A chill breeze flows through her hair, and crisp leaves crunch beneath her black boots. On the hunt for a Halloween costume, she makes her way into Spirit Halloween. As she grazes through each display, she wonders, “When did spooky turn sexy?” The growing trend of sexualized Halloween costumes and its impact on teens affect perceptions of body image and self expression. As children, we dress up as our favorite characters from shows, animals, or superheroes to embody someone or something else for a night. However, as we get older, culture around Halloween costumes begin to transform in ways that reflect broader societal issues, the over-sexualization of costumes.
When women reach a certain age, Halloween becomes less about character portrayal and more about showing your skin. Costumes are beginning to be marketed and designed to accentuate the body, often with little regard to the original character. Once-iconic costumes like witches, superheroes, and even classic movie characters are now being marketed in ways that emphasize revealing cuts and tight-fitting designs. This trend prioritizes physical appearance over authenticity, reducing many costumes to little more than provocative clothing, while sidelining the creativity of the characters they’re meant to portray. This happens often when portraying innocent things like nuns, nurses, and maids.
Additionally, it feeds into broader cultural norms that sexualize girls at increasingly young ages. As younger teenagers seek to mimic older role models, or simply with costume options, they are often pushed towards outfits that prioritize appearance over their imagination.
All of these points contribute to body dysmorphia and a low self-esteem. Not to mention that body dysmorphia is at a high currently due to social media and toxic comparisons. With every rising social media platform, envy plays a part. Women are accused of editing their bodies to appear thinner and smaller, or just simply wearing body contouring outfits/accessories. Allowing these unrealistic body standards to plant seeds in developing brains causes hurtful ideas to sprout. These buds are what lead to negative self-perception.
While some may argue that dressing provocatively on Halloween is simply harmless fun, we need to consider why this has become the dominant narrative for women’s costumes and what messages it sends to younger generations. Costume industries will usually target college students, they partake most heavily in parties and events. This makes sexual harassment occurrences at parties a big issue, mainly during the fall season. Before leaving the house, many women can’t leave without pepper spray or some form of defense.
The over-sexualization of Halloween costumes reflects a major issue where women’s bodies are often objectified for entertainment or profit. Halloween, which is supposed to be a festive opportunity for creative expression, has, in many cases, become a platform to reinforce harmful stereotypes and unrealistic body standards. By encouraging more inclusive, diverse, and empowering costume options, we can shift the focus back to creativity, fun, and self-expression for all.
