College girls everywhere seem to view Halloween as the opportunity to let their inner sex fiend out to play. It’s widely accepted that young women dress extremely provocatively for this holiday. When you’re a mother, however, is it still appropriate to slut it up for Halloween? And when we dress our daughters to match, when is a Halloween costume too sexy?
Sexy nurse, sexy maid, sexy police officer, stripper… I’ve donned a few of these costumes myself, back in the day. But I was 19, 20, and 21 years old! I was even a Suicide Girl one Halloween in college! I’ve flashed the flesh on October 31 with the best of them. But now? I’m the mom who puts on a kitten ear headband to take my daughter, dressed as a pumpkin, trick-or-treating.
I absolutely believe in a woman’s right to wear whatever she chooses and I see nothing wrong with dressing in a sexy way. But I also believe that, as mothers, we are responsible for setting an example for our little girls (and boys, for that matter)! If I were to wear that sexy firefighter costume of yesteryear in front of my little girl, I’d be showing her that it’s okay for her to dress that way too! Little children are unable to differentiate between holidays and regular days, so don’t assume that your little angel will understand that it’s just for this one night. Why do you think kids want to wear their pajamas or Super Man cape every day for weeks on end?
Read Related: Halloween at the Office: It Pays to Dress for Success
I think it’s part of my duty as a mother to model for my children appropriate clothing choices that reflect a sense of self-respect and self-confidence, every day of the year. This means I don’t wear ripped t-shirts and cut-off shorts to the grocery store just as I don’t dress up as a Playboy Bunny for Halloween.
This isn’t to say that mothers must stick to prudish and boring costumes, mind you. If a mami is headed out to the club or a Halloween party for adults only, by all means, get that babysitter and honor your sexy rock-star persona. Just don’t involve the kids.
Little boys and girls should see their mothers in a respectful, but human way. This means that mom should be viewed as neither asexual nor overly sexual. Part of being a parent is modeling healthy behavior and choices that lead to happiness and fulfillment. I think we girls can all agree that those slutty costumes we once wore gave us very temporary happiness. As for me, I hope that my daughters will feel confident enough to wear whatever they want for Halloween later in life. With that confidence, I hope they’ll have the respect for themselves to make better choices than I did.
