J.S. sent along the following mind-benders.
Sexy Chuckie:
Sexy Nemo:
Sexy Brian (a talking male dog) from The Family Guy:
Sexy Crayon:
The sexy Nemo is my favorite.
Lisa Wade, PhD is an Associate Professor at Tulane University. She is the author of American Hookup, a book about college sexual culture; a textbook about gender; and a forthcoming introductory text: Terrible Magnificent Sociology. You can follow her on Twitter and Instagram.
Comments 56
Dire Sloth — October 30, 2010
...Anyone wanna help me scrape my brains off of the wall?
Rickey — October 30, 2010
"The sexy Nemo is my favorite."
Nice try Lisa, but we already which one is really your favorite. (sexy body bag)
Lisa — October 30, 2010
I don't know...I think I prefer the sexy Chuckie.
Missdisco — October 30, 2010
I like the Crayon Costume actually. It doesn't look 'sexy' but the form does actually work there.
b — October 30, 2010
I like the crayon costume. It's only a little bit sexy. The sexy Nemo and Brian just... wtf. I don't even understand.
Ariel — October 30, 2010
my favorite has to be sexy George Washington, but sexy chubaka is right up there too. http://www.yandy.com/exclusive-unique-costumes
Rickey — October 30, 2010
Seriously tho, these costumes are not really that hard to understand. It is trendy now to be hip and ironic simultaneously. So you need to be ironically hip or hiply ironic. Wearing a "Sexy X" (where X = something that is not usually sexy) costume serves as a visual display of your status as an ironic hipster.
Nora — October 30, 2010
Is it bad that I sort of want the leg warmers for the Nemo costume?
nomadologist — October 30, 2010
Ironic sexy costumes allow you to mock the trend of "sexy ______" costumes and participate in the trend at the same time! It's the best (worst?) of both worlds.
Syd — October 30, 2010
The crayon one is cute.
My favorite is still sexy house.
Shannon — October 30, 2010
I love the idea of being a crayon for Halloween! But you know, a crayon shaped crayon.
tree — October 30, 2010
SEXY RAINBOW BRITE? MY EYES! MY CHILDHOOD IS RUINED!
Eva — October 30, 2010
Well I was very unsexy this Halloween, I got dressed up as an old haggard woman, with very convincing make-up.. and jeez, people- especially strangers who didn't know what I really look like- did treat me differently, and not in a positive way. I was so pleased with my make-up job, and expected people to be impressed by how old and horrible I looked, but I wasn't prepared for the fact that they got so convinced that they started treating me like I was old and ugly. I always thought strangers liked to talk to me because they found me interesting, but perhaps being young and pretty helped more than I was aware of. What a sad discovery:(
Jane — October 31, 2010
I think the "sexy straight jacket" one is pretty sick.
Crab — October 31, 2010
I'm sure psychoanalysis would have some things to say about the number of childhood symbols transposed onto women's Halloween costumes meant to appeal to men sexually. Oedipal Complex, anyone?
Addam — October 31, 2010
You had me at Sexy Chuckie.
Genevieve — October 31, 2010
I knew a girl who went as a sexy Willy Wonka last year.
I still have night mares.
Happy Halloween! « Apprentice Mumsy — October 31, 2010
[...] even those in pre-k. Check out Sociological Images for more on that, for they have noticed the same thing, apparently. Which is fine and all, but it gets really [...]
Anonymous — November 1, 2010
Anyone have any stats on how many of these costumes sell?
Inny — November 11, 2010
Starts ramble: I also notice a difference in outfits that are just sexy, it doesn't matter how many skin you show (or maybe just a little), and outfits that can only become sexy by showing a lot of skin (the brian and the nemo). 2 years ago I was going as a harajuku girl. It has been an ultimate dream of mine to wear that style in a softer sense everyday, but I'm simply not going to get away with it if I'm going to apply for a job or some sorts haha. I was showing A LOT LESS skin than the harem girls that were running around and the classic prostitute, but I was getting a lot of comments at how sexy I looked. Well I looked absolutely ridiculous I might add. Stars painted on my face, ugly ribbons, little stuffed animals on my skirt...But because the idea behind it is a schoolgirl, it had suddenly become sexy. These outfits are just making it sexy by revealing skin (except for the crayon I think).
Some Chick — May 5, 2011
The crayon doesn't read as sexually objectifying to me. It's a crayola themed dress with pumps. Oh no?
The brian and chucky ones are really silly, but to me don't feel especially degrading.
I kind of like the nemo one as an actual item of clothing, it's kind of cute.
Rhyan Lucas — November 2, 2011
I believe, as a mother, that this is objectifying.
1) It is showing young women out there that you can only be sexy by showing alot of skin.
2) trying to "sex" up nemo? a childs animated character. this is ridiculous!!
3) why are we, as women, playing into this. The Chuckie is a mans show, and we play into that sterotypical role, by sexing up something men have conjured up for us
King&QueenOfCheese — August 14, 2012
Still doesn't beat Sexy Big Bird.
Halloween and the rise of sexy costumes for women and girls | Rebecca Hains — October 9, 2012
[...] in sexually provocative ways–even when costumed as a children’s cartoon character, like Nemo from Finding Nemo, or a mundanely macabre item like a body bag. Are you a man? Your Halloween costume will be an [...]
Emily DeWolff — October 19, 2012
I couldn't figure out what the frak Sexy Nemo was. I was thinking it was Sexy Candy Corn or something.
Verna Kitson — October 31, 2012
ok. Sexy Nemo had me laughing. What the hell was that?
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You've been gnomed — October 30, 2018
Halloween is just for one night. You don't have to get that mad about costumes.
My name jeff — October 30, 2018
these are unisex