Your Child can be a Ho!
In the referenced article, Brands On Sale is offering pimp and "ho" Halloween costumes for children. While it's easy to condemn this idea, it also calls into question American values and the whole tradition of Halloween.
I preface this article by saying that Halloween has long been one of my favorite holidays because of my love of creating haunted houses, closely related to my love of working with the theater (a love seldom indulged, I'm sorry to say). I enjoy disguising myself and performing for the public, whether as a character in a play or as a tour guide through a haunted house. The "treats" one might receive are but a fringe benefit.
Despite the absorption of this holiday by Christians, some of the original customs remain even if the original bases of these customs have been forgotten. The primary custom of which I write is costuming oneself in outlandish outfits. This was originally done for the purpose of warding off disembodied or evil spirits; now it is done simply because that's what people do on Halloween.
Modern costumes include cartoon characters, cowboys, Indians, and other benign characters. They are no longer limited to imitations of witches, goblins, etcetera. They also now include less savory characters, not only like the pimp and "ho" outfits, but it has long been acceptable to dress as horror movie characters and violent-crime victims. Legion are the mutilated limbs, death-dealing alien masks, knives-in-the-head, and other such violence-related outfits.
Concerning the tradition of Halloween, I really think the idea is harmless in and of itself. Several religious leaders urge their congregations to avoid participation in this event because of the pagan nature of its origins. However, I think today the holiday is mostly empty ritual, at least the version that I grew up with -- put on a costume and go get candy from houses with exterior lights turned on). The types of costumes can be an issue, however.
Few would disagree when I say pimps and whores (sorry -- "ho" is getting old) are not good role models for children. We as parents want to keep our children safe from bad influences, and those that promote loose sexual conduct are definitely bad influences. By putting children in these costumes we present the paradox of, "No, honey, it's not right or healthy to have sex with total strangers or to promote such activity, but we're dressing you up like someone who does exactly that."
But what about violence? Why is this so much more acceptable in our society than sexual misconduct? I posit that violence is more acceptable because we are more accustomed to violence through coverage of wars, several television programs, and entertainment. Violence is prevalent in such sports as martial arts and boxing, and to a lesser extent in American football. Violence occurs in the schoolyard and, sometimes, between tenants in apartments (such as the fistfight I almost got into last night, but that's for another posting).
The main difference is that there are times when violence is justified. Defense against violent, or potentially violent, criminals, for one. It's much more difficult to justify loose sexual behavior without resorting to teenager-ish "but it just feels right"-type arguments. As is common, there are wide ranges between what is and is not "justified violence" and costumes can definitely go too far.
I can't say that I would never let my child dress up in some sort of risqué outfit (sexually or violently), but this would be when they are much older and better able to distinguish between right and wrong (like, around 85). Children’s innocence is already constantly attacked in our society and I would rather not rob our young children of their childhood.
I preface this article by saying that Halloween has long been one of my favorite holidays because of my love of creating haunted houses, closely related to my love of working with the theater (a love seldom indulged, I'm sorry to say). I enjoy disguising myself and performing for the public, whether as a character in a play or as a tour guide through a haunted house. The "treats" one might receive are but a fringe benefit.
Despite the absorption of this holiday by Christians, some of the original customs remain even if the original bases of these customs have been forgotten. The primary custom of which I write is costuming oneself in outlandish outfits. This was originally done for the purpose of warding off disembodied or evil spirits; now it is done simply because that's what people do on Halloween.
Modern costumes include cartoon characters, cowboys, Indians, and other benign characters. They are no longer limited to imitations of witches, goblins, etcetera. They also now include less savory characters, not only like the pimp and "ho" outfits, but it has long been acceptable to dress as horror movie characters and violent-crime victims. Legion are the mutilated limbs, death-dealing alien masks, knives-in-the-head, and other such violence-related outfits.
Concerning the tradition of Halloween, I really think the idea is harmless in and of itself. Several religious leaders urge their congregations to avoid participation in this event because of the pagan nature of its origins. However, I think today the holiday is mostly empty ritual, at least the version that I grew up with -- put on a costume and go get candy from houses with exterior lights turned on). The types of costumes can be an issue, however.
Few would disagree when I say pimps and whores (sorry -- "ho" is getting old) are not good role models for children. We as parents want to keep our children safe from bad influences, and those that promote loose sexual conduct are definitely bad influences. By putting children in these costumes we present the paradox of, "No, honey, it's not right or healthy to have sex with total strangers or to promote such activity, but we're dressing you up like someone who does exactly that."
But what about violence? Why is this so much more acceptable in our society than sexual misconduct? I posit that violence is more acceptable because we are more accustomed to violence through coverage of wars, several television programs, and entertainment. Violence is prevalent in such sports as martial arts and boxing, and to a lesser extent in American football. Violence occurs in the schoolyard and, sometimes, between tenants in apartments (such as the fistfight I almost got into last night, but that's for another posting).
The main difference is that there are times when violence is justified. Defense against violent, or potentially violent, criminals, for one. It's much more difficult to justify loose sexual behavior without resorting to teenager-ish "but it just feels right"-type arguments. As is common, there are wide ranges between what is and is not "justified violence" and costumes can definitely go too far.
I can't say that I would never let my child dress up in some sort of risqué outfit (sexually or violently), but this would be when they are much older and better able to distinguish between right and wrong (like, around 85). Children’s innocence is already constantly attacked in our society and I would rather not rob our young children of their childhood.
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