Halloween Observations

            The Halloween season is a time of having fun and creativity, where everyone can dress up and have a good time with their friends.  But sometimes costumes only further perpetuate the gender stereotypes present in society.  While costumes range for each age group, the gender stereotypes are still there.  These articles were written to shed light on some of these stereotypes based on gender, anything from a young girl wanting to dress up as a superhero, to adults wearing offensive Caitlyn Jenner costumes.  While I may not agree with all of the statements in the articles, I can agree that there is definitely an unreasonable separation between “girl’s” costumes and “boy’s” costumes.

The four articles, “Boys and Girls, Constrained by Toys and Costumes,” “Girl’s Halloween Costumes Promoting Gender Bias,” “Halloween costume showdown: Superheroes beat princesses this year,” and “Mom takes Party City to task over ‘sexualized’ costumes for little girls,” all dealt with the same issue: it is important not to limit children.  They already have such vivid imaginations and deep curiosity for all things, so why is society trying to limit this?  All of the articles boiled down to this key problem; children should not be limited based on what society dictates.  And it’s true, no one should be limited by what people tell them they can accomplish and what they cannot.  While I completely agree with this fact, I do not agree with some other statements made in the articles.  For example, one mom noted that if her daughter asked to dress up as a nurse, she would “counter” her daughter by reminding her that her aunt works for NASA so that “the child expands [her] view.”  I understand it is important to encourage children to aspire to any career path, however, I don’t think the child fully sees the connection her mother is trying to draw.  When I read the article, my first instinct led me to think that perhaps the young girl admired the nurse at her school, and wanted to be like her.  Or maybe she just liked a particular costume she saw in the store.  I was not thinking that this young girl would be limiting her future career options by choosing to be a nurse instead of a doctor for Halloween.

Since I was at school for Halloween, I was not able to see some of the younger children dressed up in costumes.  When I was home, that was always a fun experience because some trick-or-treaters in my neighborhood used to have some pretty creative costumes.  Looking back on previous years, I can say that there was an apparent gender stereotype present: the girls were often princesses and the boys were Power Rangers.  But when I think back on my childhood, my parents were not usually involved in my Halloween costume decision and let me choose to be whatever I wanted.  For example, some years I was a stereotypical “girl” character, such as Glinda from the Wizard of Oz.  I remember feeling very excited over wearing a big, poufy dress, instead of feeling as if I was limited to being a princess for Halloween.  Another year I was a pirate when the Pirates of the Caribbean series was new.  My parents never tried to persuade me into dressing up as one character or another.  We always made our own costumes though, so my sisters and I were not exposed to the stereotypical gendered costumes at the stores. 

The most exposure I had to Halloween costumes (besides from a few of my friends) was from social media.  There is nothing wrong with posting your costume online, it’s actually fun to admire everyone’s costumes, just as it is when you see people in costume trick-or-treating on Halloween night.  But sometimes social media turns something as simple as Halloween costumes into a competition.  I noticed that as we have gotten older, costumes for both men and women have become more sexualized, and while this is empowering for some, it may also be intimidating to others.  Costumes this year ranged from movie characters to animals to more “traditional” costumes such as witches and zombies.

Even if I do not agree with every single argument in these articles, I did agree that the way some costumes are marketed is a huge problem.  For instance, if a teenage girl wants to be a police officer for Halloween, instead of being labeled as a “Cop” costume as it is for men, women’s costumes are usually labeled “Sexy Cop.”  One article pointed out that since both men and women police officers wear the same uniform, both costumes should essentially be the same.  However, based off of my experience, more girls will be inclined to buy the “sexy” costume instead of wear one that is technically more accurate.  Some girls feel empowered by wearing outfits that make them feel sexy and others may want to dress more reserved.  But what is most important is allowing people to dress in a way that makes them feel the most comfortable and happy with themselves, instead of feeling pressured to appear as something they are not.

Speaking from my own personal experience, I always wore costumes that I chose myself and was not pressured by my peers or parents to fulfill a gender stereotype.  By limiting children’s Halloween costumes, society is hindering much of their creativity and expression. The holiday itself should be more about having fun by dressing up, than trying to worry about competing with others and their opinions.