Apurva Kashyap

The different types and styles of inspiration for Halloween costumes for teenagers.

As Halloween nears, the spookiest thing might not be the ghosts but how little fabric comes with some teen costumes. Has Halloween gone from haunted to hot?

Teens across the country have begun picking their spooky costumes. From witches to vampires and superheroes to inflatable dinosaurs, Halloween is a time when everyone gets to step out of their comfort zone and tap into their youthful imagination.

Pop culture plays an important role in teens’ costume decisions, with movies and TV shows like Wednesday, Barbie, and Avatar shaping trends. These trends inspire teens to craft recognizable costumes, often earning admiration for their creativity.

Despite this wholesome side to costume hunting, one growing concern is the over-sexualization of these outfits.

However, as adolescents start growing up, there is a shift between what is done in middle school compared to high school. As middle schoolers or even elementary schoolers, our goal was to look scary or funny. Now, the goal is to look attractive.

Looking attractive has become a standard for high school girls. The over-sexualization of Halloween costumes for teenage girls has been around for as long as most can remember and, unfortunately, has become normalized. These costumes are commonly described as dressing up in an “attractive” or “sexy” way.

In movies like Mean Girls, “Sexy” costumes are discussed as if dressing this way is something to look forward to as you grow up. “The hardcore girls just wear lingerie and animal ears,”(Mean Girls 2004).

Others point out that costumes are just a form of expression, and teens should be free to dress how they want—within reason. However, as the line between empowerment and objectification blurs, mixed messages are sent to younger generations.

Although these Halloween costumes have become customary, not all participate in them. Sophomore Rachel Shook mentioned that her pink Stitch onesie costume shows that not all Halloween costumes have to follow these trends.

The aim is never to make people feel bad about what they like to wear but rather to highlight that we don’t have to conform to oversexualizing trends.

As Halloween quickly approaches, perhaps it’s time we reflect on more than just the costumes we wear. The scariest part of the holiday shouldn’t be how revealing your costume is but who will show up at your door…with a knife.