I don't think its fair to compare actual family photos with advertising.

Not to say that things aren't more sexy, but it may be important to point out that in order for the "today" images to be more sexy, we must consider skin to be sexual.

We must consider skin to be sexual, we must consider the illusion of not wearing pants -- instead tights -- to be sexual, and we must consider that the closer we are to seeing someone's privates, the more sexual that someone becomes, in their short skirts.

At that rate, we all begin to be quite pervy.

The costumes from yesteryear were willing to use more material (at a greater cost to make) and were higher quality, they could probably still be re-worn today. The manufacturing of costumes today is very cheap and uses far less material which factors into the 'skimpier' designs.

To be fair, you are comparing baby costumes to older child ones in a couple of them. I don't really see a lot of those "sexy" costumes being worn IRL.

All i notice is better stitches, tailors got better.

All i notice is better stitches, tailors got better. Look at this dog on daily mail cover for Halloween dog costumes, unless we are sexualizing dogs too, the complains seem to be paranoia

google any noun followed by "costume for adults" (example: pizza costume for adults) and see what you find for men and women... it is absolutely RIDICULOUS... sexy freaking pizza???? if you want to focus only on children do the same for kids and compare male to female costumes... why can't a little girl dress up like a something without having it include a freaking miniskirt? a firefighter in a miniskirt???

This may be a better example of how things have been feminized in order to make them gender equal... that stupid trend where rather than just move Legos out of the "boys" aisle, they make them pink. "see we're inclusive...w e have female firefighters... in a miniskirt and bare arms and it's pink of course..." I don't want their kind of "inclusion"

The images on right just look like a bunch of little girls who are gonna be cold. I wouldn't have made it out of the house without a turtle neck and tights added to any of those ensembles.

https://www.google.ca/search?q=monster+high+costumes

Here are some particularly tacky choices made for kids. I actually saw them being sold at Shopper's yesterday. They're called "Monster High", and it seems to be from the creator of those terrible Bratz dolls.

Here's my most recent article on this very issue:

http://www.rolereboot.org/culture-and-politics/details/2013-10-firefighters-dont-wear-dresses-when-will-halloween-c

Since when does wearing a skirt = sexy?

Something I notice is that even the older cowgirl costume has a skirt (longer and more rugged-looking, but still a skirt). I'm pretty sure riding a horse requires either pants or riding side-saddle, the latter of which doesn't seem likely to stand up well to the level of activity that is required by the occupation.

Well the photos on the left are all private and the right is models. That's a biased comparison. Photos trying to sell the costume are bound to look much more polished and carefully styled. Really, this is just a terrible comparison.

Looked for Halloween Costumes for the kids this weekend and what an ordeal!
Do they even MAKE Girls' (under 12 years of age) Costumes anymore, that fall below the upper thigh???? So disgusted that my Children's options were limited to a plethora of miniskirts and corsets. Not ashamed to tell them no and why not. WTF. I wouldn't even want my teen in some of these skanky costumes.

Sad because all that the kids see is the character, ruffles, colors and sparkles. My 10 year old was looking at a Sassy Dorothy Costume. I looked at her and was like, "Really Nova? Did Dorothy's dress look like that in the movie??"

Sigh of relief that they chose a banana and a raccoon for their costumes.

How much of this is actually an issue with the 'mens / boys' outfits being more of a generic classification than the 'womens / girls' versions of them. Much in the same way that women can easily shop in the men's section of a shop without being classed as crossdressing however a man cannot do the same in the women's section.

I know that that gets into another area with 'men as default' however its seems that there are really 'generic long / fully covered outfits' and 'short / female typed' outfits that men / boys wouldn't be "allowed" to be seen in without appearing to be breaking at least one cultural norm.

i wish this article would include the alteration of boys' costumes too. doesn't stuffing them with fake muscles send the message that their body isn't good enough unless they are "strong"? personally, i think so but i'm sure others would disagree.

I think the wrong photos have been chosen to compare. You're comparing two TOTALLY different ages besides one another. Besides that, I don't really see anything wrong with the advertised ones.

I think that the coquettish poses of the children raises more concern for me than the rising hemlines. A fact to consider is that in the 60's and 70's many children went door to door, and wearing big bulky costumes that covered your multiple layers of warm closes...so often now children go to shopping malls, community halls, and school parties for Halloween which creates opportunity for costumes that are no different than ballerina costumes. I am a feminist but i think all aspects need to be addressed before alarming the bell. Also the sexualization of little girls is not new. Shirley Temple was sporting dresses that did not cover her bottom and was asked to continuously charm and flirt with men in their 30's when she was only 4years old. It's a very old problem. I think there are far more factors to consider than this article depicts.

the then pics all look home made, while the now pics look store bought. Therein lies the problem. The marketers are the ones putting the "sexy" into the outfits.

If you think any of the costumes on the right are "sexy" I recommend you seek professional help.

While I do think there is somewhat of an upswing in the "sexiness" of certain costumes for girls (for certain, shorter skirts), I think those images are an unfair representation of this point in that many of those showcased from the "past" appeared to be homemade versus the store bought images of the "present." I'm all for your point, just make sure it's not obviously skewed.

My issue is that they're no longer a Raggedy Ann or Pumpkin costume: they're Raggedy Ann and Pumpkin INSPIRED costumes. I think that in itself reveals the intention of the costume, as with an actual Nurse's uniform compared to a Naughty Nurse costume.

Growing up in Canada you need a costume 3 times the size to fit over a winter jacket anyways :) haha... I had a thought reading this and comparing the homemade costumes to the store bought ones - perhaps the "sexier" costume phenomenon began as merely a way for companies to save/make money on fabric by using less of it?

They are only "Sexy" if your a pervert who is seeing them that way. These are kids costumes. Also in a lot of areas the weather isn't compatible with most of these costumes most parents like my self would be adding a turtle neck and pants under costumes, there for making them more tasteful also looking at the family pictures I would guess them to not be recently taken, most likely home made which of course will look very different then factory made unless your a master seamstress.

To start, the pictures to the left are all family photos, and the majority look like homemade costumes. The pictures to the right are very clearly intended for advertising. Are they shorter? Yes. Do I see many small children dressed this way on Halloween? Not really. Across much of the US it's usually quite cold by the end of October. Kids might wear the costumes over top of sweat pants, leggings, long-sleeve t-shirts, hoodies, etc. Just look at the cave-girl costume as an example. Take the long-sleeve shirt off that baby and the costume on the left actually shows a lot more skin than the one on the right.

But really what's the point of this comparison? Why do we need to call a child's costume sexy? When children choose what they want to be for Halloween (if they are even choosing for themselves), they are not thinking about sex. Adults are the ones labeling it this way.

If so many people have issues with these costumes, then who's buying them? They wouldn't be made if they didn't sell. Go back to making your kids' costumes if you prefer the pictures on the left (you don't even have to sew, just improvise with regular pieces of clothing). It seems that everyone loves the convenience of picking something up at the Halloween store, but they also love to complain about it.

We can also discuss how 90% of costumes are not weather appropriate for 50% of the country.

sick

Speaking as a person who, for some reason, remembers her life much more detailed than a lot of people, I'd say aside from the choices we have as girls, we need more options. When I was little I hated being put into costumes that had a lot of skin showing and all I wanted to wear was what the boys were wearing: stuff with enough sleeves and pant-legs that can keep me from the cold.

My 9 year old has chosen to be a Pioneer this year. In Laura Ingles Wilder fashion it is a neck to toe dress, with apron, and bonnet. My 5 year old is a cowgirl with chaps and a vest, and my 4 year old is a unicorn which looks like footed pjs. The last two I have made and the kids are fully clothed. I'd say this article exaggerates things. In Michigan it is absolutely freezing on Halloween night and the children have to wear coats with their costumes. I've never seen costumes like these at our school. I know they sell them, but again, this is the parent's decision to buy skimpy. Shame on them.

I get your point, but you might try putting it in context. The pictures on the right are professional and created to sell the costume. The ones on the left are personal family photos. It kind of detracts from the statement if you notice that. Which I did.

Apart from the one with a sheer skirt, I don't see much of a problem. Most of these just look like they were designed better (even if lower quality materials may actually be used.) They're definately gendered, but I don't buy these as good examples of children's costumes becoming sexier.

1. Things change, try to accept
2. Nothing wrong with defined gender clothing

Just advertising pics. Go see the kids in real life, none of them look like that

The "modern" images contain more pink and purple, and the child models are thinner than the (age equivalent) kids in the "past" photos.

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