aversion to wearing costumes. I remember one year braiding my hair in two braids instead of one, donning a bolo tie, and going as "the junior senator from Colorado.")
posted by lodurr at 7:16 AM on October 28

... that said, yes, there are several things being mashed together in this post. (Not that there's anything wrong with that, it just may lead to some cross-purposes in the ensuing discussion.) Sexulaization of children's costumes is, I think, probably a bad thing, and the sexism of the whole thing is interesting, to say the least. But I don't think there's anything inherently bad about holidays of license. It's what we do with them that's good or bad (in a utilitarian sense).
posted by lodurr at 7:23 AM on October 28

But I don't think there's anything inherently bad about holidays of license. It's what we do with them that's good or bad (in a utilitarian sense).

Oh, no, I agree that holidays of license are fine -- hell, I think they're healthy. It's just that sometimes it's hard for some people to be able to define for themselves just how MUCH -- or LITTLE -- license they may want to take is all....and I think that's where the "womens costumes grar" is coming in.
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 7:52 AM on October 28

It's a reflection of the overall cultural idea that the only appropriate female mode is sexy. The Ghostbuster costume is pretty much the perfect example there. The male version is normal based on the source material, and the female version is "sexy" because that's how you code something as female.

Something I noticed while looking for non-sexy women's costumes on that costume site was that there seem to be a surprising number of stripperesque male costumes, too: sexy sailor, sexy fireman, and, my favorite, sexy Harry Potter (lookat those pecs!). I'm not sure if this is progress or not.
posted by PhoBWanKenobi at 8:27 AM on October 28

Yeah, sorry Indigo. I was being conservative in my mandate so that I wouldn't get people freaking out and saying stuff like "BUT I HAD MY BEST TRICK OR TREATING WHEN I WAS 15 AND NOBODY CAN TAKE THAT AWAY FROM ME! >_<"

I was originally going to say around 14 or 15, but I just figured I'd cut it off at the eldest I saw last year. I think the oldest looked to be high school junior, no younger siblings in tow. Obviously just doing it to get free candy that the adults bought for the little ones.
posted by mccarty.tim at 8:27 AM on October 28

(Also, I would love to be the person who writes the captions for the sexy man costumes. Stuff like "No woman can resist this rugged seaman!", "Come Sail on His Boat!" and "Rome was built!" Priceless!)
posted by PhoBWanKenobi at 8:31 AM on October 28

....That male "sexy harry potter" costume doesn't quite look like it's on the same scale of "naughty" as the female version, still.

I mean, the model's hot and all, but the costume proper is still a longsleeved shirt and pants...as compared to the mini-skirt and thigh-high stockings in the womens' version.

That said, I'm aware of the existance of more risque male costumes; I doubt many are also being asked to do double-duty as standard Halloween costumes, though, and they're pitched more to a "stripping" purpose.
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 8:33 AM on October 28

BTW, here's your spooky political scandal for the day. An assistant district attorney in South Carolina had sex with an 18 year old prostitute at a cemetery, and was caught by a police officer. He hasn't been arrested for it, but he did get fired.

I like to think the police officer found it out just like this.

Sadly, someone else already dressed as the politician and prostitute, so I'm out of ideas for timely Halloween costumes. I'd go as balloon boy, but since it was a total hoax, I think the Heenes are already going as that group costume.
posted by mccarty.tim at 8:42 AM on October 28

Well, for men to be sexy in our society it's generally not as requisite for them to show as much skin; the photo for the Harry Potter costume, though, has the same sexualized tenor as the skimpy women's costume photos: it's tight fitting, and the dude is staring seductively. That being said, there are men's costumes on here that are skimpier, in the sense that they show more skin, than the women's counterparts.

As for how they're being pitched, on this site at least there's no discernible difference between the way the men's and women's costumes are being marketed. It doesn't seem clear to me that either is meant for solely (or mostly) a Halloween or a stripping context at all.
posted by PhoBWanKenobi at 8:47 AM on October 28

I get what you're saying Empress and am surprised at the reaction you're getting. It's marginalizing and objectifying when there is this default expectation that women will be wearing highly sexualized outfits on Halloween.

It seems to me that "dress up nice" and "look sexy" are pretty much synonymous. Especially if you're a single, heading to a social function. Go ahead and wear the shapeless authentic unisex nurse uniform if you're hanging with friends or just plain don't want to attract others' attention.

It's the difference between showing up in a tailored dress or slacks, or slumming it in a fisherman knit sweater and fleece trackpants. I don't think it seems weird at all that the "sexy nurse" outfit would terrifically outsell the "sexless nurse" outfit.

The problem is that "dressing up nice" and "looking sexy" only seems to be synonymous for women, depending on how you're defining sexy. If you're defining it as tailored dress (women) and nice slacks (men), then that one thing. But if it's defined as nice slacks (men) and barely clothed (women), that's different.
posted by Mavri at 8:48 AM on October 28

And, as for the protestations that you can just make something, as someone who isn't crafty or creative, it sucks that a guy can get something decent out of the box a lot easier than I can.
posted by Mavri at 8:52 AM on October 28

josher71: If anyone goes as Sarah Palin this year I'm going to go absolutely apeshit on them. In the bad way. Don't do it.

That's certainly one thing we are short of in this country: efforts to intimidate those who might see the world differently than you. Thank you for generous effort in this regard. I feel safer just knowing you are there.
posted by tenmuses at 9:36 AM on October 28 [1 favorite]

(there is no third Halloween for Pagans, from my knowledge).

Um.. sure there is. It's called Samhain, and it's actually a very serious holiday, taking place at one of the "balance days" of the year, landing between the Equinox and the Solstice. It's the opposite celebration to Beltaine, and it celebrates the end of the harvest and also remembrance of the dead. Vestiges of it can be found in festivals such as Mexico's Dia de los Muertos observances, etc.
posted by hippybear at 10:44 AM on October 28

One thing to note too is that many of the "sexy costumes" in question are not nearly so when worn by a normal person. I'm not suggesting that normal women aren't sexy, but rather they're not paid to be an unnaturally thin model with breast implants put in one costume too small with a professional makeup artist and photographer. Many? Most? of the costumes are yes, feminine cuts, but they're not going to make you look like a tramp for a day unless you really work at it.

On the other hand, some of the costume manufacturers are also lingerie manufacturers, so take that for what you will.
posted by [insert clever name here] at 11:43 AM on October 28

Well, this dovetails nicely into my comment on making an uber-costume implying "I'm a slutty ____!" for Halloween this year.

I still haven't done it. I went the opposite direction, at least for costume 2. Costume 1 has already been a moderate hit.
posted by Unicorn on the cob at 3:37 PM on October 28

Someone just linked this on Twitter, and it is a) awesome b) not slutty, and c) for a girl! (but homemade).Awesome Costume!
posted by misha at 4:06 PM on October 28 [1 favorite]

Well, Empress, maybe this is just totally different depending on where you live. I'm in the SF bay area, and the stores I hit were 2 Spirit Store's, a Target, and (I know, I know) a Hot Topic. The only place that had any significant amount of sexy-x costumes was Hot Topic, and they still had a fairly decent selection of not-meant-to-be-sexy stuff.

This isn't really a hill I want to plant my flag on though. If the stores in your area seriously have nothing but these plastic miniskirts, that does suck.
posted by cj_ at 12:09 AM on October 29

Friend: "Well, my first thought is Sexy Ben Franklin..."

Well, the man did get around. Also: I am 90% sure that is not the real Ben Franklin.
posted by grapefruitmoon at 8:03 AM on October 29 [1 favorite]

"BUT I HAD MY BEST TRICK OR TREATING WHEN I WAS 15 AND NOBODY CAN TAKE THAT AWAY FROM ME! >_<>

There's a joke in there about candy from a baby, but I've not the time to pursue it. (And I appreciate your dilemma. To hell with 'em, I say. Which in effect I guess I did say.)
posted by IndigoJones at 4:21 PM on October 29