A few weeks ago, I started looking at websites and Googling ideas for Halloween costumes for a party. I’m not sure when it happened, but every single costume I clicked on is a “sexy” version of what I was thinking of. It doesn’t matter what the costume: vampire, pirate, angel, Wonder Woman, Raggedy Ann (yes, Raggedy Ann now has her own sexy costume.) Evidently, nothing is sacred anymore, and even a good old fashioned nun can be sexy costume.
As a girl, I loved Wonder Woman. Compare these two pictures. Wonder Woman as I remember her:
Last year John and I were Pugsley and Wednesday Addams for Halloween. The Wednesday costume I ordered in my size, the skirt was so short, it didn’t even cover the essentials. I ended up getting another skirt that was just above my knees, but still matched the costume. The costume was still fun, I got a lot of compliments on it, but I didn’t look like I had just finished a shift at a strip club.
I did a quick random “Halloween Costume” Google search and BuyCostumes.com was the first site that came up. I went to their page and clicked on “Adult Costumes.” There are 1931 costumes for females listed under gender. The very first category they have listed is “Sexy.” Out of the 1931 female costumes, 966 of them are in the “sexy” category.
Do 50% of the female costumes really have to be sexy versions? What is wrong with an original version? Not every woman wants to dress up as a “sexy” superhero, fairy tale character, historical figure, vampire, nun, or any other costume you can think of. My boys have been asking what I’m going to be for Halloween. I couldn’t envision dressing up and having them see me in any of these “sexy” costumes. Yet, that is what is being sold.
If I could sew, I would start a business just making normal, fun, costumes, that are stylish and fashionable, but where other party guests wouldn’t feel like they needed to put dollar bills in part of the costume.
To be fair, on BuyCostumes.com there are 1581 male costumes total, and 104 of those are “sexy.” However, that is only 6.5%. Quite a difference. The policemen and sailor costumes for men had shorts and pants that were to the knees and covered everything. There was no Batman, or Superman wearing thigh highs, or fishnet stockings instead of tights.
The other thing I noticed about these costumes was how expensive they are for barely anything. Most of the costumes start at $25 and go up from there. BuyCostumes.com’s most expensive “sexy” costume was $259! If I wanted to wear my underwear to a Halloween party, I could do it a lot less than for hundreds of dollars.
I finally found a Halloween costume l think will be fun for the party. Finding it though, did not come easy. Every single costume sold by the costume on-line retailers and even Amazon in the category was “sexy” and not something I would ever feel comfortable wearing as it was, to a party- around people, or having my sons see me in. I want to keep the costume a surprise for the party for now, but I will write a follow up post, with the pictures of the “sexy” costumes, and what I actually ended up with.
In the meantime, if you are facing the same problem, just think outside the box a bit. Check eBay, or thrift shops for different ideas and versions. I ended up getting my costume on eBay, for a fraction of the cost of the retailer’s costumes and went with an original, vintage outfit, versus the “sexy” take on it.
You may need the patience and determination of a Superhero to make it work, but it’s worth it. My costume arrived in the mail a few days ago, and I’m really happy with it. I’m adding a few more accessories to it, and it is playful, fun, cute, and it actually covers everything it is supposed to. Best of all, I showed it to the boys the other night, they loved it, had some ideas on how to wear certain parts of it, and learned more about the time period the costume is from. Take that Wonder Woman in garters! 😉
I’m curious to hear readers’ thoughts on this, and if others have experienced a problem trying to find a decent costume.
Have a Happy and safe Halloween!