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Halloween Costumes For Girls: Has The Reign of Princesses Ended?
Has the reign of princess costumes come to an end?
My younger daughter dressed up as a train for Halloween this year, after abandoning her initial plan to go as a zebra.
She wanted to be a train because one of her friends is a going as a train, and they simply must have the same costume.
My older daughter wants to be a Witch, or maybe a scientist.
Notably, neither one is dressing as a princess. It’s about time.
As I mentioned earlier this week, cheery Halloween costumes like these are a fairly modern invention. The history of Halloween is all about dressing like a ghost or goblin so you’ll blend in with the evil spirits that walk the earth on Halloween night.
Try telling that to my girls. Or any girls. Halloween fashion for the small girl set has been all about princesses for as long as my kids have been dressing up and demanding candy from strangers. They were the odd ones out as pirates and firefighters for a few years, and then jumped into the princess thing with a vengeance.
It seemed like every kid on the block was a princess-fairy-mermaid-ballerina for a few years there.
Now they’re dressing up as trains. Is the reign of princesses finally ending?
If it is, I could not be happier. As Sue Sylvester put it on Glee, Halloween is the time when little boys dress like girls and girls dress like whores. Or, as our own columnist Kevin Keck put it, “My 4-year-old twin daughters were dressed like harlots. In reality they were supposed to be Witches…”
The “sexy” clothes for little girls are bad enough at any time of year, but Halloween really brings out the Totally Not OK Fashions. Vampy vampire costumes. Racy Red Riding Hoods. Plunging necklines and hip-high slits on princess/witch/fairy dresses. Those insufferable plastic seashells for mermaids.
Not only do costumes like these press precocious sexuality on girls, but even the tamer versions reinforce gender roles. My little princesses wore homemade gowns, not at all sexy. Even so I was uncomfortable: they’re so little. Do they really need to be constantly trying on the roles of adult women? Fantasy adult women who live in fairy tales and are rescued by princes all day long?
In some sense, yes, they do need to try out those roles. But I want them to try out a lot of different roles. So I’m delighted to see them dressed up as trains and zebras and scientists as well as witches and fairies.
It seems to be a trend: several friends have reported seeing fewer short skirts and glittery headdresses at classroom Halloween parties today. Instead the girls are turning up dressed as pumpkins, zoo animals and (in one case) a blue crayon.
What did your girls dress as for Halloween this year? Has the reign of princesses finally come to an end?
Photo: Molly Tomlinson
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4 Comments
Megan A commented on Oct 29 10 at 6:02 pmyay for the end of princesses! My daughter is dressing up as a Rainbow Bird this year. she made up the idea and I had to make up the costume, but Im thrilled that it is not yet another princess.
ChicaDificil commented on Oct 29 10 at 8:27 pmMy daughter is 3 y/o and asked to be a princess for Halloween for the first time in her life. Most of her three year old friends are also demanding to be princesses for Halloween. I think what you are noticing is that your girls are older and outgrowing the princess phase, not that princesses are going out of fashion.
La Rêveuse commented on Oct 30 10 at 9:17 amYAY! My 3 year old went as a butterfly and a ballerina (so many parties). Her other options were ladybug, piece of toast (my idea, but I never got off my duff and made it), and last year’s Angelina Ballerina. Her baby sis was a duck. Her dad and I resurrected old autumn tree costumes I made years ago.
I have believed in non-sexy halloween costumes since I was a teenager–even in college, when everyone was all about the Slutty McSlutsalot. Now, I have a box full we can pull out at a moment’s notice, since 2 kids eat up more time than I’d thought. ;-) I would love to see more people going with fun dress up, not slutty. Maybe a gallery website? A flickr group?
And honestly, I am my sexiest when I’m wearing jeans, boots, a turtleneck and a fantastic scarf and earrings. I don’t need to flash the girls to feel powerful and sexy. I hope my daughters learn how to be proud of who they *are*, not just their girl parts and makeup applying abilities.
Sandro commented on Oct 31 10 at 12:45 pmLast year my then-five-year-old wanted to go as Gollum (I don’t think she’s seen the movies, but she’d gotten the image somewhere). At the last minute she changed to being a classic sheet-with-holes ghost.
This year, at least for the pre-halloween costume party she went as a dementor (although she keeps accidentally saying “death eater” instead — the black cloat costume is similar).
So,… not quite every kid has given up on the scary stuff.
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