Empowering Costume Ideas for Girls and Tweens
Empowering Costumes for Tweens and Young Girls
As the mother of two tween age girls I encourage them to choose costumes for Halloween and for parties that are empowering girls costumes, ones that will make them feel better about themselves and maybe even inspire a future career.
Unfortunately in the past few years there has been a movement away from classical and career costumes for girls and towards costumes that portray them as being sexy or as sexualized characters - the sexy police officer, the bratty army officer, sexy crime fighter, super hero or nurse.
In looking for girls' costumes to add to this page, I was not able to find a girl's version of a Swat Team costume, a CSI investigator costume, An Astronaut, a scientist or a pilot. Okay, there may have been sort of one for a pilot, but it was a sexy top gun costume dress, which doesn't count.
To paraphrase an old Justin Timberlake song, "We're taking not being sexy back" for girls and their Halloween Costumes encouraging them to wear non-sexualized, empowering and enjoyable Halloween costumes.
In doing this we will be making it all right for girls to be girls, to not have to be defined by sexualized Halloween costume, to choose to be whatever they want to be, to shine in her own spotlight and be a character that is defined by her brain and abilities instead of how sexy she looks in a costume.
Image from ba1969
Halloween Costumes for Girls
Find out what happens with Miss Representation's Intern Leah D. goes inside a Halloween chain store to explore the costume choices for little girls from MissRepresentation2
Visit the Costume Detective
- The Costume Detective | DIY Costume Ideas
A website for finding the Best DIY Costumes, Crafts and Halloween Fun with information on DIY costumes and crafts previously prominently featured as part of the Best of Halloween and Make Your Own Halloween Costumes on Squidoo.
Girls Can Be Anything
Super Hero Costume for Girls
Let your girls dress like their favorite superheroes.
You've Been Sparked on Halloween
- SPARKit: You’ve Been SPARK’d! | SPARK a Movement
You've Been SPARKed! invites you to call attention to stereotypes in toy stores and other places where sexism and sexualization reigns supreme. - You've Been SPARK'd Presents Halloween
SPARK Movement is a girl-fueled movement against the sexualization of girls in media, and almost nowhere in our culture is the sexualization of girls more visible in mass market Halloween costumes. - In Search Of Empowering Halloween Costumes For Girls | Miss Representation
Intern Leah Debber visits a local Spirit Halloween store looking for empowering options for little girls. Spoiler alert: she doesn’t find much.
Vote on Girls Costume Ideas
I thought I would use some of the lines from popular songs to let you vote on what should be done about girls' costumes.
What should be done about girls' costumes?
Debate Halloween Costumes for Girls
What do you think about the Halloween Costumes for Girls and Tweens?
Empowering Costume Ideas for Girls and Tweens
Some of the classic costume choices for girls to remind them they can be grow up to be anything include:
- Medical Professional - Doctor or Nurse
- Veterinarian
- Scientist
- Astronaut / Argonaut
- Teacher
- Police Officer
- President
- Lawyer
- Firefighter
- Armed Forces
- Artist
- Dancer
- Career Mom - SuperMom
Who would you add to the list of good costume ideas for girls or tweens?
Dress as a Character
Dressing in Character - Stella Ehrhart
Stella Ehrhart is setting a new model for young girls. This third grader has been coming to school dressed up as a different historical figure or character for more than a year. She started dressing in character the second day of second grade.
She uses her book 100 Most Important Women of the 20th Century for inspiration. Some of her characters include:
- Helen Keller
- Billie Holiday
- Jane Goodall
- Laua Ingalls Wilder
- Jane Adams
- Rosa Parks
- Harriet Tubman
- Mary Todd Lincoln
- Michelle Obama
- Aung San Suu Kyi
- Virginia Apgar
- Katherine Switzer
- Emily Dickinson
- Joan Baez
- Jan Brady
- Sandra Day O'Connor
- Queen Elizabeth
- Princess Grace
- Omaha schoolgirl dresses as a different historical figure each day
Stella Ehrhart, who attends Dundee Elementary School, has emulated Billie Holiday, Helen Keller, Princess Grace and Elvis Costello, among other widely known people. - Who needs Halloween? Girl, 8, dresses as historic figures all year - TODAY Celebrates
As children and parents across America labor over what to wear for Halloween, a third-grader in Omaha, Neb., could offer them a few tips. Stella Ehrhart, 8, is an expert. She has worn a different costume to school every day since the second day of se - Nebraska third grader dresses 'in character' every day for school - CNN.com
While most children Stella Ehrhart's age are thinking about what they're going to be for Halloween, this 8-year-old from Nebraska is thinking about who she's going to be each day of the week. - Stella Ehrhart | Tumblr
Stella Ehrhart on Tumblr
Books on Inspiring Women
Stella's book of inspiration, 100 Most Important Women of the 20th Century was published in 1998 and is in limited supplies. I found several other books on inspiring women to inspire your costume selections.
Famous Women to Choose for Costume Ideas
These lenses feature many famous women in history, science and medicine that would make great Halloween or party costumes.
Books for Girls on Famous Women in History, Science and Medicine
My tween-age daughters were wondering why they weren't learning about famous women in history in their classes at school. Since I couldn't come up with a re...
Famous Women in History, Science and Medicine
What do you do when your young daughter asks "Why don't we learn about women in school?" If you are like me, you go looking for answers. What you w...
Classic and Historical Costumes for Girls
Historical Costumes for Girls
There are many historical figures to choose from, but fewer official costumes for girls.
More Classic Halloween Character Costumes
More ideas for classic Halloween costumes and some quick and easy last minute costumes for girls
Once Upon a Time Costume Ideas for Storybrooke Characters
Dressing up as a favorite character from Storybrooke, the fictional real life town where the show occurs, is a fun way for fans of Once Upon a Time (OUAT) to...
Princess Merida Costume from Brave
Without a doubt Princess Merida Costume will be one of the most popular Halloween costumes for girls, tweens, teens and women for 2012. Fortunately there is...
How to Be a Fancy Nancy Explorer Extraordinaire
I picked up the latest Fancy Nancy book at the store this weekend, Fancy Nancy Explorers Extraordinaire and realized it may be an answer to this summer's dil...
Alice in Wonderland Costumes
Since Tim Burton re-imagined Alice in Wonderland in 2010 and created the new world of Underland, Alice in Wonderland and her friends have continued to be pop...
Angelica Pirate Costume & More
Penelope Cruz is the new Pirate Angelica in Pirates of the Caribbean On Stranger Tides. Her character Angelica Malon was one of the hot female costumes for 2...
Snow White, the Huntsman and Ravenna Costumes
With costumes created by Academy Award Winner, Colleen Atwood, the amazing costumes for Snow White and the Huntsman make inspired Gothic, Medieval or Hallowe...
Hansel and Gretel Witch Hunters Costumes
Hansel and Gretel: Witch Hunters is scheduled to be released in January 2013, but that isn't stopping the rockin' retro steam-punk costume from making an app...
Puss in Boots Costume Ideas
DreamWork's Puss in Boots is a fun costume character for Halloween. The Puss in Boots costume is a combination of a dashing, swashbuckling pirate, an unmaske...
Easy Halloween Costumes
With a bit of imagination and a little time, you can create a variety of easy Halloween costumes. Many of these ideas include using just a few items, items y...
Fancy Nancy Costumes & Costume Ideas
Fancy Nancy is a little girl who loves to dress up for every day, for tea parties and especially for costume parties. She's been a ballerina, a butterfly, a ...
13 Ways to Cloak Your Identity for Halloween
One easy way to create a fast, fun, simple and unique Halloween costume is to start with a mask, cloak, cape or robe to hide your true identity. Hallow...
Creative Last Minute Halloween Costume
In this lens you will discover a collection of quick and easy, creative Halloween costumes helpful for those waiting until the last minute, or the week befor...
Nanny McPhee
Nanny McPhee is the mysterious, amusing and a bit scary Nanny character created by Emma Thompson from Christianna Brand's Nurse Matilda. Emma Thompson wrote...
Take Back Halloween!
Take Back Halloween Online
Take Back Halloween is a resource guide for Halloween costumes that allows girls and women to portray a specific person or character.
- Take Back Halloween!
A Halloween costumes for women [and girls] with imagination. - Take Back Halloween | Facebook
Take Back Halloween on Facebook.
Girls Don't Have to Wear Sexy Costumes
Things You Can Be On Halloween Besides Naked!!!
A humorous and a PG look from Emotistyle with suggestions for dressing up for Halloween without just dressing in your underpants. More appropriate for Tweens than young girls.
Articles on the Sexism in Halloween
More articles to support the fact that Halloween, particularly for women and young girls is focusing on the sexy aspect of the costumes.
- The Most Inappropriate Kids Halloween Costumes Ever (PHOTOS)
We've already shown you how truly disturbing some adult costumes can be, but be prepared to have your mind blown even further with these ridiculously inappropriate Halloween costumes for kids. - Changing Expectations on Halloween
Halloween is the favourite day of so many children. Colourful costumes, pumpkin carving, and dumping a pillowcase of treats onto the floor to sort them all, are fond memories associated with Oct. 31. So... what happens when you grow up? - EDITORIAL: Sexism is what’s really scary about Halloween | The Marquette Tribune
Besides the fact of the blatant sexual exploitation of women on this holiday, the real question is, how did all this sex appeal get thrown into Halloween? And perhaps on a more practical note, don't people realize Halloween in Wisconsin is normally b - Empowering Halloween Costumes for Girls and Women !
Includes a collection of Great Ideas for Non-Sexualized Halloween Costumes for Girls and Women. - It’s not you, it’s them: our final(ish) word on Sexy Halloween | SPARK a Movement
Here at SPARK, we see this as a major societal problem: the costume industry is using girls’ bodies as a marketing tool. Sexy is pretty much the only option if you’re a woman or girl and want to go the convenient route of a store-bought costume. - A Halloween rhyme (and a call to action!) | SPARK a Movement
A poem written by 14 year old SPARK blogger Julia Bluhm, who led a successful petition to Seventeen Magazine to portray girls truthfully. - Killing Sexy Halloween: The Ethical and Practical Complications | The Atlantic
Why adults have so much trouble convincing girls not to wear revealing costumes from Eleanor Barkhorn.
Any other thoughts you want to share on providing girls with empowering costume ideas?
