Hosts Jen, Kori, and Zabrina examine how Halloween costumes reflect the narrow, contradictory expectations placed on women and girls. They trace Halloween’s layered traditions, discuss costume play as self-expression and temporary freedom, and question how pop culture sexualizes girls while framing women’s sexuality as both desirable and punishable. Jen, Zabrina, and Kori examine the sexualization of girls and women through Halloween costumes, dress codes, pop culture, and media norms. They weigh personal choice and sexual expression against social pressure, consent, and parents’ responsibility to protect children. Show Notes Takeaways: - What if the answer is both and neither? - The thing is dressing up in a costume, role-playing, being somebody else, it's always to some degree subversive. - Halloween provides a convenient outlet for some repressed communities such as gay men and trans people. - And that is the joy of Halloween. We can be alter egos. - No one is forcing women to dress in any particular costume. - Dress as you want, however, and as feminists, we would support that. - We are sexualizing our girls at a younger and younger age, which is a problem. - You know, we have to protect our children. “the problem isn't the motive of the girls' dressing. I think the problem is the societal lens.” - “A woman has every right to dress as sleazy as she wants to.” - “That doesn't give men the right to touch them or to do something awful to them” - “we need to be able to walk in that space where we know that no matter what step we take, we're gonna be judged” - “Halloween is a culture production more than anything, and a chance to play at whatever role you want to try on.” - “before you judge, consider who our society has told these young girls to admire” - “it should be up to the parents' discretion. 'Cause we do have to protect our children.” - “why have we erred ... on the side of like violence is the okay thing, sexuality is the thing that is not acceptable?” Chapters 00:00 The Halloween costume question: choice or cultural pressure? 07:09 How Christian holidays absorbed earlier celebrations 12:10 Why women’s pop-culture icons are often sexy 19:05 Grease and the Madonna-whore double standard 24:04 Sexy Sandy and Halloween’s temporary loophole 26:04 Personal choice versus objectifying beauty standards 27:35 The growing sexualization of girls’ costumes 29:16 Brooke Shields, Britney Spears, and sexualized teen stardom 33:50 Young celebrities and the sexualization of teenagers 34:59 Why finding non-sexy girls’ costumes can be difficult 35:55 School dress codes and the clothes girls can actually buy 38:22 Clothing is not consent, and women choose who gets their attention 40:38 Sexual self-expression, confidence, and Halloween play 44:24 How Halloween commodifies female sexuality 47:44 Sexual liberation, erotic capital, and the cost of judgment 50:15 The double bind: women are judged whichever choice they make 52:11 Whom do we hold up as role models for girls? 54:19 Respecting choice while protecting children 57:13 Why media accepts violence more readily than intimacy 58:42 Closing thoughts and sponsor thanks References: Bryner, Kelsey, and Sarah Bousquet. “Oversexualization in Hollywood: Brooke Shields - CHILD USA.” Child USA, 18 April 2023, https://childusa.org/oversexualization-in-hollywood-brooke-shields/. Cerini, Marianna. “History of the Halloween costume.” CNN, 25 10 2020, https://www.cnn.com/style/article/history-of-halloween-costumes. Firth, Emma. “The marketing of Britney Spears' virginity | The Standard.” Evening Standard, 26 October 2023, https://www.standard.co.uk/lifestyle/britney-spears-memoir-virginity-the-woman-in-me-sex-b1116091.html. Grater, Elizabeth A. “The Rise of "Slut-o-ween": Cultural Productions of Femininity in Halloween Costumes.” Master's Thesis: The Faculty of Columbian College of Arts and Sciences of George Washington University, 2012, pp. 1-84, https://scholarspace.library.gwu.edu/downloads/2b88qc32v?disposition=inline&locale=en Lange, Stephanie. “The Disturbing Story of Brooke Shields.” YouTube, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w5itAKl5LHg. Parsons, Sophie. “Halloween guising Scotland: Meaning and is it different from trick or treating?” The Herald, Newsquest Media Group, 18 10 2021, https://www.heraldscotland.com/news/19655339.halloween-guising-scotland-meaning-different-trick-treating/. Preston, Charles. “Samhain | Celtic Festival, Paganism, Wicca, Halloween, & Bonfires.” Britannica, https://www.britannica.com/topic/Samhain. Stonehill, Heidi. “Halloween Traditions Explained: Jack-o'-Lanterns, Costumes & More.” Almanac, Yankee Publishing Company, 22 10 2025, https://www.almanac.com/origins-halloween-traditions. Contact Information: Find Murder of Crones on You Tube, Tik Tok, Facebook and Instagram. Email : mofcrones@gmail.com Special Thanks to www.dinnissendesign.com for Zabrina’s use of their show room for recording. Check them out for all your interior design needs. Dinnissen Design is located in Vancouver and Castlegar BC.