At some point this week I was recycling the vainly killed trees that constitute my daily bulk mail when I found a corporate advertisement for Halloween costumes. Lacking my usually brilliant costume idea (kidding…) I chose to read the ad, hoping for some inspiration.
It was filled with mostly uncreative claptrap: traditional superheroes and villains, oversexed versions of virtually every profession from nurses to nuns, and various corporate cross promotions of movie characters.
One thing did surprise me about it: the company was advertising costumes designed for young girls – and by young, I mean prepubescent – clearly modeled from “sexy costumes” marketed to adult women for that “one chance all year.”
I don’t care too much what people wear on Halloween. While I wouldn’t personally opt to go half-naked (not this year, sorry folks) I’m perfectly OK if others, rational and mature adults, do so.
I must express some concern, as a feminist – someone who believes in gender equality – when a male-dominated media culture encourages younger girls to be viewed as sexual objects. I worry that this strategy could be employed by the men running apparel companies to co-opt the sexual liberation movement in order to further dominate women through objectification.
When this lesson is taught at a young age, before intellectual realizations of its consequences are reasonably possible, it could have implications for the future of women’s liberation. We must, while allowing women to be liberated sexual beings, at least have a serious conversation about how industries such as costume, pornography, cosmetics or apparel expound messages that work to degrade women into sexual objects and teach men that domination is “consensual.”
I’m not saying people shouldn’t dress up in “sexy costumes.” Let me be clear: I am not trying to say what one should and shouldn’t wear on Halloween, but I do think it’s important to consider and have a discussion about what sort of role-modeling is taking place and what it means for the effort to break down the historical oppression of women by men.
I fear that men in positions of power may be exploiting Halloween costuming, either intentionally or not, to train young women and men to think of girls as primarily sexual objects and not human beings. This is certainly not to say women should hide or somehow restrict their sexuality, on Halloween or otherwise, but that men should pay attention to how they react to sexualization so it deals with women on equal and fair grounds, rather than from a position of tradition-mandated male superiority. We should all pay attention to the education about gender roles these costumes might impart upon people not quite old enough to really understand them.
With that in mind, happy Halloween, everyone!
[email protected]