Dressing up for Halloween is one of my favorite holiday traditions. I recently attended an event dressed as Frida Kahlo, unibrow and all. Over the years, I’ve transformed myself into an impressive variety of real people and fictional characters, but I’ve always managed to keep myself “family friendly.” Contrary to popular belief, Halloween is not a free pass to wear lingerie in public. “Sexy” should not describe every Halloween costume made for women, and it should certainly never describe costumes made for young girls. 

Unfortunately, costumes for girls are increasingly similar to costumes made for adults. Short skirts, laced bodices, and fishnet stockings have been deemed child appropriate by some costume manufacturers. 

Other costumes are inappropriate due to the commonly perceived nature of the characters. For instance, French maid costumes are now made in child size. The French maid, an overtly sexualized character, is not an appropriate inspiration for a children’s costume. 

Nurse costumes are another disturbing example.  As a demanding and valuable profession, nursing should provide positive inspiration for children’s costumes, but instead of creating a costume based on what nurses currently wear, manufacturers have created costumes based on a uniform that hasn’t been worn by American nurses for at least 30 years. This throwback is the standard uniform for adult “sexy” nurses, and again, is not appropriate for a children’s costume. 

This Halloween, think critically about the message your girl’s costume might be sending. Instead of supporting manufacturers that produce age inappropriate costumes, be creative and make your own costume. Use the opportunity to talk to your girl about how to respect her body as the wonderful resource it is.