As Halloween comes around the corner, girls today have no idea what to wear, and it’s not because they are out of ideas. Girls want to be the normal characters – cops, nurses, teachers, or animals – but this is easier said than done.
If you walk into Party City or another costume superstore, girls stand there struggling to find something to fit themselves. And as you get older, the outfits get raunchier and sexier, and there simply is not enough fabric to cover everything.
Although some women appreciate the sexiness of a costume, we are teaching young girls the wrong idea: a stereotypical suggestion that girls are to be valued based on physical and sexual appearance.They have to compromise with what they wear to support the current norm – a dichotomy in gendered costumes, whether it be boy or girl. Girls shouldn’t have to wear a “boy’s” outfit to wear the proper outfit for a specific occupation. Girls, who already struggle with finding their identity, shouldn’t have added stress with finding who they are in a costume store. More and more girls are having enough.
Girls, I encourage you to wear what you want to wear – whether it be a sexy nurse or a properly geared one – just be aware of the message you’re putting out and who you feel most comfortable being for Halloween night. And if you want to avoid the binary debate of costumes, try some alternatives that don’t promote a specific gender. Be a skeleton, ghost, beekeeper, food, drink, or an animal. Just have fun with your selection!