A Vital Force

"With the ballot in her hand woman becomes a vital force--declaring her will for herself." -Susan B. Anthony

Feminist Friday: Halloween Costumes

Dolls and guys, indulge me for a minute, if you will. I know I've focused only on classic country with these Feminist Friday posts until now, but since the empowerment of women and girls is a subject near and dear to my heart, I'm thinking of expanding the focus a bit to cover, well, pretty much anything relating to women's issues that I damn well feel like writing about. So pack that in yer pipe and smoke it! Anyway, I know Halloween is old news and we are on the downward slide to all things Christmas, but something has been on my mind: Halloween costumes, specifically the pervasive sexualization of costumes for women and girls over the last several years.

I'm certainly not the only one who's thinking about this. The Huffington Post recently ran an article with a photo slideshow showing the evolution of girls' costumes over the last couple of decades toward ever sexier outfits featuring super short skirts, bare midriffs, and corset styling. I have seen with my own two eyes costumes for very young girls that appear to be miniature versions of club and fetish wear. Clicking on the "Top Girls' Costumes" tab on a popular costume retailer's site turns up a staggering array of inexplicably sexual costumes. Sexy Oscar The Grouch and Elmo? Are you even for real right now? Now, just let me say right here and right now, I have no problem with a grown adult woman choosing to express her sexuality in any way she likes, at Halloween or on any other day of the year. If dressing as sexy Mrs. Potato Head floats your boat, more power to you, ladies. I myself wore a few sexy Halloween costumes back in my pre childbearing days. What bothers me and a lot of others who advocate for a childhood free of sexualization, is that young girls are incapable of understanding the kind of messages costumes like these send, and are incapable of making choices like these in an informed way. What bothers me more are parents buying these costumes for their daughters and either choosing to ignore that nagging voice that says, "something feels a little off here", or worse, parents not having that nagging voice at all because the sexualization of Halloween, childhood, and indeed everything in this country's sordid culture has erased boundaries that existed just a few short years ago.



When my six year old was having a hard time coming up with a costume idea a couple of weeks ago, inspired by this awesome little girl, I suggested that she choose a historical figure that she admired. Her immediate response was, "I want to be Helen Keller!" She had just read a book about her and was fascinated with her story. So, we pulled out a Victorian-esque sailor dress I had found at the thrift store earlier this summer, and I covered an old book with paper and wrote "Helen Keller" in Braille with embossing ink and powder to simulate the look of Braille type. Of course, we had to explain her costume to every single person we encountered, but it didn't faze her, and I was proud of my thoughtful little girl. Speaking of thoughtful costumes for little girls, have you heard about the amazing new resource that is A Mighty Girl? Take a look at the Halloween photo set on their Facebook page for some wonderful examples. And for thoughtful women, check out Take Back Halloween. I know it has gotten my gears turning for next year.

So, friends, what do you think? Have you noticed this alarming trend of skimpy, adult-looking costumes for little girls? What did you or your little ones (if you have them) dress as on Wednesday?

Happy Women's Equality Day!

On this day in 1920, the 19th Amendment granting women the right to vote was added to the U.S. Constitution. The National Women's Party made this "Ratification Banner" based on their violet, white, and gold flag, adding a new star each time a state ratified the amendment. When the necessary 36th state, Tennessee, ratified the amendment by only one vote on August 18, 1920, Alice Paul unfurled the completed flag from the balcony at NWP headquarters in Washington DC.



Sometimes I think it's easy for us to picture these women as mere names in a history book, instead of women like ourselves, like our mothers and friends.



Women like you and me who were arrested, jailed, and beaten for picketing peacefully. Women who were placed in psychiatric wards and force fed raw eggs when they went on hunger strike to protest their deplorable treatment and the injustice of being denied their rights. I am in awe of their resolve and their sacrifice.

"I think, with never-ending gratitude, that the young women of today do not and can never know at what price their right to free speech and to speak at all in public has been earned." -Lucy Stone