Is it true about the slutty Halloween costumes?

[MichaelEmouse]

So, I've read and heard that Halloween has become a pretext among some to dress in much more revealing ways than they otherwise would. I've seen costumes described as "sexy Halloween costumes" for sale but I always thought those were stripper costumes and that calling them "Halloween costumes" was just a wink wink nudge nudge.

Is it true? If so, is it true even among the late 20s early 30s set?

How new a phenomenon is this?

Is it a foot in the door toward much more revealing clothes in general or will it stay circumscribed to Halloween?

[Autolycus]

Yes.

-Boston College '08

[Ferret Herder]

Just look at any Halloween store, and try to compare male and female versions of the same costume. Nearly any doctor, nurse, cop, etc. in the female section will be a "sexy" version; the men's version will be either straightforward or scary-themed.

[MsWhatsit]

Yes. I have seen sexy Dracula, sexy teacher, sexy pirate, sexy Dorothy from Wizard of Oz...you name it. Just waiting for "sexy zombie".

[BigT]

I think it may spread a little, but I think it's mostly about letting down inhibitions during the one night of the year that you aren't yourself. You're not slutty, you're a girl vampire.

Furthermore, I think the sexiness comes from a desire to distinguish between male and female. Quite a few Halloween creatures, if done the same way as men, would make women look like men. For example, look at Diamanda Hagan:



Doesn't she look male?

[msmith537]

It's pretty noticable in NYC where it's become another massive party night like St Patricks Day. Typically you will see tens of thousands of people out and about in halloween costumes. A lot of them are "sexy " versions of various occupations or characters.

[Dogzilla]

It's not all that new. And not everyone goes for the extra slutty costumes. I've gone for them a few times and find them pretty stupid. This is Florida. The weather is perfect for slutty dressing 10 months out of the year, and sometimes on Halloween, it's still pretty warm and you can deal with the slutty revealing stuff just fine. Other years, we've had that first drop in temps and it feels really cold outside (60ºF is "really cold" to me). All that bare skin... :: shudder ::

This year I'm thinking of going slutty but covered up, so all I can think of is: Catwoman. Ears + tail + catsuit = I'll be warm, but still sexy.

The other Halloween phenomenon I've noticed is with men. If a guy has any sort of cross-dressing inkling, is bi-curious, or in the closet in anyway... Halloween is his excuse to go drag. I'm suspicious of any "straight" guy who's wearing drag on Halloween. My assumption = unresolved issues. That may be the case with the slutty women's costumes as well.

[Heart of Dorkness]

Originally Posted by MichaelEmouse

So, I've read and heard that Halloween has become a pretext among some to dress in much more revealing ways than they otherwise would. I've seen costumes described as "sexy Halloween costumes" for sale but I always thought those were stripper costumes and that calling them "Halloween costumes" was just a wink wink nudge nudge.

Is it true?

Wait, are you asking if it's true that they're stripper costumes, or true that women actually wear them? I can't speak to the former, but yes, women actually wear them, and have been doing so for as long as I can remember. As I recall, Elvira was a hugely popular costume for women in the 80's (and probably still is, but maybe without the extreme hair), as well as Marilyn Monroe and of course, Playboy Bunnies. Not all women dress up like this, of course, but at least a sizable minority do, and have, for a while. I do think it's a newer phenomenon among little girls, but then again, I remember 9- and 10-year-olds dressing up like Madonna a la "Like a Virgin" when that album came out.

I think it happens for a couple of reasons. For some women, as others have said, it's a chance to be someone you're not. I think a lot of women enjoy getting attention and feeling attractive, but would feel uncomfortable or inappropriate wearing sexy clothes in their daily lives. So Halloween is a chance for them to feel hot and act "naughty", because it's just a costume. Then, there are women who just dress sexy all the time, and for them, Halloween is no exception.

I also think it depends on the context. A woman is a lot more likely to dress as Sexy Snow White for an adult party where she hopes to meet guys than for her office's costume contest, or for taking her kid trick-or-treating. Similarly, she'd be a lot more likely to wear skanky club-wear to a club than to church. Unless, of course, we're talking about those women who wear skanky club-wear everywhere.

And ultimately, I think many (if not most) women just want to look as good as possible, whatever the context. I'd say the vast majority of women's costumes can be classified as either sexy or pretty, or both. If you spend a lot of time on hair, makeup, clothes, gym, and so on every day, and especially if you're insecure about your looks or attractiveness at all, it just feels wrong to try to look ugly or scary or goofy.

It bears repeating that, not all women do this. I've seen women in fantastic costumes that made them look totally stupid or repulsive (e.g. the girl who dressed as "acne", complete with oozing pus and pop-able whiteheads). For my most recent costume, "crazy cat lady", I ratted out my hair, drew on extra wrinkles and bags under my eyes, and put cover-up on my lips so I looked completely old and withered. It was awesome. But I've also been a sexy naughty fairy and such, when I was young and single, and more insecure. It all depends.

[Lor213]

I noticed this even more last year when I was passing out candy at my brother's house. I mean 12 and 13 year old girls dressing in those slutty costumes, I think it's a bit too much.

[AClockworkMelon]

Yes. And I appreciate it very, very much.

[MeanOldLady]

What rock have you been under?

My favorite "sexy" costume of all time was the sexy bumble bee, which looks exactly like the sexy prison inmate (good lords...) costume, except the stripes are black and yellow, as opposed to black and white.

[Little Nemo]

I'll tackle the other side of the OP. I've been in a lot of strip clubs and seen a lot of strippers. But the only time I've seen any of them wearing a slutty Halloween costume is around Halloween. Strippers do not dress up like nurses or cops or witches.

[miss elizabeth]

Yes it happens, not hey aren't strippers (usually), and it's been going on a long time.

My favorite is Sexy Big Bird. I actually thought about going as this last year because I think it's so hilarious, but I didn't. Oh well...

[susan_foster]

How about sexy eating disorder (http://boingboing.net/2007/10/08/ann...halloween.html

[pope_hentai]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V4rUiV_Hh74

[Irishman]

Originally Posted by MichaelEmouse

I've seen costumes described as "sexy Halloween costumes" for sale but I always thought those were stripper costumes and that calling them "Halloween costumes" was just a wink wink nudge nudge.

There are stores that cater to strippers, and they sell outfits that are sexy versions of things. And they may do TV ads mentioning "sexy halloween costumes". But go to any big Halloween store (the seasonal kind that pop up for October then disappear) and look at the female costumes. There will be 99% "Sexy" versions of everything. Finding a non-sexy version will be nearly impossible. These are the cheap one-time outfits typical of halloween costumes from a store, rather than quality clothing that can stand up to repeated wearings and multiple washes that strippers prefer.

Is it true? If so, is it true even among the late 20s early 30s set?

How new a phenomenon is this?

Yes, and it's been going on for as long as I've been looking in those big seasonal Halloween stores.

Originally Posted by MsWhatsit

Yes. I have seen sexy Dracula, sexy teacher, sexy pirate, sexy Dorothy from Wizard of Oz...you name it. Just waiting for "sexy zombie".

I've seen it. Okay, it was at Comicpalooza, and it was models advertising Anime, but it was sexy zombies.

Originally Posted by BigT

For example, look at Diamanda Hagan:

Doesn't she look male?

In that crappy picture, she barely looks human.

[Hoopy Frood]

My girlfriend and I went as Judge Doom and Jessica Rabbit for our first Halloween together. The dress she had was custom made and was cheaper than one would expect for a custom made haloween costume. But it was cut just like Jessica's was in the movie, including the side leg slit.

It doesn't hurt that my girlfriend is 5'11" and has a similar (if considerably more realistic) build to Jessica.

And at the time she worked as a paralegal and now is waiting for results of the bar exam.

[Really Not All That Bright]

Lindsay Lohan, who knows a thing or two about being a slut, explains.

Originally Posted by AClockworkMelon

Yes. And I appreciate it very, very much.

Oh, golly, absolutely.

[MeanOldLady]

You gotta be kidding me. Sexy Nemo costume.

[Robot Arm]

Originally Posted by MeanOldLady

You gotta be kidding me. Sexy Nemo costume.

I was thinking of something like a sexy steampunk submarine captain.


I really should get out more.

[Farmer Jane]

Yes, and it's disguising. I don't mind looking hot for Halloween, but a vampy slut? Ech. What really weirds me out is when I women-too-old-for-that, well, wearing that.

[JoelUpchurch]

I thought I should introduce the cracked.com tribute to slutty Halloween costumes.

http://www.cracked.com/video_18095_s...s-tribute.html

[Tangent]

Originally Posted by CitizenPained

Yes, and it's disguising.

Isn't that the point of a Halloween costume?

[miss elizabeth]

Yay! Slut shaming!

[Little Nemo]

Originally Posted by MeanOldLady

You gotta be kidding me. Sexy Nemo costume.

What? I'm not allowed to feel pretty?

[Guinastasia]

Originally Posted by miss elizabeth

Yes it happens, not hey aren't strippers (usually), and it's been going on a long time.

My favorite is Sexy Big Bird. I actually thought about going as this last year because I think it's so hilarious, but I didn't. Oh well...

Okay, that just raped my childhood.

[MeanOldLady]

Originally Posted by Little Nemo

What? I'm not allowed to feel pretty?

Oh, darling, you'll always be lovely in my eyes. You don't have to dress up as a whorish traffic cone to impress me.

[MsWhatsit]

Originally Posted by miss elizabeth

Yay! Slut shaming!

Sluts who wear Nemo and/or Big Bird costumes should be ashamed.

[Chronos]

This isn't slut shaming, for a couple of reasons: First, the objection isn't to slutty Halloween costumes as a whole. Nobody's complaining about folks (at least, adult folks) dressing up as pinup girls, or Catwoman, or whatever. And even "sexy witch" or "sexy vampire" or the like would be fine-- The problem isn't that sexy costumes exist at all, but that it's so hard to find any that aren't (and sexy Big Bird or Nemo are just completely over the top).

Second, of course, the implicit accusation of "slut shaming" is that there's a double standard. But I expect that if a guy were to come to a Halloween party in the male equivalent of lingerie, he'd get an even worse reaction than a woman would. The only reason we're not discussing male slutty costumes is that, for the most part, there aren't any. If there's any double standard at play here at all, it's stud shaming.

[Guinastasia]

Actually, if a guy were to show up to a costume party in lingerie, he'd probably get a great reaction.


Slutty versions of children's characters are just creepy. I mean, we're talking about BIG BIRD.

[MichaelEmouse]

Originally Posted by Chronos

This isn't slut shaming, for a couple of reasons: First, the objection isn't to slutty Halloween costumes as a whole. Nobody's complaining about folks (at least, adult folks) dressing up as pinup girls, or Catwoman, or whatever. And even "sexy witch" or "sexy vampire" or the like would be fine-- The problem isn't that sexy costumes exist at all, but that it's so hard to find any that aren't (and sexy Big Bird or Nemo are just completely over the top).

Second, of course, the implicit accusation of "slut shaming" is that there's a double standard. But I expect that if a guy were to come to a Halloween party in the male equivalent of lingerie, he'd get an even worse reaction than a woman would. The only reason we're not discussing male slutty costumes is that, for the most part, there aren't any. If there's any double standard at play here at all, it's stud shaming.

CitizenPained seemed like she was slut shaming, I think this is what miss Betty was responding to.

Originally Posted by Guinastasia

Actually, if a guy were to show up to a costume party in lingerie, he'd probably get a great reaction.


Slutty versions of children's characters are just creepy. I mean, we're talking about BIG BIRD.

I agree that a man showing up in lingerie would get a good reaction. But Chronos said the male equivalent of lingerie, which would be a costume that's a transparent attempt to show off his assets while pretending it isn't "cuz it's Halloween". When I was in the reserve, I remember a guy wearing a workout suit that was rather skin tight. The reaction of female soldiers was amusement.

[Zebra]

Originally Posted by pope_hentai

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V4rUiV_Hh74

Thank you, I've been looking for that.

[marshmallow]

Originally Posted by Chronos

Second, of course, the implicit accusation of "slut shaming" is that there's a double standard.

It can be a component, but not really. Slut shaming is just...well, shaming the perceived morally loose woman. Nowadays slut can be an ironic compliment though (the taking it back effect), so it's sometimes difficult to tell over the internet if the person is being serious or not if you don't know the person very well.

[Farmer Jane]

I had to look up 'slut shaming'. The first Google hit was from Feminism 101.

Short answer: Slut-shaming, also known as slut-bashing, is the idea of shaming and/or attacking a woman or a girl for being sexual, having one or more sexual partners, acknowledging sexual feelings, and/or acting on sexual feelings. Furthermore, it’s “about the implication that if a woman has sex that traditional society disapproves of, she should feel guilty and inferior” (Alon Levy, Slut Shaming). It is damaging not only to the girls and women targeted, but to women in general an society as a whole.

I think society disapproves of hookers for valid reasons, but it's possible I'm just a frigid bitch.

I don't have a lot of respect for women who dress like they're prostitutes any more than I do for douchey guys who slide up next to me at a bar and say, "Hey, how YOU doin'?"

It is hard to find a Halloween costume for women that isn't either really awful and/or really slutty. Luckily, I can sew my own if need be. This year, I'm the Mad Hatter (original! I know! but I love it) and between Goodwill and my sewing machine, I'm pretty sure I can make sure all necessary ladyparts are covered...no go-go boots necessary, either.

Unless you're dressing as a person who really does push the envelope (like Lady Gaga's meat dress), why would you do this to Sleeping Beauty? In order to wake me from my deep sleep, you must put your penis into my vagina.

[CalMeacham]

Unless you're dressing as a person who really does push the envelope (like Lady Gaga's meat dress), why would you do this to Sleeping Beauty? In order to wake me from my deep sleep, you must put your penis into my vagina.

Totally off topic, but that actually does happen in one version of the story. In fact, she has more than one kid while still sleeping, so it evidently took a few tries.



Not the most authoritative site, but the first one that showed up in a search:

http://www.altereddimensions.net/str...ingBeauty.aspx

In Wikipedia, we have this:

Perrault transformed the tone of Basile's "Sole, Luna, e Talia". Beside differences in tone, the most notable differences in the plot is that, in Basile's version, the sleep did not stem from a curse, but was prophesied; that the king did not wake Talia from the sleep with a kiss, but raped her,[3] and when she gave birth to two children, one sucked on her finger, drawing out the piece of flax that had put her to sleep, which woke her; and that the woman who resented her and tried to eat her and her children was not the king's mother but his jealous wife. The mother-in-law's jealousy is less motivated, although common in fairy tales.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/La_Belle_au_Bois_Dormant

[miss elizabeth]

The male equivalent of a woman's sexy costume is, IMHO, something like this, a Breathalyzer costume with the mouthpiece over his genital area that says "Blow Here". If you go to a Halloween store, there are TONS of costumes like this for guys.

I don't have a problem with the frustration women feel about not being able to find something appropriate. I get it. I feel the same way. I just thought the Cracked video was awful, and that some posts are getting a little mean.

[chartreuse*w*envy]

I think halloween gives women an excuse to be something that they would like to be; dressed how they would like to dress, without otherwise being looked at as a slut. I think halloween is fun and exciting; and where i live, they have something called the zombie walk, where people congregate from all over dressed as zombies and walk around town.
its become such a big event that this year its going to be a 3 day event; i can't wait =] i missed it last year, unfortunately. This year I'm pregnant, so i can't really enjoy the after parties in the town bars too much, but it will still be fun =]

[MeanOldLady]

I just laugh at the costumes that should never attempt to be "sexy" for any reason. I don't care if people bare a little flesh, but some of this is ridiculous. Hell, my costume consists of a short dress and boots, but I'm going as Lt. Uhura, not as a sexy panda bear or something.

[Lochdale]

Slut costumes are what makes Halloween so good. End of story.

[Really Not All That Bright]

Originally Posted by MeanOldLady

I just laugh at the costumes that should never attempt to be "sexy" for any reason. I don't care if people bare a little flesh, but some of this is ridiculous. Hell, my costume consists of a short dress and boots, but I'm going as Lt. Uhura, not as a sexy panda bear or something.

And who are you to say that panda bears should never be sexy, eh?

[MeanOldLady]

Panda bears can indeed be sexy.

Edit action: I forget we can post photos here. Will spoiler, as even though there's no nudity, it might not be the sort of thing you want you boss to see you looking at.

SPOILER:

[Elret]

I have no problem with their existence, but definitely find it frustrating that they seem to have taken the market over completely. I want to look pretty, but I can't find a costume that's appropriate for a family oriented party. A lot of the ideas are things that could still be attractive and even a little sexy on the right person without going over the top to the stripper look.

[Chronos]

Heck, even pandas don't find pandas sexy.

[Irishman]

Originally Posted by Lor213

I noticed this even more last year when I was passing out candy at my brother's house. I mean 12 and 13 year old girls dressing in those slutty costumes, I think it's a bit too much.

Originally Posted by AClockworkMelon

Yes. And I appreciate it very, very much.

Poor post juxtaposition?

Originally Posted by CitizenPained

Unless you're dressing as a person who really does push the envelope (like Lady Gaga's meat dress), why would you do this to Sleeping Beauty?

Is Sleeping Beauty the one in the red? If so, I think she forgot part of her dress. I don't think that's Disney approved. There are places where that's appropriate, but it's certainly not family friendly.

[MeanOldLady]

The reason that Sleeping Beauty costume is so stupid is because it looks like she's wearing a diaper.

[Vinyl Turnip]

Originally Posted by MeanOldLady

Panda bears can indeed be sexy.

Edit action: I forget we can post photos here. Will spoiler, as even though there's no nudity, it might not be the sort of thing you want you boss to see you looking at.

SPOILER:

That isn't the photo I was hoping you'd post.

[Jenaroph]

Cripes. I'm considering a Marvin the Martian costume, and wondered how other people handled making the helmet, so I typed in "Marvin the Martian costume" into google, and found this. Cripes.

[Lamia]

I was looking at Halloween costumes recently and found myself getting angry about things like these Ghostbusters costumes. The men's costume is a long-sleeved jumpsuit that is a fairly good replica of what was worn in the movie. The women's costume consists of hot pants and a top cut so low it's revealing the model's bra. But what really made me mad was that the women's costume doesn't even come with a gun. It's not just that the gun isn't pictured, it's that it ONLY comes with the men's costume. The women's costume comes with the "plasma pack" backpack, but no gun. How is she supposed to bust ghosts with no weapon? I guess she's just supposed to hope that the man finds her sexy enough that he'll protect her from any ghosts in the vicinity.

I loved the movie Ghostbusters as a kid and if there were a costume available that looked like the men's version but came in women's sizes I'd be inclined to buy one. Heck, I could probably get together an all-female Ghostbusters team for the office Halloween party. But there is no way I or any of my friends or coworkers would be wearing the women's costume linked above. I'm not sure I could even fit into it since it's apparently only available in Medium, Small, and Extra-Small, but I wouldn't have worn it even when I was 23 and a size 6.

Just speaking as a geek, it also bothers me that the costume company created this awful women's costume when there's a canonical slutty women's costume they could have gone with instead: the off-the-shoulder red dress Sigourney Weaver wore when possessed by Zul (clip on YouTube). I note that even though in the movie this dress was supposed to look slutty, it's actually far less revealing than the licensed women's Ghostbusters costume.

[Vihaga]

I think they're hilarious. One year we saw a slutty hobo, which was probably my favorite. I think people just like the chance to cut loose and do something they don't feel allowed to do normally.


I've never dressed as a sexy version of anything, but I did go as Lulu from FFX one year, which might count. God, that costume took forever to make.


I disagree with Dogzilla that guys that dress in drag on Halloween necessarily have unresolved issues, though. My husband did it in college, and it was well-received, and he was planning to go as Dorothy last year until our man-sized ruby slipper order fell through. It's just fun to try something different after rotation through the same costumes for years.

This year, since I don't even know if the normal party we attend is happening, we'll have to satisfy ourselves by dressing up the dogs. (They do not seem to make sexy costumes for dogs, thank goodness, but we did consider cross-dressing our sheltie.)

[Intergalactic Gladiator]

Originally Posted by Dogzilla

The other Halloween phenomenon I've noticed is with men. If a guy has any sort of cross-dressing inkling, is bi-curious, or in the closet in anyway... Halloween is his excuse to go drag. I'm suspicious of any "straight" guy who's wearing drag on Halloween. My assumption = unresolved issues. That may be the case with the slutty women's costumes as well.

Not always the case.

Years ago, I went on a red dress run, wore a school girl outfit, and impregnated my then-girlfriend-now-wife that weekend. 5 years later I wore it again for Halloween and we got pregnant again. I should rent that thing out to couples who are trying to conceive.

But yeah, I don't mind the sexy costume bit so much because it gets women an excuse to dress kind of slutty for a night. The problem, I think, is that there are fewer and fewer non-slutty costumes available.