Halloween Madness

Yesterday morning I caught the beginning of a story on the Today Show before I had to run out the door for school. The report focused on the change that has taken place in women’s Halloween costumes, and how the vast majority of the costumes out there are basically another contributing factor to the objectification of women.

There were two costumes that struck me the most. One was supposed to look like a correctional officer’s uniform, but really did not look like one at all. It consisted of a pair of disgustingly short booty shorts and a short sleeve button-up shirt that would accentuate a woman’s chest. Another costume was supposed to make a woman look like Dorothy from The Wizard of Oz. Honestly, if I had seen someone wearing this costume--Dorothy is probably the last thing I would have thought of if a person asked me to guess what they were trying to be. In the movie, Dorothy is a very conservatively dressed person, and there is nothing revealing about her. The costume was a completely different story. Besides being blue and white with ruffled sleeves, it was nothing like what was worn in The Wizard of Oz.

These costumes were terrible. I think that if I hadn’t been running out the door for class, I probably would have shut off the TV anyway. This class has really made me start to see the consequences of almost everything around me, and sometimes it can be too overwhelming and frustrating to take in—but I love it at the same time.

While I was out trick-or-treating with my 8-year-old sister last night, we passed a woman who was basically naked. She was standing with a large group of kids—I think some might have been her own children and the others were the kids’ friends, which makes what I am about to say even worse. Her husband/partner was dressed as Superman and I believe she was supposed to be Wonder Woman. Her costume consisted of a red, white, and blue skin-tight leotard that didn’t really have any chest coverage and then it also had a cape (thank God!). I was offended by this costume for several reasons. The first is because there were so many young kids around and I think it is completely inappropriate for them to be exposed to things like that—I don’t even think I should have to be exposed to that. Second, I don’t think she was wearing the costume for her own comfort. Its aim was obviously to appeal to men. And by wearing this costume, especially in the presence of so many impressionable children, she was demonstrating that women are supposed to dress in a revealing way in order to be seen as attractive in the eyes of men. I think it is another factor that will perpetuate the objectification of women and make the terrible cycle continue for years to come.