sexy child costumesBy SPARK (Sexualization Protest: Action, Resistance, Knowledge)

Join the movement at www.sparksummit.com

Halloween used to be about neighborhood trick or treating in creative and scary costumes.  But recently the holiday has become about a different type of consumption than eating candy, as girls are peddled costumes that are more and more sexualized.

That Halloween has gone from scary to sexy in recent years is a reflection of a profound and problematic societal issue: the sexualization of girls. Portrayals of young girls as sexy are so familiar to us and to girls themselves that it almost seems normal, harmless, and simply the way that girls are nowadays.

So why should we be concerned?  A 2007 American Psychological Association Task Force on the Sexualization of Girls found compelling evidence that when girls and young women are sexualized – and worse, when they learn to sexualize themselves -they experience lower self-esteem, higher levels of depressed mood, and discomfort with their own bodies, thus undermining their ability to participate as full citizens.

Liberty Media Corporation subsidiary BuySeasons, Inc. proudly claims to be “the largest online retailer and supplier of costumes, accessories, seasonal décor, and party supplies in the world!” Its flagship brand “BuyCostumes.com…[is] the leading costume and party retailer on the web.”

BuyCostumes.com sells girl costumes in adult packaging (Naughty and Nice toddler costume, Miss Wonderland child costume in mini skirt, and corset bodice, Little Bo Peep ‘tween costume in corset bodice and black fishnets) and sexualized versions of popular children’s characters for adult women (Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Cookie Monster, and SpongeBob).

Tell Liberty Media Corporation to stop pushing the envelope when it comes to creating costumes for little girls and to stop sexualizing beloved childhood characters with their adult costumes!

Sign the petition today!