Gendered and Sexualized  Halloween Costumes

 

(Gendered Halloween Costumes [Photograph]. (n.d).

Films and media have impacted society in many ways. Stereotypical roles are on of them. Just the effects of creating gender roles create many different messages.  Presenting Stereotypical gender roles leads to children, youth, and adults wanting to accept the roles that are being portrayed in media and film. This is relevant during Halloween and the gendered costumes.

The historically of how women have been portrayed in very stereotypical and narrow roles, which was explained in the Smith and Tuchman readings.  I am taking away the narrow category of how the media depicts women, which are normally by mother, wife, or a female sex object roles which were depicted in the Bordo reading. This is seen in stereotypical Halloween costumes by how a princess is being portrayed as “pretty” or “sexualized”. This is portrayed in the above image by how the “Woman Police Officer” is  wearing a dress and heels. This is also emphasized by how “stylish” the female costume is compared to the male costume.  This also relates to my research project about the “Mask You Live In” for young boys Halloween costumes stereotypes reflect Hyper masculinity and the act or need to fulfill a specific gender. The male costume does not objectify “Male Police Officers” however it does create a specific gender role young boys are expected to fulfill based on expectations to be a “Real Man.”

A concept that was presented in “Masculinity as a Spectacle” by Neale is male genres and films constantly involve sadomasochistic themes and are objects of the erotic gaze. In my opinion feminist film theory is a way to describe how film and media is a way of empowering men and objectifying women. This can also be related back to the gendered Halloween costumes. This concept also enforces gendered manhood and masculinity with the effects of hyper-masculinity. This also creates an idea of woman being an object of male desire. Again, as mentioned in the first question this can also be an example of the gendered Halloween costumes because the costumes are gendered to be an object of the male gaze.