Thursday, October 6, 2011

Come On Ladies, Get Your Geek On This Halloween

Halloween is the time to spread the word that female geeks are here to stay.

Think back to when you were a child. What types of costumes were in the “girls” section of the costume aisle at the local department store? Disney Princesses (specifically Jasmine and Belle), Thumbalina, Pink Power Ranger, witches, genies, maids, Wednesday Adams and nurses come to mind. I can’t recall seeing a Princess Leia costume until recently. Padme also joined the costumes, but the prequels weren’t out when I was a child).

On Halloween in 2006, while working at a Victoria’s Secret in an outdoor mall, I stood outside and handed out candy to trick-or-treaters. That year I saw over a dozen Hermione Grangers from Harry Potter. I remember thinking how awesome it was to see such so many girls dressed up as such a great female character.

As women become a stronger market in the sci-fi/fantasy market, the amount of female-geared costumes for these genres seems to increase. It was next to impossible to find a Princess Leia action figure growing up; imagine how difficult it would have been to find a Leia costume for a child!

With the addition of stronger female leads in books, TV shows and movies, we have more options. There still aren’t as many options as I’d like, but at least the market is improving somewhat. Many sites and stores also offer options to coverage, so consumers don’t have to abandon the Wonder Woman costume in the name of personal modesty.

Halloween is the perfect opportunity to show our love for a great female character.

And we don’t need to modify a men’s costume to do it.

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