Halloween costumes: how strict should parents be?
Posted October 26, 2018 6:50 am.
Last Updated October 26, 2018 7:47 am.
This article is more than 5 years old.
VANCOUVER (NEWS 113) – There are just a few more days to go until Halloween and whether they have picked them already or not, there is a good chance your kids are being exposed to some type of sexualized Halloween costumes.
The issue of what is and isn’t age appropriate moves from the back burner to the spotlight at this time of year as many people bemoan the fact younger and younger children are looking at all-too-revealing-costumes, especially girls.
“Many Halloween costumes are sexualized. It’s really impacting the way girls think about themselves and impacting the way boys think about girls,” Beth Malcolm with the Canadian Women’s Foundation.
“Society is putting out a very sexualized and limited notion of what girls can and should be and there’s consequences for that.”
She says can have negative and unintended consequences.
“We know that the hyper-sexualization of girls is actually harming their mental health and undermining their confidence,” says Malcolm.
However, Today’s Parent magazine editor Kim Shiffman says like it or not, there’s another side to the story.
“There’s another angle to it. On the other hand, you don’t want to body shame them. Tweens and teens can’t help that their bodies are becoming womanly and that they are responding to the culture that is telling them to look beautiful. It’s really important that we don’t shame young women or even tweens for their clothing preferences.”
She says ultimately, the choice should be theirs.
“Placing the worry on girls’ costumes, telling girls ‘If you dress in a sexy way, you’re inviting unwanted attention, you never know what could happen,’ that’s furthering rape culture which is something the ‘Me Too’ movement is trying to fight against.”
-With files from Amelia John and Dean Recksiedler
