As we grow up, we are taught right from wrong, what is acceptable and unacceptable behavior, and how to interact with one another. It's called socialization and it's how we learn practically everything that isn't genetically hardwired into our being. We even learn what is considered appropriate and acceptable behavior for our gender. This is called sex-role socialization. The primary teachers of these lessons is one's family and the whole process repeats itself with each generation. This probably won't surprise many people given the amount of time most children spend with their families while growing up. Ah, but there are other sources of socialization, and the top competitor to one's family in this process is the media. Consider the chart below from the Kaiser Family Foundation which illustrates how kids 8-18 years old are exposed to various forms of media:
So, my question to you is this: Is the lesson that our daughters are learning really what we want them to know about their place in life as a woman?
By now, you may be wondering, what does this have to do with Halloween? Let me help bring the two topics closer together with this:
By and large, little girls are taught that they should dress in 'cute' costumes. Oddly enough, by the time the same girl is only a few years older, the costumes that were cute, become sassy. They are made 'sexier' which suggests to young girls that in order to achieve any measure of recognition, they should rely on their bodies and how they look. By the time this lesson has been fully realized, women have been socialized to think their purpose is to serve as a sexual object for the viewing pleasure of men.
Additionally, the costume choices available to girls is markedly different than that of boys. Consider how costumes for girls, which focus strongly on pixies, fairies, & witches, all exemplify qualities characterized by a lack of power whereas boys' costumes focus almost exclusively on characters renown for their strength and power. Not to mention boys' costumes allow for choices such as firefighter and police officer, professional choices which are all but unknowable by young girls. Not to fret though. As girls come of age, they too have a category all their own: it's called sexy.
Jennifer Siebel Newsom, the writer and director of the film, Miss Representation, had this to say on the topic:
Halloween seems to amplify our cultural trend of women being raised to manipulate their bodies and boys being taught to master their environments. With these costumes, are we again teaching girls to value themselves only for their beauty and boys to glorify violence? When are we going to provide a wider array of opportunities for our girls to portray characters that aren't easily objectified or sexualized? Where are the costumes for my daughter that actually represent power or authority?
So, what I'd like to leave you with is, when all is said and done, what lesson would you want your daughter to learn about her place in society?
