Serial Killer=OK, Pimp=Not So Much?

[DVCLiz]

It always makes me laugh when I read these Halloween threads and see that people are up in arms about pimp or sexy girl costumes. I never see any posts that read, "OMG!! What kind of parent would let their child dress as a pirate? You can certainly tell who the good parents are - I would NEVER let my child dress to represent a pillager/rapist/murdering scoundrel!"

Or any other frightening character, for that matter. All the villains are murderous thieves or serial killers. It's OK to carry a chainsaw and imply that you are planning to carve some people up later on, but outrageous to dress like Huggy Bear? Really?

Whatever happened to "You know in real life we think that is wrong but for one Halloween night you can wear some purple velveteen pants and a gold chain around your neck and get all the candy you can carry."

Honestly, doesn't anyone have a sense of humor anymore?

 

[dodukes]

I have to say that I agree, what some people are up in arms here as far as costumes is amazing!

 

[Angelhalo]

I have to agree with you OP!

 

[Magpie]

My son dressed as "the Scream" one year, and he wasn't referencing the famous painting by Edvard Munch...

I'm pretty sure I'm not sending the message that being a murderous maniac is A-OK. In fact, he's still too young to see the movie!

 

[leighe]

It's pretty sad that so many people get so freaked out about sex but are totally okay with violence.

 

[Magpie]

It's pretty sad that so many people get so freaked out about sex but are totally okay with violence.

Actually, my daughter was just at a sleepover at church, and the youth were asked to bring "appropriate" movies. In the same e-mail however, was a request for "The Rocky Horror Picture Show", if anyone happened to own it!

My 14yo daughter immediately decided to bring HER favorite musical - "Repo, the Genetic Opera." They're both R-rated movies, after all.

We had a long chat about why the church youth leaders might think Rocky Horror was appropriate, while Repo was not. Basically, it came down to "sexy transvestites" okay! Anthony Stewart Head up to his elbows in another man's guts... not okay! My daughter thought about it and said, "I guess murdering someone is a lot worse than having sex with them, huh?"

Darn tootin', kiddo! I said to her, "One way everyone gets orgasms, the other way everyone gets dead. There's no comparison."

She ended up bringing "Dr. Horrible's Sing-along Blog" instead, and then was very disappointed when she fell asleep before the midnight showing of Rocky Horror!

 

[I*heart*MickeyMouse]

I saw a baby in a wagon dressed in black clothes and a scream mask on today... and I can't even count how many other kids (younger than teens!) dressed as scary movie characters - Jason, Freddie Kruger, Halloween guy, Scream guy, etc...

 

[Michelle and crew]

Halloween is about scary, though. Not about sex. As a holiday, that is, not personal preference, lol.

I think it is about fantasy, also. I would have a problem with one of my boys being a pimp for halloween. I'm not to worried about them becoming zombies and eating human flesh. I am concerned about how they view the exploitation of women. No daughters.

It has nothing to do with being freaked out about sex and ok with violence. That is rather silly. A pimp isn't about sex. A pimp is about power and money.

 

[bicker]

It always makes me laugh when I read these Halloween threads and see that people are up in arms about pimp or sexy girl costumes. I never see any posts that read, "OMG!! What kind of parent would let their child dress as a pirate? You can certainly tell who the good parents are - I would NEVER let my child dress to represent a pillager/rapist/murdering scoundrel!"

Or any other frightening character, for that matter. All the villains are murderous thieves or serial killers. It's OK to carry a chainsaw and imply that you are planning to carve some people up later on, but outrageous to dress like Huggy Bear? Really?

I agree. The inherent hypocrisy is what really upsets me, how our society so bloodthirstily embraces violence. We need a cultural attitude adjustment, imho, one that reverses its practically-childish hang-ups about sex, and reverses its practically-serial-murdererish love of hurting and killing things.

 

[golfgal]

Costumes to wear trick or treating are one thing but a 4th grader dress as a pimp in SCHOOL is not appropriate.

 

[bicker]

Trick or treat costumes at school are practically all inappropriate.

 

[dzneprincess]

You took the words right out of my mouth op! Lol

 

[jrmasm]

I saw a baby in a wagon dressed in black clothes and a scream mask on today... and I can't even count how many other kids (younger than teens!) dressed as scary movie characters - Jason, Freddie Kruger, Halloween guy, Scream guy, etc...

Holy crap! I would have died laughing!!

 

[DVCLiz]

Halloween is about scary, though. Not about sex. As a holiday, that is, not personal preference, lol.

I think it is about fantasy, also. I would have a problem with one of my boys being a pimp for halloween. I'm not to worried about them becoming zombies and eating human flesh. I am concerned about how they view the exploitation of women. No daughters.

It has nothing to do with being freaked out about sex and ok with violence. That is rather silly. A pimp isn't about sex. A pimp is about power and money.

I just think it is funny that people place so much serious real-world emphasis on this particular type of costume. Don't you ever just relax about stuff like this? It would exhaust me to have to be this hyper-focused on things like Halloween costumes.

I do my serious "this is what we believe as a family" talking in other venues. I don't make a kid's choice of Halloween costume into a social statement.
I give my children enough credit to be able to see the difference. Dressing up on Halloween like Cinderella doesn't make them a real princess or imply that I think they should sit around in a castle waiting for a prince to come and swoop them away, either.

 

[Michelle and crew]

Eh you do yours your way, others do it their way. My kids have been preached at forever about women, respect etc. I don't want them influencing those who don't.

To each his/her own.

 

[luvmy3]

I'm waiting for Disney to release a new animated feature starring a pimp and his girls. Then I'll get the costume because I love the quality of the Disney Store Costumes and I'll bet they use real velvet and feathers

 

[PrincessTiffany]

It's pretty sad that so many people get so freaked out about sex but are totally okay with violence.

We don't dress our kids in costumes that protray sex OR violence. I don't think either one is appropriate.

 

[DWGal210]

It's a good point, OP... I posted on the pimp thread but I honestly didn't think
of it this way, and you're right. Very interesting "double standard", so to speak.

 

[HeatherC]

I think for me it is more that kids are growing up too fast today. No matter the costume, to me it is more the loss of innocence at such an early age.

Maybe that isn't even the correct way to describe it. But it just seems like kids are introduced to adult stuff at an extremely young age. When you have little boys dressing as pimps and little girls dressing like a street walker at the age of 7 or 8' that says a lot about our society. I for one, don't really like it.

I know we can't lock them up and hide them forever, but if they want to dress like a pimp, they should be old enough to know what one is.

As for the scary, killer costumes, I think that has always been a part of people's perceptions of Halloween and they view them as more fantasy.

 

[TDC Nala]

Don't they actually cook a guy and eat him in Rocky Horror?

What, Meatloaf again?