I've heard a lot on both sides of this, so I thought I'd open it up.
Are sexy Halloween costumes anti-feminist?
10/15/2012
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Not in theory, no. The problem is that there's so few other options readily available for women. I walk into a Halloween costume store and see two walls for adult costumes: Career/animal/funny costumes for men that are not revealing, and hyper-sexual costumes for women.
There should be more options.
There should be more options.
10/16/2012
Hmm... Well women's costumes are all sexy and way too short. It's probably because women WANT costumes like this? I'm assuming most women would rather look cute/sexy/pretty than gorey/gross/ugly. But then again, it's sort of like the companies are saying, "if you're female then this is how you should dress on Halloween because this is all we've got." I'm not really sure what to think about it. But in my honest opinion I would never wear anything that's so short it comes up to my vagina and then go out in public places like a party with lots of drunk people. Goodness sakes! I really dislike the really revealing and super short costumes. It's too skanky for me. I like to mix and match and put my own costume together.
10/16/2012
Right, the issue isn't that sexy costumes exist, the issue is that if you want a women's costume you're usually forced to pick a sexy one. It's the idea that women should ONLY have the option to be sexy that is unfeminist.
10/18/2012
Who the hell is "forced" to pick a sexy costume? You know, a lot of people put their own costumes together, and you don't have to be crafty to do it. You can find bits and pieces here and there at Goodwills, and accessories that make up a costume. I know a lot of women (people, really) who do this, rather than spend the ridiculous amounts of money on a prepackaged costume. And there are costumes out there that aren't "sexy." I've seen them, and they aren't hard to find. You see a lot of sexy ones, because those tend to be popular. Maybe a lot of women have fun with dressing sexily on Halloween, because they can get away with it on a holiday where we dress not as ourselves. Maybe people shouldn't overanalyze a woman's choice to wear whatever costume she wants. Maybe it's condescending to think that women are "pressured" to dress a certain way, instead of just giving her the benefit of the doubt, and assuming that she's doing what she wants to do for her own reasons. Maybe companies follow popular trends without any sinister ulterior motive, and are just meeting a supply and demand quota, because that's how successful businesses function.
Feminism...really pisses me off sometimes. You go too far, and you become another oppressive force demanding expectations of women just because they are women. One year, I will wear something really provocative and sexy...I was a devil, so it seemed appropriate. Another year, I felt like going the scary route, and I was a very unattractive zombie, made to look like an extra from the Thriller video. Don't worry--my pretty little head can help me make decisions for myself for how I want to dress. (I'm not directing the anger at any one poster, mind you, so please don't take offense. I take issue with "feminism"). So, no; sexy Halloween costumes aren't anti-feminist. They are costumes, available for purchase, if someone chooses to buy them and wear them. Being sexy isn't anti-feminist either, while we're on the topic, by the way.
Feminism...really pisses me off sometimes. You go too far, and you become another oppressive force demanding expectations of women just because they are women. One year, I will wear something really provocative and sexy...I was a devil, so it seemed appropriate. Another year, I felt like going the scary route, and I was a very unattractive zombie, made to look like an extra from the Thriller video. Don't worry--my pretty little head can help me make decisions for myself for how I want to dress. (I'm not directing the anger at any one poster, mind you, so please don't take offense. I take issue with "feminism"). So, no; sexy Halloween costumes aren't anti-feminist. They are costumes, available for purchase, if someone chooses to buy them and wear them. Being sexy isn't anti-feminist either, while we're on the topic, by the way.
10/19/2012
peleusMD
No. I don't think so. It's just the looks that would let us believe but I don't think it's anti feminist. 
10/19/2012
I think it's antifeminist to tell women what to wear. They should be able to wear what they want without being judged. Men can.
10/19/2012
Quote:
I hate the idea of buying halloween costumes, and I personally make mine every year (that's the fun of it). But a lot of people prefer to buy, and buy costumes that are made with their gender and bodies in mind (non-sexy costumes are usually marketed and designed for the bodies of men and frequently portray male characters and stereotypically masculine things, which is great but not the ideal for all women, either). For those people, it sucks that skimpy is usually the only option.
Originally posted by
Supervixen
Who the hell is "forced" to pick a sexy costume? You know, a lot of people put their own costumes together, and you don't have to be crafty to do it. You can find bits and pieces here and there at Goodwills, and accessories that make up
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Who the hell is "forced" to pick a sexy costume? You know, a lot of people put their own costumes together, and you don't have to be crafty to do it. You can find bits and pieces here and there at Goodwills, and accessories that make up a costume. I know a lot of women (people, really) who do this, rather than spend the ridiculous amounts of money on a prepackaged costume. And there are costumes out there that aren't "sexy." I've seen them, and they aren't hard to find. You see a lot of sexy ones, because those tend to be popular. Maybe a lot of women have fun with dressing sexily on Halloween, because they can get away with it on a holiday where we dress not as ourselves. Maybe people shouldn't overanalyze a woman's choice to wear whatever costume she wants. Maybe it's condescending to think that women are "pressured" to dress a certain way, instead of just giving her the benefit of the doubt, and assuming that she's doing what she wants to do for her own reasons. Maybe companies follow popular trends without any sinister ulterior motive, and are just meeting a supply and demand quota, because that's how successful businesses function.
Feminism...really pisses me off sometimes. You go too far, and you become another oppressive force demanding expectations of women just because they are women. One year, I will wear something really provocative and sexy...I was a devil, so it seemed appropriate. Another year, I felt like going the scary route, and I was a very unattractive zombie, made to look like an extra from the Thriller video. Don't worry--my pretty little head can help me make decisions for myself for how I want to dress. (I'm not directing the anger at any one poster, mind you, so please don't take offense. I take issue with "feminism"). So, no; sexy Halloween costumes aren't anti-feminist. They are costumes, available for purchase, if someone chooses to buy them and wear them. Being sexy isn't anti-feminist either, while we're on the topic, by the way. less
Feminism...really pisses me off sometimes. You go too far, and you become another oppressive force demanding expectations of women just because they are women. One year, I will wear something really provocative and sexy...I was a devil, so it seemed appropriate. Another year, I felt like going the scary route, and I was a very unattractive zombie, made to look like an extra from the Thriller video. Don't worry--my pretty little head can help me make decisions for myself for how I want to dress. (I'm not directing the anger at any one poster, mind you, so please don't take offense. I take issue with "feminism"). So, no; sexy Halloween costumes aren't anti-feminist. They are costumes, available for purchase, if someone chooses to buy them and wear them. Being sexy isn't anti-feminist either, while we're on the topic, by the way. less
I HIGHLY doubt that anybody on a sex toy website would say that people should not wear revealing clothing if that is what they prefer. And anybody who says anything else is doing a bad job at being feminist. We are (or should be) criticizing the costume manufacturers if we criticize anybody.
10/19/2012
I disagree with people buying not having options. If you go into a store like Kmart, Walmart, or Target and look at the costumes, they have a lot of floor length dresses. You're actually a lot less likely to find really skimpy ones at those places. You just have to shop at the right place. If you go to a more family oriented store, you'll find more family oriented costumes.
10/20/2012
Total posts: 9
Unique posters: 7