The mothers of my Friday prayer group usually end our time chit-chatting and filling each other in on the lives of our children and offering each other advice and support. The last few weeks we've all voiced our woes over the Halloween costume choices for girls this year. And we mean little girls.
Today the Washington Post had a front page article on the same topic. My group of mothers concurs with the complaints of the mother's in the article.
What is the deal with sexy Halloween costumes for little girls?
What is mass merchandising and our culture doing to our daughters' childhoods?
Check this video for another look at advertising and girls.
How do we protect the childhood that our daughters themselves don't know they desperately need?
My biggest worry as a child on Halloween was whether it would be a cold night. If it was cold my mom was definitely going to make me wear a coat over my witch or gypsy floor length, long sleeved costume. One year I solved that problem by being a hobo. A raggedy coat helped make the costume rather than hide it from view. There's a lot more to be hidden than a costume these days. Girls' body parts aren't covered by anything. Modest parts are pushed up front and center. Ten year old legs are in fishnet and high heeled go-go boots. Ten year olds need to be worried about tripping over sidewalks while trick or treating, not walking in high heeled boots and snagging their fishnets.
I'm glad to read that other mothers are just as outraged as we are. I'm encouraged that other mothers that want to protect our daughters' childhoods and give them a sense of self-respect and a healthy dose of modesty.
And I am really, really glad, that my daughter decided on her own to be a skeleton a month ago. She's wearing one of her brother's old costumes and is thrilled about it.
1 comment:
I found your blog today from the Washington Post article you've linked to. I've enjoyed visiting! You're right - 8 year old's SHOULDN'T be worried about snagging their fishnets.... yikes...
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