Of course, I'm the parent that let my four year old son wear a pair of pink bunny ears around for six months and ripped on some older kids for making fun of him at the park during that phase.

I think Halloween is a good way to start to figure these things out. If she's portraying a character that is sexy she can start to explore her feelings an other people's reactions in a limited context.

Yes, as long as, as you said, there's some active parenting going on, and there are discussions about "Okay, why do you want *that* particular costume?" and "Here are some of the reactions you might get, don't be taken by surprise".

Exactly. Exactly, exactly, exactly.

I want my kids to be comfortable in their skin and celebratory of their own body, but I don't think a Raggedy Ann Goes Hooking costume is going to do that for them.

Talk away, smonster! That's what we're here for.

One last (well, maybe last) comment on the "sexy" child costumes: the Spirit Halloween stores are a national chain. When I was in one yesterday, I did not see one costume for grown women OR tween girls that wasn't a "sexy" twist on something. Every costume the store offered for females involved some combination of low-cut, super-short skirt, thigh high stockings, or a midriff shirt. Every one. (I saw a "Sexy Wednesday Addams" costume, FFS.)

There were no non-sexpot options. None.

I'm all for looking sexy. Yay, sexy! Yay, corsets! But when that is the only option available, even with something as innocuous as Halloween costumes, that's disheartening.

::points to what Jilli said, again.::

Which reminds me, I need to go look for sparkly green tights for my "I NEED TO BE TINKERBELL!" crying daughter.

I want her to go as the Paperbag Princess.

After defeating the dragon.

my sister made a very good point, "Putting a kid in a sexy outfit objectifies them and kids have a hard enough time being taken seriously in this world."

On the other hand, I think it's OK to not be taken seriously one day a year.

ugh I posted before I saw Jilli's post. That's really disturbing that there are no non-sexy options anymore.

Thinking back over my Halloween costumes, I was male most of the time. Even when I went as a bear I was thinking of myself as a male bear.

When I was in one yesterday, I did not see one costume for grown women OR tween girls that wasn't a "sexy" twist on something. Every costume the store offered for females involved some combination of low-cut, super-short skirt, thigh high stockings, or a midriff shirt. Every one.

It's annoying, reductionist, objectifying, and un-creative as shit.

(Though I do have one friend who makes hysterical whore versions of costmes. One year she was a sexy storm trooper. Messing with a convention and I'll give you props.)

I'm all for looking sexy. Yay, sexy! Yay, corsets! But when that is the only option available, even with something as innocuous as Halloween costumes, that's disheartening.

That's just bloody ridiculous.

Yet another reason to go the thrift-store route, which I always preferred anyway.

smonster, I don't know if this helps, but keep in mind that NOLA is not just the metro area. There's always the northshore, which I believe has a better economy and job market than the city proper. And there's Baton Rouge. If you do move down to NOLA, it's not like you have to sink or swim there if the job doesn't pan out.

Oh, this heat can just totally kiss my ass.