In Defense of the Sexy Movement

Since I inadvertantly found this essay I wrote a few years back and with Halloween not too far off, I figured I'd share it. My opinion is largely unchanged on the matter (as is society's) but some of the stuff in here is just filler bullshit because it had a length requirement. It should be pretty easy to tell so just ignore those parts:

28 April 2008
In Defense of the “Sexy Movement”
It has been brought to my attention that many people these days are up in arms about the increasingly “inappropriate” clothing of today’s young girls. This was presented to me in the form of incessant news reports and talk shows discussing the newer and, supposedly, “sexier” Halloween costumes for little girls. Others are rambling on about the sexier and sexier casual wear of young girls. The question that this raises is “What makes it ‘Inappropriate?’” One could certainly make the argument that girls’ short-shorts with the word “juicy” emblazoned across the butt or the, so-called, “kiddy thongs” with phrases like “eye candy” or “sweet thang” written on them are sending our girls the wrong message about sexuality, but what makes it the wrong message? Why is open sexuality considered improper in general and who are the people of the free-love generation to comment? Why do people label young girls who dress in such a manner as “prostitots?” Why the overwhelming concern over something as trivial as the clothes that someone is wearing? As an up and coming historian and anthropologist, I feel that is necessary for someone to make some kind of definitive argument; therefore, I would like to take up arms myself in the defense of, what I call, the “Sexy Movement.”

“Halloween has become just an excuse for little girls to dress like sluts.” - Celia Rivenbark

A recurring issue concerning girls’ clothes is Halloween costumes. This concern over sexy costumes began, not with little girls, but with teens and young adults. However, recently, several of the costumes that were previously reserved for older girls have been miniaturized for girls of a younger age. Many people say that such costumes are too sexy for girls their age, but what do they mean? Newsweek journalist, Matthew Phillips wrote an article entitled “Eye Candy” in which he cites a “sexy” Little Bo Peep costume which “comes complete with a corset, knee-length skirt, and a lacy petticoat.” Setting aside the fact that this costume is entirely period specific and accurate, he uses it to claim that all Halloween costumes are getting this way. This, however, does not represent all, or even most, costumes on the market. Despite this, many still use it and other similar costumes (the “Major Flirt” and the sexy “Pirate” costume come to mind) as examples of the downward spiral of western society.
Many people, especially parents, seem to think that if a girl wears a sexy costume, it puts her in danger of being attacked by a sexual predator, however, she is in no more danger than any other young girl out for the night. Furthermore, even if a young girl is wearing a sexy costume on Halloween, she is still probably A: With a responsible adult who is either a parent or someone that the parents trust, B: With a larger group that probably includes some older children, C: At a friend’s, or even their own, house for some kind of party where at least one parent is present, D: Not Trick-or-Treating, but staying home and handing out candy to others, thus removing her from many of the dangers that could befall her. The costume, sexy or not, makes no great difference.
Many feel that sexy costumes are entirely unnecessary for a holiday designed for children, even if those wearing the costumes are not children themselves, but the fact is that Halloween was not designed for children. The modern concept evolved from a pagan holiday by the name of Samhain (pronounced sow-in in Gaelic). Because of this, some members of the ultra-conservative-Christian community have chosen to believe that Halloween is a holiday for devil-worshipers, but what they fail to take into consideration is that Christmas as we know it today also evolved from a pagan holiday (Yule), but that is an argument for another day. The point is that Halloween, and other holidays like it, are normal adaptive strategies that have allowed us to keep order over the centuries. Halloween and Carnival both serve as safe releases for the things that we want to do which are generally considered to be wrong, or even taboo in some cases. Halloween allows us to step outside of our societal frame and simply enjoy ourselves. We place our trust in strangers and take on personas (Latin for “masks”) that are different than the ones that we project, and yet may still be a facet of our own personalities that we usually suppress. As we live in a sexually repressed society, many choose Halloween as a way of expressing their pent up sexual tension by wearing a sexy costume.

Why then do young girls, who should have no sexual tension, dress this way as well?

The answer is, simply, human nature. Specifically, the nature of girls. It is natural for a girl, no matter her age, to want to be considered beautiful, however, the only standards a girl has are those of the previous generations. It is normal, and expected, for younger girls to emulate older girls. As a direct and measurable, result of this, girls are beginning to use cosmetics at younger and younger ages. This phenomenon will only continue as time progresses. This is also the reason why they dress in a more “adult” manner at earlier ages. They have yet to understand the negative connotations usually associated with said clothing and, therefore, see no problems with it. Also, this emulation of previous generations is how fashion evolves. The next generation takes several things from the previous generation and then adds its own flair much the same way that music evolves.

What is the Real Issue Here?

Although Halloween costumes are an important point, the big issue here is girls’ clothing in general. As of late, girls’ clothes have become more and more revealing, or at least that is what people want you to believe. As is the case with many other things, (crimes, drug abuse, sexual harassment, lawsuits, etc.) the media only shows the most extreme cases of “sexy” clothing. However, I , and many others, have difficulty accepting their definition of “sexy” as it is a commonly held belief that the sexiness of an outfit is determined by how revealing or tight the clothes are. Those that say this also argue that girls who dress this way are more likely to be attacked by a predator. In response to such statements, some parents become overprotective and try to shelter their children from the outside world and ultimately end up hurting their kids rather than helping them.
In an attempt to alleviate these concerns, many schools have incited strict dress codes or even uniforms. However, the assumption that revealing clothes makes a sexy girl is usually wrong. As it stands, the sexiness of an outfit actually means how alluring or seductive the girl wearing said outfit appears in it. Following this logic even further, it would probably be acceptable to say that an outfit’s sexiness is sometimes more determined by what skin is shown rather than how much as certain skin is more appealing to some people and certain outfits compliment specific parts of the body. Simply baring a mid-riff or showing the leg does not necessarily make a girl, young or old, more appealing. In truth, a young girl wearing, what is considered to be, “adult” clothing is probably less likely to be attacked by a sexual predator because most pedophiles are attracted to the “innocence” or “purity” of a young girl and, as a result of this, are actually turned off by such perceived promiscuity. Furthermore, the innocence factor is actually more important to many pedophiles than even the gender of the child as inappropriately dressed girls are seen as “tainted” or “undesirable” by society at large, not just predators. As it is, a young girl in innocent clothing just becomes all the more alluring to many people. Nowhere is this more evident than in the infamous Schoolgirl fetish.
I defy anybody to find a heterosexual male who is not attracted to a Schoolgirl in some way. I myself am affected. Putting girls in uniform has actually made them more appealing to many people. “Why is this?” you ask. It is possible, and entirely likely, that this is because the amount of skin shown is limited, usually to the area around the knee or maybe the calf depending on what type of socks the girl is wearing, leaving an air of mystery. A mystery that many would like to solve. In fact, one could say that, at least in the realm of school uniforms, the amount of skin shown and the allure of the girl are inversely related. As one increases, the other decreases. This is not limited to young girls by any means as you can put almost any girl in uniform and she becomes sexier. The same could be said about the increasingly popular Gothic and Lolita style which is based on children’s clothes of the Victorian Age . In fact, this particular infatuation involves adding even more layers. These elaborate clothes help to accentuate a girl’s cuteness, fragility, and, again, her purity.
These newer movements are reflected in popular culture along with other styles, including the more “adult” ones like shorter skirts and mid-riff baring shirts, where they are spread to the masses even further. Girls see these things, many like them, several try them out. Nothing more, nothing less. Young girls are not the only perpetrators. Each generation wears sexier clothing than the previous one.

The other side of the coin.

I would be lying if I said that revealing clothing can not make a young girl more appealing to someone, but it is probably not for the reasons that you might think. Sometimes, such clothing helps to accentuate the “innocence” factor because the girl is unaware that she is “letting it all hang out” or that such clothes are deemed inappropriate. However, a pedophile is a pedophile is a pedophile. Though they may, or may not, be less attracted to adult clothing, they are still attracted to young children. Whether a girl wears sexy clothes or not does not change a predator’s position; therefore, stressing such things is pointless as your daughter is still more desirable than any adult woman .

Why, then, do people call these girls “prostitots?”

To me, the term “prostitot” makes it sound as though these girls are soliciting themselves simply because they can. Someone will say that a girl is dressing like a slut, but what kind of clothing constitutes “slut-like?” What is more, I was unaware that all sluts wore a common uniform. According to many “credible” news sources (CNN, NBC, ABC, etc.), any clothing that accentuates a girl’s bodily features (legs, butt, bust, etc.) in a way that is arousing is sluttish; however, as I stated before, covering up can accentuate the body. The fact is that none of a girl’s peers would perceive her as sluttish solely on her clothing without being explicitly told by their parents that dressing in such a way is immoral.
Another thing to consider is how fervently those who are against this evolution disagree with the movement. They coin terms like “prostitots” and “baby booty” in an effort to whip up sentiment and get a point across, but they ultimately end up incriminating themselves. By saying that young girls are dressing too sexy, one acknowledges that young girls have the potential to be sexy. Were this not the case, this issue would not be brought up as it is the person that makes the outfit sexy, not the other way around. Take the professional modeling industry as an example. Only professional models can pull off many of the outlandish looks that we see on the catwalk, that is why they are employed. When one’s body type does not agree with their outfit, the outfit ceases to be sexy. One who is not attracted to young girls at all would not care what the girl was wearing as they would not be looking at her. When one considers that most pedophiles are attracted to the innocence of a young girl, and the most fervent opponents say that they are “protecting the innocence” of our young girls by keeping them in nice dresses and conservative clothing, one has to wonder just how much these opponents are really “on the side of justice.”

What about the boys?

Another factor in this “battle of the sexy” is the double-standard against females. A Speedo on a twelve-year-old boy is fine, but a bikini on a twelve-year-old girl is atrocious. A five-year-old boy running around in his underwear is playful, but a five-year-old girl doing the same is filthy. These are outdated throwbacks to the days of the medieval period wherein the men are expected to be open and exuberant while the women are to remain quiet, modest and subservient. To this day people use terms like “ladylike” or “tomboyish” to describe girls and boys will say to each other that one throws or fights like a girl. Even though almost no sexual dimorphism (differentiation between sex without regard to sex organs) exists between young boys and girls, we still hold them to various gender roles and definitions.
Some of the worst offenders of this double-standard are, surprisingly, feminists. They claim that women are equal to, and in some cases better than, men and should be treated as such and that women should not be judged solely on their appearance, but when a girl wants to dress in a manner that happens to be pleasing to a man, they say that she is a subservient, chauvinistic, slut and a detriment to women everywhere. This supports the idea that women should be held to some sort of standard while men should not. This contradicts their protests about the objectification of women. In short, one should practice what they preach.

So what IS the problem anyway?

The “problem” of the sexy movement goes much deeper than the clothes that young girls are wearing. It is based in the very deepest roots of our society as a whole. As long as we hold on to these preconceived notions about how a person of a particular gender should act, women will always get the short end of the stick. However, in regard to the matter at hand, clothes are just changing in a way that older generations perceive to be sexy and, therefore, wrong. Styles are just changing and have been following this trend for decades. In the 1920s and 1930s, flappers were scorned because they showed their calves. In the 1950s, girls were chastised for showing their knees. In the sixties, women were despised for wearing pants (or nothing at all in some cases). Each of these generations of women was looked down upon by the previous generation who were, themselves, looked down upon by the generation before them. These changes in fashion should be celebrated rather than reviled as they are indicative of change in our society. As women get closer and closer to true social equality, they are allowed, by their peers, to dress in increasingly “inappropriate” clothes. Despite this, many try to stunt the growth of this movement with things like “tradition” or “values” and claim that this movement is the cause for the destruction of these values. This is vaguely reminiscent of the Holocaust and opponents to the movement are offering up “final solutions to the ‘sexy’ question” in an attempt to protect their “values.”
The sexy movement is part of the natural course of human societal evolution, therefore, fighting it is pointless. The next time you think someone’s skirt is too short think about how your parents’ generation thought about how you and your friends dressed and acted. The next time you hear someone say that, ask them the same thing. I’m certain that you will come to the same conclusion. In the end, we should allow people to dress as they please without fear of judgment just as we should allow people to freely practice their own religion or to express what they think through various means. After all, this is America.