Walmart Halloween Costume Controversy

Halloween is upon us, so I decided to write about something I stumbled upon pertaining to Halloween costumes and how women are portrayed during this time of the year. 

For young girls, this is a time to dress up as someone they look up to or someone they wish to be in the future. For instance the little girl I babysit is being Katniss Everdeen from The Hunger Games this year for Halloween. She is a positive role model for girls, she’s strong and confident and kicks a lot of ass in the series. However, as girls get older, the dynamic of Halloween and dressing up becomes a lot different. Sam talked about in her blog post from a couple of weeks ago, how the “slutty” costumes that older girls decide to dress up like for Halloween are becoming a norm in society. When I saw her blog post I decided to do some more research on the aspect of Halloween costumes for females and I came across an offensive article revolving around Walmart. Just today, Walmart introduced a new tab under their Halloween costume category on their online website. It was titled “Fat Girl Costumes,” and I say “was” because it was taken down because of all the backlash it received (wow, so surprising because it’s not offensive at all). I guess the part I’m most confused about is why they wouldn’t just label it as “Plus Size,” that’s what every other smart company does when selling sizes for larger women.

Walmart not only offends women who are plus size but also has extremely offensive descriptions of the costumes that accentuate their seductiveness and some are even racially disrespectful. Take this example of the “Women's Indian Maiden Plus Size Costume”: 

“Make peace with the Adult Plus Size Indian Maiden Costume. This costume comes with a faux sued dress with a fringe, a bead trim belt head piece and boot tops. You'll be dancing around the tribal fires in no time with the Adult Plus Size Indian Maiden Costume - you'll be one seductive little Indian in this outfit. So expect a lot of male attention at your next Halloween party!” 

First off, I would like to know who wrote these descriptions and decided it was a great idea to label these as “fat girl costumes.” I have a hard time believe a woman would write something like this that is targeted towards other women. When I read this (and it may be because I’m a comm student and analyzing it) I doesn’t really feel like it’s morally sound to purchase a product that is so forwardly demeaning towards women. Nevertheless, this portrayal relates to scripts we read in class from Kim et al pertaining to the idea that women need to dress provocatively to gain the attention of male counterparts (Kim et al., 2007).

But now let’s look at the description of the “American Indian Woman Adult Halloween Costume”:

“The American Indian Woman costume lets wearers take on the appearance of a member of one of America's native tribes. It can be worn while attending a costume party, greeting trick-or-treaters or at other Halloween events. It includes a dress with fringe and other decoration as well as a matching headband. Other accessories such as shoes and jewelry (not included) can be added. Available in adult women's sizes, this American Indian costume is made of a poly-cotton blend.”

So wait, why is the description of the Plus-Size costume directly geared to gaining attention from males while the regular adult costume doesn’t even mention this idea? It could be that whoever is credited for writing these descriptions thinks that those who are plus-size may not be as sexually appealing to males in relation people who are not plus-size. So as a result, this costume makes them more appealing and sexual. I found this not only interesting but concerning for young women. Objectifying women’s bodies and somewhat mocking them is they are not sexually desirable is detrimental for the way women view their body image.

Taylor discussed some ways male images in the media play a part on the ideal male image that may cause males to be concerned with their own muscularity and fitness (Taylor, 2008). I’m interested to hear what you guys think about this topic and if you think that if this were to be reversed how it would be similar or how it could be different. Do you think if Walmart made a tab labeled “fat boy costumes” they would get the some reaction from their audience or is there a double standard between men and women? 

Kim, J. L., et al. (2007). From sex to sexuality: Exposing the heterosexual script on primetime network television. Journal of Sex Research.


Taylor, L. D. (2008). The Role of Lad Magazines in Priming Men’s Chronic and Temporary Appearance-Related Schemata: An Investigation of Longitudinal and Experimental Findings.