...I have concluded that most of the Halloween costumes are slutty.
Even if, say, I wanted to be a Ghostbuster. They have "Sexy Ghostbuster." That's it. That's what the costume is actually called. "Sexy Ghostbuster."
Then there are the superheroine costumes. Even disregarding the Robin Slut costume they still kind of skeeve me out a bit, because they remind me of those superheroine fetish sites. You know, the ones where the wigs never quite fit right?
I might almost be able to pull off a Sarah Palin DIY costume. I could carry a freshly-shot wolf carcass with me.
Ah yes. Sarah Palin costume. No one will be doing THAT this year.
ReplyDeleteOkay, that's dumb. I didn't even know they made a "sexy" version of the suit. Ya know, whenever Janine got into GB mode she wore a STANDARD uniform, people! Too bad Extreme Ghostbusters didn't make it (or was good) otherwise there'd me more Kylie Griffin costumes out there girls can wear. Sure, she was the goth girl to round out the horribly PC cast, but at least she was fully clothed and got some nifty body armor.
ReplyDeleteA fellow member of the GB community (yeah, there's my uber dork cred right there) used to dress up with a buncha his pals, including his then-GF. They designed this khaki short skirt number (or is it a dress if it's all one piece? I can never remember) which was a little more tasteful than that. But I hafta agree, the options for women are really OUT there. There are some "sexy" guy costumes, but those often pair up with the "sexy" gal ones.
DIY is the way to go! Affordable costumes always look so tacky compared to some concoctions I've seen (of course, my view on that might have a little bias to it as I've always been too big for any store-bought costumes). Although I dunno if you've got the right look for Palin. The carcass idea is intriguing, though. Might work better if you can find a moose. THAT would drive it home and leave little doubt to your identity!
I just love that she has the petite sized proton pack. Wouldn't want to make anyone insecure.
ReplyDeleteI think we all need to start dressing a lot sexier on a regular basis. I'm going to start work on my "sexy purchasing manager" costume tonight.
ReplyDeleteseriously though, halloween is great if you're a guy ; )
But... but... that proton pack doesn't even have a neutrona wand! What's the point of wearing a proton accelerator on your back if you don't even have a means to fire a proton stream at a non-corporeal specter? Not to mention the fact that she's wearing it upside down!
ReplyDeleteC'mon, people! Let's focus on the important issues here!
Is it possible just to get a male Ghostbuster's uniform? Considering it's just a jumpsuit and proton pack...
ReplyDeleteI think the problem with all of these "sexy" costumes is that the assumption is that only little kids dress up for Halloween, and if you're an adult who dresses up for Halloween, you're dressing up to grab attention and therefore the costume has to reflect "adult" standards. It's still idiotic and sexist, but I think that's why there are fewer non-sexy costumes for superheroines and the like.
Yeah, kind of sad how it is like that...
ReplyDeleteI can't say i don't like lookin' at them, but it does not send a good message to girls, young or older. :/
I find it ridiculous that one of the ads on your site is to one of *those sites* too argh
On the subject of superheroine costumes: I swear to Kirby, I heard someone say about these, "And worst of all, they're totally inaccurate!"
ReplyDeleteYeah, we just went to one of those stores. There's costumes for girls ages 13 and under and there's the slutty 14 and over crowd. Even Playboy had a line of costumes for women, and I thought their selection was quite tame compared to most of the other options.
ReplyDeleteMy wife works at a retirement community and they're supposed to dress up for the day... so we bought a jester hat and we'll figure out the rest later.
I'm going as sexy Slimer.
ReplyDeleteI think there's some weird cultural consciousness at work where adults don't feel they can justify buying a Halloween unless it has the duel-use of expressing a fetish. Even if that fetish doesn't actually exist. A normal Halloween costume is somehow too "weird" for any self-respecting adult to wear. It has to be slutty so people take the act in good faith.
ReplyDeleteAlso, black is white and you have nothing to fear at zebra crossings.
And on a personal note, I think the costume would be much sexier with a properly sized unlicensed nuclear accelerator.
Reminds me of this:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V4rUiV_Hh74
The sexy Ghostbuster doesn't get me as bad as alot of the race based charater. the mexican bandit, the sexy geisha. the pimp, only 2 years ago did they put a white guy in the suit. DIY for I.
ReplyDeleteSexy Ghostbuster would make a great title for some fan fiction.
ReplyDeleteTalented singer/songwriter/banjoist Jill Sobule has a funny song about this called "Slutty Halloween," available for free download on her web site.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.jillsobule.com/showandtell.html
But just for the record, the sexy slimer joke was excellent.
I like the super heroine costumes, but only because I support anything that brings Batgirl into the national consciousness.
Oh, that costume makes me sad. Although I think I vaguely remember seeing something similar, and perhaps a tad worse last year.
ReplyDeleteA tiny proton pack is just stupid.
When given the chance to make themselves into anything they can imagine, American women overwhelmingly choose "prostitute." There's a reason Memoirs of Geisha was such a huge hit and it's not because people dig the Japanese so much. Costumes and exoticization of foreign cultures lets you displace all the guilt surrounding sexuality away from yourself. It's the flipside of the depiction of women in comics discussed so often here. It's not just men in America who are a bit of a mess about sexuality.
ReplyDeleteI'M going as a cowgirl!
ReplyDeletehaha now i feel bad that i picked a sexy costume...
ReplyDeleteI'm gonna be Jessica Rabbit! but-but she's so awesome!!
"I'm not bad... I'm just drawn that way!"
I don't necessarily think there's something wrong with "sexy" costumes. I do think there's something wrong when "sexy" costumes are all that's available.
ReplyDeleteI sympathize -- I went through so many sites and stores looking for a nice non-slutty but still attractive women's costume and found nary a one. The Slutty Ghostbuster outfit especially enrages me: the male equivalent has a full-size inflatable proton pack and a full jumpsuit. What do women get? A tiny "proton pack purse," Daisy Dukes and a boobtacular top with the Ghostbusters logo stamped on it.
ReplyDeleteAnd the licensed Batgirl costume doesn't even look like a costume any Batgirl has ever worn, except perhaps in fanart! At least the teen Supergirl costume, with the belly shirt, while still slutty, actually resembles Supergirl's current costume.
So I'm making my own vampire doctor costume out of a lab coat, some vials of fake blood, fangs and various other items I'm buying individually. If the costume companies aren't going to make stuff I'll actually wear, I'm perfectly content to do my own thing.
Just to add: and this year, more than most others (though it probably was just as bad in other years), reminds me very much of the bit in Mean Girls where Cady comments that Halloween is the one time a year when a girl can be a total slut and no one can call her on it.
ReplyDeleteThat's not my philosophy, but it sure as hell seems to be what the costume industry thinks.
Your story actually kind of made me laugh. I didn't think costumes like that actually existed outside of parody.
ReplyDeleteI suspect then, that this video isn't far off from what most costume stores are like. It's about a minute long and I guaranatee that at least the "Sexy Wolverine" costume will make you laugh:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vUTLBXh72cg
Funny, I don't remember her from the movie or the cartoon.
ReplyDeleteIs there really a market for "Sexy Ghostbusters?" DId a woman look at a male Ghostbuster costume, say "I want to be that but sexier next year' and then proceed to cut the sleeves and pant legs off?
Ahhh Jessica, in a Jessica Rabbit costume even!?! Yes you are "bad" for making me think of you that way ;)
ReplyDeleteDon't go as Sarah Palin Val, go as her "pregnant" daughter!
A co-worker told me she loves to dress "slutty" on Halloween!?! Who knew???
ArrrOOOooo!
You mean that's not a purse/backpack she's wearing?
ReplyDeleteHere's an attractive (and somewhat faithful) version of Batgirl:
http://politicalmasks.com/batgirl-costume.html
The Wonder Woman one is pretty accurate, but... well... you kinda wonder about Mr. Marston.
This Supergirl is respectable:
http://www.wackyplanet.com/supergirl-halloween-costume.html
And Catwoman... well, which costume do you pick? The only ones I think that aren't too sexualized would be maybe that green scaly outfit she had in the Sixties, or maybe the original Golden Age design.
Darn... no Power Girl costume...
Hey! Cool! There's a Spider-Girl costume! Great mask!
Hey... how about Teen Titans Raven?
As other's advised, buy the guy version. Make your own. Create a character. Find the tackiest clothing you can find and go as a "fashion victim". Find a nice crown, dress up, and go as Queen of All Geeks. Surround yourself with sycophant fanboys, preferably buff and wearing Clark Kent glasses. Make up a superhero costume with some cheesy power. (Pretend Superhero! Latex household gloves, cheap domino mask with elastic string, beach towel or bedsheet for a cape, Wellington boots or Converse hightops, stirrup pants with cargo shorts on top (to stash your paraphenalia), and a blank t-shirt with a hand-drawn logo!)
Minimalist costume: black turtleneck, black pants, sticker saying in French "This is not a cosutme."
One year, I took a black night shirt, bleached it so it came out tan, wrapped a rope around my waist, added some ancient sandles, and went as St. Torsten the Fanatical, the patron saint of stadium fanatics. (Those fright wigs you see at football games? Those are believers who beseech "St. Sten" to help their team win.) My backstory is that I was a frequent visitor of the Circus Maximus, and was martyred when I became inebriated and fell into the lion pit.
So go have fun! And post pics!
I have to confess... I'm sort of bored by sexy anymore. I mean, okay, I'm also basically an antisocial misanthrope. But when you go downtown in Philadelphia at night you know that all the necklines will reach somewhere near the waist.
ReplyDeleteWhen you go out on halloween, you know all the women will be as close to naked as they can get away with.
When you go to the beach, you know everyone will be in the best bikini they can find.
It just lacks variety.
When I see a woman in a well designed dress with a high neck or a long hem, I take notice. It's just different. It's not appealing to the exact same set of assumptions that everyone else is working from.
And Sexy Whatever Halloween costumes? Lame.
I mean, I don't personally really care that it's sexist or whatever. It's just so freaking predictable. Lame, lame, lame.
So, I'm sorta with you, OccSupes, but for different reasons.
Dude, I work as a Halloween Expert at my local Party City.... all of the female adult costumes are slutty.
ReplyDeleteWizard Wanda.
All I'm sayin'.
I took my 13 going on 14 yo and not one was beyond "bootie" length, okay one witch one only. For tweens and teens. I was sickened. I think "return from the dead" should be added to costumes not "lingerie bedroom sexy" and to young girl's costumes. These companies suck and I'm boycotting them (I have a specific one in mind).
ReplyDelete