All the Halloween costumes are “sexy” now. We know: It’s not a new observation. But we’ve made some observations about the trend that we hope are new. Here’s what we talked about:

• Sexy body bag
• Boy vs. girl Cookie Monster costumes
• Sexy Ursula the Sea Witch, available only in small, medium and large (but the same manufacturer makes plus-sized Sally from “Nightmare Before Christmas,” who is basically the opposite of a plus-sized character)
• Disney’s Villains series has Ursula not at all like she appeared in the movie
• I’m not linking to all these costumes, because … yeah.
• Sexy Chewbacca
• Sexy inanimate objects: Sexy Twix Bar, Bag of Skittles, Candy Buttons, Etc.
• Sexy nonhuman characters: Sexy Nemo and Sexy Bert and Ernie (they are … sort of human … ish.)
• Sexy male actual people: Sexy Hulk Hogan
• Sexy things that are children: Sexy Girl Scout? That’s problematic.
• Sexy things that are already revealing: Sexy Skeleton
• Sexy children’s toys: Care Bears
• Sexy produce: Watermelons and bananas
• Sexy male animals: Roosters
• Weirdly toned-down versions of innately revealing costumes: Sexy Harem Girl that’s more covered up than
• Sexy Mr. Potato Head
• Trends in the model poses on the costume sites
• Tween girl models who are doing the adult “sexy” ones
• A Rupaul’s drag race contestant that did a Big Bird dress: A trendsetter in these costumes?
• “Female” or “dress” versions vs. “sexy” versions, like Dalek dress
• Cross-gender costuming
• Lady Jareth the Goblin King costumes
• Sexy Strawberry Shortcake
• What we think the actual concern is: The overwhelming offering of “sexy” for women’s costumes – not the fact that they simply exist – and the sexualizing of young girls’ costumes
• Sexy Brian from Family Guy?
• Sexy “Dinosaur” that turned out to be Yoshi
• Inappropriate places to wear sexy costumes
• Costume contests that value workmanship and whatnot
• Sexy not actually licensed from Nintendo “Maria” and “Louisa”
• Gender trends in children’s costumes (although the data is a little old)
• Handmade costumes vs. store-bought
• A horrifying costume personifying an eating disorder
• The Awl’s version of sexy costumes and The Hairpin, which was actually the one with the Sexy Inexplicable Melancholy
• Listener mail from Stevie, who talks about bras and how hair can mess up your dance turns just like breasts can, as well as corset fitting.
• Episode link: Scary vs. Sexy?

My research

• Feministe: Happy Slut-o-ween!
• Jezebel: Eight Alternatives To The “Sexy” Halloween Costume
• Jezebel: Is “Slutoween” Actually Scarier Than Halloween Ever Was?
• Jezebel: Maybe The Best Way To Handle Slutoween Is To Just Go With It
• Jezebel: Your Guide To Absurdist ‘Sexy’ Halloween Costumes
• LA Times: When Women Dress as Halloween Candy
• Ms: And The Most Sexist Halloween Costume Award Goes To …
• Ms: What do sexy costumes for Men look like?
• Nelson, Adie. “The Pink Dragon is Female: Halloween Costumes and Gender Markers.” Psychology of Women Quarterly. Vol.2 4.
• New York Times: Good Girls go Bad, For a Day
• TBD: The sexy Halloween costume showdown: Your sex and gender morning roundup
• The Awl: Super Sexy Women’s Halloween Costumes
• The Daily Beast: Saying Yes to Slutty Costumes
• The Hairpin: Have a Sexy Little Halloween
• Washington Post: Preteens Trading Fairy Wands for Fishnets
• Wired: Gender discrimination in Star Trek Halloween costumes?

Holly’s research:

• ‘Sexy anorexia’ Halloween costume controversy
• ‘Sassy Ursula’ Halloween Costume Sparks Controversy Over Plus Sizes
• And the Most Sexist Halloween Costume Award Goes to …

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