I Am Not a Costume!

[christiangirl]

Much has happened in this thread since I last stopped by.

I'll throw out some randoms:

*I found out that the people wearing the 3 most "offensive" costumes (a suicide bomber, President Obama, and Osama Bin Laden) at that party Friday were all people with whom I attended high school. IDT anyone was personally offended by them but the whole atmosphere of the party changed when they walked in. People got uncomfortable.

*I saw no whiteface at all this Halloween but a huge surge in blackface costumes. While neither is "okay," this is funny give which one has been deemed "offensive" and which one many have said they would not be offended by.

*Wearing a short skirt or a low-cut top/body suit does not (alone) make a woman a slut. I don't think it's the best choice in clothing but hey some women like showing their sexual side or showing off parts of their body of which they are proud. I'm beginning to wonder if calling them slutty for that is part of the reason many women are comfortable doing that only on a day when they aren't supposed to be themselves.

/hijack

[southernbelle14]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RPPsf-Mi8FY

[Munchkin03]

Originally Posted by christiangirl

*Wearing a short skirt or a low-cut top/body suit does not (alone) make a woman a slut. I don't think it's the best choice in clothing but hey some women like showing their sexual side or showing off parts of their body of which they are proud. I'm beginning to wonder if calling them slutty for that is part of the reason many women are comfortable doing that only on a day when they aren't supposed to be themselves.

I just wish that wasn't the ONLY choice out there. I tend to have to work really hard to find something that's not slut-o-rama...even something as simple as "Greek Goddess" sometimes only has short costumes at the stores. I end up making my costumes or having them made because I just don't like dressing up like that.

But, then again, I might be the only person who really doesn't like Halloween for adults. If it's not for kids or charities, I could care less, LOL. I attended a charity Halloween party last weekend and that, along with passing out candy tonight, will be the extent of my celebrations

[christiangirl]

Originally Posted by *winter*

but if they aren't showing it at the local Trick or Treat, it's their life...

iLaughed

Originally Posted by *winter*

Apologize fore the hijack...The bigger issue to me is, when did everyone start idolizing hookers and strippers? Most of these girls may not BE a H/S but in the end, that's what the costume looks like. 364 days of the year you are someone else, and the ONE DAY, as a modern, multi-dimensional, educated woman she can be ANYTHING else...it has to be a sex worker?

Hmmm...I know I can't construct a post that can be generalized enough to cover every facet of this but I'll give my hypothesis (based on my very limited experience with sexy Halloween costumes).

IMO there's nothing wrong with a woman highlighting her cleavage, her legs, her butt, etc. but our society tends to label that as dressing slutty. "If you're advertising, you must be selling" as they say. However, a LOT of women would love to show off the sexual side of themselves from time to time, but don't feel comfortable because of the negative labels that would get thrown out there. So they do it on the one day of the year when they aren't supposed to be themselves--"Call me what you want, this isn't me anyway. It's just a costume." Do many women take this way too far? Well, it depends on how far you think is too far. For some, the low-cut top was too far, but others wouldn't stop till she's wearing just a bra and tights (saw that costume on Friday).

Now, for glorifying the sex industry...I don't think so. I think that feeling of being able to freely express and explore sexuality is something a lot of women really envy (and if a man sees her dressing in a mini-skirt, cat suit, or whatever else he's fantasizing, he's not gonna stop her). There's a certain freedom and empowerment in being confident in one's sex appeal. It just so happens that the ones who are super overt in their sex appeal tend to be those who capitalize on sex appeal--sex workers are the most obvious example. But I don't think it's the entire sex industry that is intentionally glamorized--no one wants to be the cracked out hooker who got beat down by her pimp. People are glorifying the confidence piece which lends to pretending the entire sex industry is cool. On a lower level, it's like trying to hook people onto smoking--if you focus on the rough and tumble cowboy who rides on his horse all day and chills out at the saloon, you overlook the emphysema and lung cancer he might develop later. The whole picture isn't okay but you'll accept the whole picture in order to live out the good stuff.

Originally Posted by Munchkin03

I just wish that wasn't the ONLY choice out there. I tend to have to work really hard to find something that's not slut-o-rama...even something as simple as "Greek Goddess" sometimes only has short costumes at the stores. I end up making my costumes or having them made because I just don't like dressing up like that.

I think that the corporations who make the costumes noticed the trend of women who like to be a little racier on Halloween and ran with it. "Hey look, there's money to be made here!" So "sexy" costumes totally inundated the costume shops and the outfits got more and more outrageous until the present, when it's hard to find a costume that doesn't have all your privacy hanging out. A liberating adjustment to the norm swung all the way to the other extreme which is equally annoying.

[*winter*]

Originally Posted by christiangirl

iLaughed
Now, for glorifying the sex industry...I don't think so. I think that feeling of being able to freely express and explore sexuality is something a lot of women really envy (and if a man sees her dressing in a mini-skirt, cat suit, or whatever else he's fantasizing, he's not gonna stop her). There's a certain freedom and empowerment in being confident in one's sex appeal. It just so happens that the ones who are super overt in their sex appeal tend to be those who capitalize on sex appeal--sex workers are the most obvious example. But I don't think it's the entire sex industry that is intentionally glamorized--no one wants to be the cracked out hooker who got beat down by her pimp. People are glorifying the confidence piece which lends to pretending the entire sex industry is cool. On a lower level, it's like trying to hook people onto smoking--if you focus on the rough and tumble cowboy who rides on his horse all day and chills out at the saloon, you overlook the emphysema and lung cancer he might develop later. The whole picture isn't okay but you'll accept the whole picture in order to live out the good stuff.

Someone- an adult- wearing a tastefully sexy costume in an appropriate situation, that's one thing, but I just wonder if we've sexualized our culture so much that young girls feel they HAVE to wear these sorts of things, that it's not really a choice?

It's like young women have to try so hard to keep "upping the ante" to be THE sexiest, or the wildest. And that, IMO, is driven by men. And it's being pushed upon a younger and younger audience every year.

How many girls will say they have no interest in making out with other girls, but do it because "guys love it?" How many really want to be wearing thongs, or watching porn with the BF, or competing in the "Best Rack" contest? Or are they doing these things because they think they "have" to be this other person in order to get and keep men's attention?

That's the thing- I wouldn't want to see young girls compromising themselves in order to fit in or be liked, because that's not fair. No one should be "expected" to do something or wear something that they are not comfortable with, but it's hard not to feel that way when (as OP said)...everrrrrryyyyyy costume is designed with the least possible amount of fabric!