I went shopping for a halloween costume two nights ago because this year I just wasn't creative enough to make one out of things I already owned. And I remembered all over again why I hate this holiday.
The costumes are obviously divided into females' and males' to make it easier to find what you're looking for. I can understand that certainly. The only problem is the difference in actual costume.
For example, the first place I went to had a Captain America costume - one each for men and women. Yet they were very, very different costumes. The men's Captain America, of course, looked like Captain America (shocking!). The woman's version? A short skirt with a low cut top and knee high red boots (with heels!). The fireman's costumes? Men had an actual uniform, and in the picture, he was pouring a pitcher of beer. Woman's had again a short skirt with unbuttoned top and a come hither look. We don't like beer, of course, and we serve only to satisfy men's needs, not to fight fires.
Halloween is a joke. When did it become like this? When did it become okay for such obvious objectification? When did women stop respecting themselves? And why can't I get a costume, made for women (so as to fit a women's body), that actually has a bottom that covers my ass, and a top that covers my breasts? Why do I need to parade around half naked in freezing cold weather on this one random day? No thank you.
Another strange part was there seemed to be no unisex area. The beer bong and beer bottle were under mens, even though they could clearly fit on either gender. Even the Angry Bird (which was the costume I originally wanted) was under the men's section! I spent at least two hours at two different stores trying to find something to fit my body without conforming to society's standard of an appropriate dress for women on halloween.
it covers my body, and is a perfect representation of the character, yet somehow the title includes "flirty." Because you can't sell a costume without marketing the attraction to the opposite sex!
If anyone wore a bathing suit with fish nets out in public on any day except halloween weekend, they'd be labeled a slut/whore/dirty by anyone they came across. They'd be shunned by anyone of character and pounced on by desperate men looking for sex. It's inappropriate. Yes, halloween is about costumes, but it is not about marketing your body.
It's about creativity. It's about showing your character and your likes and who you are, because, really, what you wear on halloween speaks volumes about your personality. Do you conform, and market your body? Or do you show off your creativity, your likes in movies or tv shows, or games? Do you dress up as the "slutty witch" or the hot dog? Are you an attention seeking typical female, or are you a comic? Will you be the flirty nurse, or the doctor? (because nurse costumes don't exist for men, and i didn't see any doctor costumes for women)
And what are we telling young people about what women and men are all about? Do we want our kids to want to wear these short dresses and low cut shirts? Do we want young children to see those they look up to wearing such revealing outfits? Do we want them to aspire to be that?
I admit I do conform sometimes. It's hard not to. So I understand. I understand that when everyone around you is dressed the way they are, it's difficult to be the one to stand out in the duck costume (another one i almost went for). But I hope one day we can be stronger. I hope one day we can rise up this society created and ruled by men. I hope one day we can stop catering to their desires, and instead follow our one.
Halloween is a step back every year.
Maybe one day we'll break the cycle.
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