Remember that iconic Halloween party in Mean Girls? Regina, Gretchen, and Karen were decked out head to toe in animal ears and lingerie, while Cady arrived as a “zombie ex-wife.” As comedic as this was, the fact that none of the men at the party got the sexy costume memo represents the targeted marketing of sexualized costumes to women.
Consider Halloween costumes: notice the differences between the costumes intended for women versus men? The same costume idea is often presented to both genders, but marketed differently. On HalloweenCostumes.com, men’s costumes are often titled “Male Vampire,” while those of women are titled “Sexy Vampire.” The use of the word “sexy” instead of “female” implies that femininity and sexiness must be one and the same, effectively objectifying women.
Even Spirit Halloween, a costume company that sells costumes to children and adults, follows suit with their “Wild For Blood Mistress Costume”, which includes fishnets, a sequined choker, and a low-neckline, sultry-red dress. It’s not just vampires—somehow, costume companies managed to fetishize occupations and public servants. Plumbers turned into “Sexy Plumbers”; those in the police force into “Sexy Dirty Officers”. Each of these costumes comes with mandatory knee-high socks and a ribboned corset.
The difference between male and female costumes is apparent and unfair. There’s no shame in wearing these costumes, and anyone (woman or not!) should be able to wear them if they want. However, it has become increasingly difficult for those who don’t want such costumes to find more conservative or scary ones as companies solely see female shoppers through a sexual lens.
Senior Nuhamin Lemessa agrees, saying, “women are being sexualized because of the costumes they are dressing in”. Such objectification may even lead some women, especially impressionable young girls, to believe they are not being feminine or desirable enough if they don’t conform to the male gaze. This shouldn’t be the case. We should have taken the hint from Mean Girls years ago. Sexualized costumes are so not fetch!