When October comes around each year, demand for Halloween costumes for women reaches a fever pitch.
But for a lot of women selecting the right costume is not an easy decision to make. To help you we have constructed a fun Halloween costume adviser.
First of all, you need to determine what concept you want to follow. Think about how you usually make a decision about which outfit to pick. What questions do you ask yourself?
Next, you can define which products in which you are interested. Start by thinking about what fancy dress or costumes you want to feature and list them on a spreadsheet.
Because Halloween is a gift to reminding us of our childhood we can indulge outside in the dreams we had back then. You can be anything you want and are able to imagine is possible. This means that all your childhood heroes are in reach. But it’s easy to be misunderstood in fancy dress so here are a few things to consider:
You don’t want a costume that makes fun of anyone. When costumes play into stereotypes or perpetuate negative thinking. So that you don’t ruin the Halloween fun your costume really needs to be inclusive and send out the message that you are accepting of others.
Be careful when you draw on fashion or cultural symbols when it comes to costumes these can become tricky topics. It can be hard to navigate between respectfully dressing up and being accused of cultural appropriation.
However, having said that culturally derived outfits have the capacity to generate interesting and valuable discussions – especially with kids – about subjects like diversity and why it’s important to respect the historical experiences of the various cultures that make up our world.
If you are nervous about this, it’s worth considering that another person’s culture is not necessarily a good theme for a costume.
Skimpy, sexy or tight-fitting costumes do not have to be worn just because you’re a woman. Our costumes do not have to be sexually charged! There are of course plenty of sexy costumes but there is no law stipulating that you have to be seductive.
Angels, skeletons, scarecrows, and clowns, do not have to don tight short skirts and strapped tops. Wizard robes do not have to morph into an erotic micro-skirt with pleats and thigh-high slits.
With such a wealth of compelling female role models from which to choose, sexy for the sake of it is not only unnecessary, it’s dull. For inspiration, you can consider other ideas.
It’s recommended that costumes fit the environment and won’t look out of place in a room. It’s never too early for us to develop empathy and think of how our choices may affect others.
When we are likely to be around small children, including our siblings, firm family friends, or even our cousins, at this time of year it’s good to bear in mind how these younger ones may feel about being confronted with a bloodthirsty zombie or a representation of an axe-murderer.
There is bound to be a compromise, like going without that scary mask or other accessories when youngsters are around. You can always put the scary bits on later when you are with other adults who are like-minded peers.
Being able to recognize your audience is a skill that comes in handy, so bear this in mind when choosing your costume.
With fancy dress of any kind, it’s so easy to be divisive, and in this fractured time we are currently living in being too political is dangerous when all you want is to have fun.
When you think about what you are going to wear, bear in mind whether it may depict some current event or even, God forbid, a tragedy. It may bring about the unnecessary controversy,
Halloween is about the magic of being able to become someone else – just make sure the fun you have is not at another person’s expense. Now just go and have some fun.
