Being a parent is hard. Logistically speaking, it’s a lot of
packing lunches and snacks, cloning myself so I can simultaneously be at
both a T-ball game and swim practice. But that’s just the surface.
These kids are watching every single thing I do. I feel a lot of pressure
to not just talk the talk, but also walk the walk.
I don’t like to say eat vegetables, and then never eat a carrot
stick myself. I don’t feel right to talk about the importance of reading
and never open up a book.
I can’t say pick out an appropriate Halloween costume and then
choose to be a sexy Olaf. (Seriously, click on this link if you want to be horrified by a sexy snowman).
This year, Harrington and I were invited to an adult costume party.
At first, I didn’t think too much about picking a costume since dressing
up for Halloween is not my jam. But Marie took it upon herself to find
research costumes for us.
No surprise that every. single. costume. was sexy. A
sexy flapper. A sexy Red Riding hood. A sexy zombie. A sexy Beetlejuice.
Really, a sexy Beetlejuice? The costume had a corset with a super short
skirt. That’s not Beetlejuice at all!
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| courtesy of Party City |
I was frustrated on many levels. I was frustrated that
these costumes didn’t really register with Marie as gratuitously sexy (which I
guess is a good thing when I really think about it). When I looked at the
costumes in the junior section, the same ones Marie will pick from in a year or
two, I felt nothing less than rage-y.
That is when I decided to take this Halloween costume dilemma into
my own hands. I needed to show Marie that a catalog filled with sexy costumes
does not dictate what I should wear.
I dressed as Katniss, the strong female character from the HungerGames series. I wore my work out clothes bought a mockingjay pin and a bow. I
didn’t fall for the sexy huntress that I could have easily bought. (Who
hunts in a short skirt and stiletto heel boots)?! Harrington dressed as
Peeta. He wore his black warm-ups, and I made him a District 12 sign to
wear.
I know that I am not alone in this war against sexy costumes.
I love the conversation Angela from Jumping with Your Fingers Crossed had with her daughter about feminism and her Halloween costume choice. I hope that one day Marie and I will have an
organic conversation about this because I feel very strongly that a woman
should not be valued according to how cute she looks in a sexy corn costume. (Seriously, corn. Go home corporate Halloween costume
creators, you’re drunk).
I know feminism is all about choice; if
that choice is to dress sexy, that is a valid choice. However, if a girl or a
woman wants to dress up as a firefighter, her only choice is a sexy
firefighter. So it’s not really a choice at all. By not putting any other costumes on the market other than sexy
ones, I feel that girls are being told this is the only way to be. I
don't want Marie thinking that her only choice is to be sexy, and I don't want
Thomas to think that is what he should expect from women.
Changing the world by taking on corporate America seems impossible
at this time since I have a hard time remembering changing my sheets. But I
could show Marie by example that she didn't have to feel bound to the choices
that someone (probably a room full of guys) thought were a good idea.
I don't know if it will ever register that their mom made a choice
that exuded dignity, but hopefully it will be filed away for another time (and
never look twice at the sexy corn costume).
What are your thoughts on sexy Halloween costumes?
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