Sexy Halloween Costume Ideas for Women

A friend of mine thinks that Halloween is just a chance for “women to dress slutty.” I think of it more as a day for women to dress however they want, which the costumes available would suggest is, well, slutty. I’ve read a lot of blogs criticizing the sexualization of Halloween costumes, suggesting that it’s a return to objectifying women and valuing only their bodies. That may be so. But it also may be that with all the things that women juggle – school, career, family, home – they simply enjoy a night of getting to be sexy without undermining their identity. It’s a tough balancing act for women to figure out how to be smart, sexy, and strong; we get a lot of messages that these attributes are mutually exclusive. So, without politicizing or intellectualizing Halloween much further, I say dress as sexy as you like on Halloween!

There are plenty of sexy costume ideas to choose from, which tend to fall into the following categories:

Cute Sexy. The “cute sexy” women tend to be the type who can’t quite shed the good girl look, even when they want to be a little bad. Their costumes are usually the adult version of some child’s costume, like sexy Rainbow Brite (really?!?!). Or the ever-popular baby, school girl, butterfly, or ladybug.

Sexy Sexy. The “sexy sexy” women tend to look like they walked out of a Victoria’s Secret catalog on a regular night out, and they make sure Halloween is no exception. Their costumes are your archetypal dirty cop, naughty nurse, sexy teacher, ride ‘em cowgirl, or French maid.

Scary Sexy. The “scary sexy” women have a dark side, for reals. They’re the ones who can go shot for shot of whiskey with you, right before they kick your ass and drive off on their motorcycles to get another tattoo. Their costumes venture toward the goth - vampire, witch, zombie, or devil.

Dorky Sexy. The “dorky sexy” women are the types who seduce you with their brain power and vast knowledge of sci-fi. And they look pretty good in a pair of glasses, too. Their costumes are either characters from the sci-fi world, like princess Leia, or as a brainy archetype, like a beatnik. Don’t be surprised if a few of them rock those glasses in a Sarah Palin costume this Halloween.