Halloween is coming up so that means there will be posts on the Internet about innappropriate costumes for girls/women. You can count on it, we have a seemingly endless supply of ridiculous costumes for girls. Like this one, which is a little disturbing.
Aaaanyway. Costumes for girls?
Lauca keeps getting invited by boys to ‘superhero’ birthday parties. All good except that I have shopped and shopped and haven’t ever managed to find a cool female superhero costume, which is a shame because Lauca is rather intrigued by female superheroes. I have tried the cheap chain toy stores and I have tried the expensive boutique toy shops, both to no avail. Enough with the fairy costumes, Wonder Woman, where are you?
For the first couple of parties I put together a home-made costume for Lauca, which I have to admit was a pretty minimalist effort given that I can’t sew and have no ambition to overcome that deficit – superheroes wear capes, right, that is common pop cultural knowledge, so if we wrap this material around you like so, that looks kinda like a cape, no?
Now that Lauca is five I think she has decided that she could do just as well making her own superhero costumes and on this occasion she simply grabbed a pair of novelty sunglasses, poked the lens out and popped them right on as glasses. What next, I asked. No, this is it, this is the costume. I am not sure why Lauca free-associated glasses with superheroes – maybe Clarke Kent-esque – but I liked it. This is her rockin’ some bad ass superhero moves on our way out the door to the party.
Keep it weird, kid.
blue milk 
She looks like she has some martial arts action going on in that shot as well.
My eldest, a boy now aged 10 had a batman costume for all of those super hero parties. His younger sister then started wearing the batman outfit when he outgrew it, and finally now the pre-schooler sister has inherited batman & wears it. If you really want to buy a commercial costume, you could go with batman (& possibly call it batgirl if you like).
However I have seen The Incredibles costumes available as well if you really want a commercially available female superhero. Haven’t looked for a while though, incredibles might be out these days I guess.
At one party my son went to, one of the other boys dressed up as Steve Irwin as his superhero. That idea could be adapted to be Bindii Irwin perhaps.
Oh! My brother and I had homemade batman outfits when we were little – probably age 2 and 4. We loved them. I don’t remember whether my mum or my aunt made them. (excellent seamstresses abound in my family, but my mum reckons that ‘sewing skips a generation’ and thus I never felt inclined to bother.)
I love Lauca’s effort. It’s about the attitude! Not about the lycra threads. :nods:
Catwoman wears goggles like that!
Good point.
Sewing definitely skips a generation, my mum made tons of stuff for us as kids and I got none of it. We had pirate outfits as kids, my mum found some fabric with little skulls and crossbones on it and made us shirts out of it. Not sure whether she made the felt no-corner hats (like a Tri-corner hat but not stiff enough to hold the corners) or bought them…
My four year old nephew had a superhero party a couple of weeks ago and I noticed that amongst all the male Supermans and Spidermans, all the girls were wearing princess dresses. At the time I put it down to the girls or their parents wanting to wear a ‘feminine’ costume, but after reading this I’m thinking maybe they just weren’t able to find any female superhero costumes? Very sad.
I love Lauca’s costume, by the way.
the Hbomb went to a party like that last weekend, as the only witch in a room full of princesses. we must be doing something right.
Perhaps you could have Lauce come up with a bunch of her own superheroes that could have costumes made out of ‘normal’ things?
Also, there is a fabric store in Adelaide called Dks whose main store specialises in calisthenics stuff. So they have lots of sparkly lycra, etc. BUT they also have super cool accessories – hats and masks and feather boas – that aren’t super pricey. I’m absolutely CERTAIN that there would be something like that where you are – perhaps you could get bits and pieces for dressups for invented superheroes. Or even somewhere like a hardware store – I realise they’ll be adult sized, but I picked up a pair of long rubber gloves and some safety goggles which, paired with a white coat, will make an awesome evil doctor costume.
As I keep telling my friends who complain about costume parties, it doesn’t have to be a full body suit to be cool and exciting and transformative. And surely that is the most exciting bit about costumes? Not that they are ‘prefect’ but that they let you play at being something else for a little while. You might need a full body suit for that, or you might just need a hat or a pair of awesome glasses.
Super cool. Lifeline at annerley no good? A friend saw wonder woman costumes at target but I think they were for littlies. Go Lauca!
If she decides she needs a more elaborate superhero costume, I’m a mad sewer who enjoys this sort of thing.
You are too kind! Thank you.
I’ve always liked all Hallows eve, the whole dress your kids as goblins and beasties and such so the spirits free on that night don’t nick em and all that. and now for the first time i have seen the local grocery monopolists are both selling those yankee style pumpkins for the carving of, seriously torn.
yes it appeals to me too. We have been celebrating it for the past couple of years. One of Lauca’s little friends has an American father and they got us started by having Halloween parties.
My niece found/made a cowgirl costume when she was about 4. It was out there somewhere: Some chaps, cow-print pants, the right hat and a gingham shirt – it was all after Jesse in Toy Story 2
I have to sort out a Wonder Woman costume for Raeli’s sixth birthday because she’s decided she wants a superhero party herself (which is awesome). I’ll probably have to make something – at least she didn’t go for Black Canary who is her favourite to play in the playground cos I don’t think i could come at fishnets (though she would look adorable in a mini-leather jacket).
When she was 3 or so she was invited to her first superhero party and went as Elastigirl – red top (with Incredibles ‘i’ logo printed off the computer and taped to her chest), red leggings and little black shorts over the top.
I think taking boy costumes like Superman & Batman, ditching the weird fake muscles and adapting them would probably be a good way to go, too.
Do they have WordGirl where you live? I have been seeing little Wordgirls around here (since it’s almost halloween – my little boy’s been wearing his Superman oufit for weeks already)
http://pbskids.org/wordgirl/
Most of the girls’ costumes are still Fairy Princess Witch Sparkle – that is, everything they had laying around the house already – but I did see some Roller Derby outfits (derby team shirt + helmet & pads) too.
I had to link to this, I love the photo shoot idea.
http://weheartbooks.com/2010/08/21/a-harry-and-horsie-cake/
We have a batgirl dress (rather like a fairy dress but very bat-tish). Una went through a phase of wearing a superman top with cape but has sadly declared it too boyish. The girls often default to animals in their “super” play – supercat etc.
Love the costume. Pow. And hey, Buffy needed no cape.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-11766494
Like. Thanks.
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