I get very excited about the idea of trying on Halloween costumes, but I always end up underwhelmed by the experience. The costumes are often cheaply made (especially given their cost), photographed with lots of unincluded accessories (honestly, I think 95% of the "sexualization" of Halloween costumes comes from the fishnet tights and high heels used in the product photography, which aren't even part of the costumes!), and the fitting booths (always makeshift, with cardboard walls, not like real fitting rooms) leave much to be desired, with dark lighting (it's impossible to take a good picture of a black costume against black walls and curtains - and black is a popular Halloween color!), ill-positioned mirrors, and never any stools or even hooks to hang your clothes on.
And then there's the costumes themselves, which give you the sense that the manufacturers are playing "how many different patterns can we put on a cheap, spandex unitard?" It's a racket, I tell you. Plus, they're designed in very general sizes - often the dreaded "one size fits most". I like a good sexy Halloween costume, but if you compare the adult and children's versions of a particular costume, the adult version inevitably features ample room for the bust. Now I have nothing against great, heaving bosoms, but I simply can't fill them out, and I wish that "small chest" wasn't associated with modesty (the inverse of the idea that big breasts = oozing sexuality). I just can't seem to win! But, even so, there's no denying the thrill of putting on a costume and playing dress-up for an evening. I guess that's how they get you...
[description: series of fitting room photos in various Halloween costumes]
