Sure it’s a cute cartoon meant to poke fun at the slutty-whatever-for-Halloween trend, but it’s pretty true that the selection for girls’ costumes and Halloween wear is rather feminine, totally gender-biased, and well lends itself to objectification. As if this costume has anything to do with the my little pony it’s based on especially when you could be awesome and cosplay adorably for example.
What kind of message are we sending girls? What kind of message are we sending boys? How can we empower our youth to reach for costumes that make them feel like a badass that doesn’t need the sexual approval of others to get there but just right out of the (costume) bag, is influencing the desire that all children have to dress up and try on different personalities. If those personalities are primarily based around how you look and how sexy you are, then what kind of play are we encouraging for girls? Even should a boy never wear a girls’ costume, what kind of message is he subtly acquiring when this is what he sees on the shelf for boys and on the shelf for girls:
We deserve so much better as women and as mothers of the men we date, marry, raise, and hope find our daughters, we deserve to be portrayed so much better.
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