Sexed-up six-year-olds roaming the streets at night: Must be Halloween
Dr. Diane Levin is interviewed in today’s Los Angeles Times about sexy Halloween costumes for little girls. Levin, co-author of So Sexy So Soon, brings the costume craze into the larger context of childhood sexualization and gender roles. Both boys and girls are affected.
She also makes a great point about the whole children’s costume industry:
But kids are drawn to try out new personas, and Halloween has always been about imagining yourself transformed in some edgy, scary way. Is this any different?
That’s always been one of the exciting things about Halloween. But there was once a time when children were trying out personas that were of their own making. When they decided they wanted to be a knight or something, they had to figure out what the knight did. It wasn’t a matter of having grown-ups – marketers — saying, “Here. This will make you look like such and such a character. You don’t need to do anything.” This isn’t about imagination. This is about marketers trying to hijack kids’ imaginations.
Levin also notes:
This year, the wigs and boots and makeup and all kinds of stuff to be grown up and sexy seem to have become part of every costume.
The children modeling the costumes online do seem to be wearing more makeup. And what is up with the shoes this year?
October 27th, 2008 at 7:33 pm
The issue of sexualization in Halloween costumes is not entirely the fault of marketers (well, okay, it is, but…). I was recently at the “Halloween Superstore” in the closed Wickes outlet in Edina. I was looking thru clearance items, when a little girl (I’d estimate 5 or 6) came up with her mom. The little girl looked somewhat disgustedly at the costmes decided she didn’t want any of them or, if she was forced to pick, wanted one of the more modest ones. Her mom pulled out a skimpy witch outfit and said, “This would look cute on you.”
One must admit, parents who themselves encourage this type of premature sexualization are at least partially to blame for skimpy, age-inappropriate costumes.
October 28th, 2008 at 7:45 am
Yes, reluctantly, I must admit that parents who purchase are part of the problem. (Edina, huh?) Parents have the final say and are ultimately responsible. I have to keep thinking, though, that if parents knew the effects of their choices and had some viable alternatives, this wouldn’t happen so much.
Here in Minnesota, I’m guessing that most costumes will end up with a turtleneck underneath anyway.
November 11th, 2008 at 10:01 pm
Yeah, my friend bought a costume that sort of looked like Dorothy from Wizard of Oz, and she’s really short, so it looked ok on her, but I glanced at the package, and it had a blonde woman with really long legs in a sexy “innocent” pose. I didn’t say anything cause it looked ok on her and I didn’t want to hurt her feelings or anything. I sew all my costumes cause I can’t find anything in my size that isn’t super sexed up, and I’m only 12!