Today, nightclubs host Halloween masquerades and college students throw haunted house parties. Adults are celebrating the holiday themselves after sending their sugar-induced-coma kids to bed.
Each year, new versions of costumes arrive in stores. Alice in Wonderland’s skirt got shorter, Little Bo-Peep’s bust line dropped lower and Batgirl’s boots got taller.
For some people, it begs the question, what happened to He-Man and She-ra?
Bill Doehr is the district manager for Spirit Halloween in the Plaza Bonita shopping center. He said the trend for costumes stems from the media. For example, “Tim Burton often spins characters into adult costumes,” he said.
Halloween has evolved into trends that mimic society. A tradition of what began as celebrating All Hallow’s Eve in scary fashion has transformed into characters and sexy costumes.
Doehr said that adult female and kids’ licensed characters are the most popular categories. Of those, Doehr said costumes from “Toy Story,” the Mario series and “Star Wars” are sold the most in the children’s category, while several variations of “Alice in Wonderland” are most bought for female adults.
Doehr said there are two trends. “The children’s sugar and spice continues to be very popular; however, the other trend is that Halloween has become a really big party holiday where adults have fun in a party atmosphere.”
Doehr, 53, has two teenagers and said there is no age range for purchasing an adult-type costume but it is driven by consumer needs.
Southwestern College professor of communications Candice Taffolla-Schreiber has an educational background in women’s studies and feminist media criticism.
“There is no doubt that the notion of Halloween is not what was intended by the Celtics,” she said. “… I can tell you that a culture which consistently sexualizes women creates an environment where some women may feel pressured to dress in ways that reflect that sexualization.
