Halloween Costumes Cover Too Little

This opinion editorial was written for "Invalid Item" 

Halloween Costumes Cover Too Little: I may be an adult, but I don’t want to be obscene.

I’m not sure if it’s because I’m getting older, but I have been completely appalled by the Halloween costumes for women these past few years. Labeled as sexy, I find the little scraps of overpriced, low-quality cloth downright degrading. I find this quite sexist as I don’t see the same for men’s costumes.

For instance, I think it would be fun to dress up as Dorothy and get some of my friends to dress up as the other characters from Wizard of Oz. My problem is that the most readily available version of Dorothy’s costumes is a skimpy mini-skirt with a blouse that bares the tops of my breasts. This version is usually the cheapest at under $30, which is still more than I really should spend on a Halloween costume.

On the other hand, Scarecrow or Tin Man or the Lion are full covering costumes for about the same, though usually a little more due to the complexity of the costume. However, they are men’s costumes, not women’s, but the idea of cross-dressing on Halloween isn’t so alien. Peter Pan is often played by a woman, so why not the Scarecrow?

Speaking of Peter Pan, some costumes I can understand not covering as much of the body. For instance, Tinkerbelle’s costume is originally skimpy, but do they really need to make it more so? Seriously, one version I saw would barely cover my rear and would completely expose the tops of my breasts and shoulders since there are no shoulder straps.

The only inexpensive costumes that cover the body are usually the thin sheet-like robes for angels, witches or devils. The problem with these is that they are usually so sheer that I’d never feel confident wearing them outside my bedroom. There have been a few of these robe costumes that I’ve liked, but they’ve all been made for larger sized women, which, for once in my life, I wish I was.

So, I can’t bring myself to buy the “cheap” costumes because I don’t want to expose myself to the elements or anything else. I’ll catch a cold or get arrested, or both. To solve this problem, I see two main alternatives. Buy a more expensive costume or put one together myself.

Buying a more expensive costume is out of the question for me. I just can’t afford one. There are good quality costumes that cover the body, but they usually run over $100. Most of the ones I’ve seen are historical or renaissance dresses, but you can also find movie-related ones, such a high quality Dorothy costume that usually runs around $80. This is the traditional, movie-inspired version, but again, out of my price range. If you’ve got more to spend, this a quick way to get a concealing costume.

So what’s a woman to do when she still wants to dress up, but can’t afford much? Put one together herself. If you’re like me, you can’t sew worth beans. The best solution I’ve found is thrift stores where you can pay less for more. Having worked in a thrift store for over a year, I can attest to the variety and quality of the clothes that people donate. The good thrift stores will only put out the barely-used and new clothes for sale. Even then, what you’re going to buy is just for a costume that you’re going to wear once, so if it’s ratty or stained, it doesn’t matter and it may work better for what you want.

That’s the key, though, having an idea of a costume, or maybe a few different ideas. What is it you want to be? Era costumes are sometimes the easiest as you might actually find the real thing. Pick a decade and go around to enough stores and you’ll find something. Wedding gowns and other formal dresses can also be found for very cheap.

On the other hand, you can get really creative by mixing and matching pieces and making yourself a really unique costume without having to sew anything. For instance, I really like one of Amy Brown’s faeries. It’s the attitude one where she’s wearing a striped green and white leotard under a red dress that has a lace-up bodice and the skirt is split on both sides.

I doubt I could really find those exact pieces, but if I simplify it, all I need to find is a striped long sleeve shirt, a sleeve-less dress and striped tights or leggings that match the shirt as closely as possible. The main accessory, wings, can be easily found at the main costume stores, but you’d be surprised to find that thrift stores carry a lot of costumes, especially right before Halloween. The tights/leggings I may need to buy brand new, but maybe not. If I can’t find stripes, I can look for a solid color that is close.

All of this should be less expensive, especially if you’re choosy. Most thrift stores I’ve been to sell shirts for a couple of dollars, dresses for maybe five and pants can range quite a bit from two to ten dollars. The unknown will be the wings, but I once bought a perfectly pristine pair of angel wings for four dollars. So assuming I got all of what I needed at thrift stores, I’m looking at spending between thirteen and twenty-one dollars. Not bad for clothes that I know I’ll feel comfortable in and didn’t feel like I paid too much for the outfit.

Money issues aside, the point is to put your own spin on the costume concept, make it truly unique and a reflection of you. People will remember you and not because your left boob was hanging out or your butt was exposed. The people that remember those things may not be the kind of people you want to hang out with.

So do us all a favor and don’t buy pre-made, cheaply made Halloween costumes. Put your own together. Send those costume companies a message. You’ll certainly have fun shopping for it because, honestly women, who doesn’t like shopping?

(1,013 words)