Tuesday, October 15, 2013

Who's afraid of the big, bad Quinn?

Halloween costumes!  One down!  October has a lot going on for us, so I asked the kids to figure out what they wanted to be for Halloween early.  Quinn wanted to be a wolf.

He seems happy with it, although he says he'd like the nose area on the mask to be more comfortable.  Originally I just made a little snout with elastic to wrap behind his head, but the angle with his head shape was all wrong and it just wouldn't stay.



So I had to switch to a mask over the eyes and add to that instead.  I cut the snout out of foam and just glued fabric around it.  The teeth are made of model magic clay because we happened to have a bunch of that lying around.
Mona is going to be a bat.  But her idea of a bat is based on how Aden was once a bat, and when Aden was a bat Ian was deployed and I was hugely pregnant and didn't feel up to a lot of sewing so we just bought wings and she wore black clothes and all I had to make was the hood with ears.  So even though I offered to make Mona wings, she wanted the same kind of wings her sister had, and the only place we could find them was online and we are still waiting for those to arrive.  The head part is done, though, so technically I guess I'm finished with Mona's costume, too.

Aden has yet to decide.  She says she's just not inspired, so she may end up in her kangaroo costume from last year.  At first she thought she should be an owl, then she considered being a fox, and the latest idea is a harpy eagle.  I told her all of those sound fine, but she needs to give me a day or two to make whatever it is so deciding soon would be appreciated, please.  We'll see.

A quick note about the depressing number of "sexy" costumes.  It's a topic that's been discussed to death everywhere, so there's not much for me to add I suppose, but it was deeply depressing to go into Halloween Express with the kids trying to find bat wings for Mona.  There were hundreds and hundreds of costumes for women that were all short skirts and skimpy things that looked about the same and it was awful.  No variety, no other options.  Pretty much the message is that if you are a woman you are supposed to be a sex object for Halloween or you are on your own.

The girl costumes at Target weren't really any better.  They were all sparkly and/or pink.  They have Dorothy from the Wizard of Oz, but it's sparkly.  They have Spider and Super Girl costumes, but they are pink (and come with press-on pink nails).  The worst?  Was Merida's bow and arrow from Brave were covered in glitter.  My kids were appalled.  They kept saying, "But she didn't want to be a sparkly princess!"  How come my six-year-old understands that, but the makers of the Brave merchandise don't?

I don't have a problem with sexy costumes being available, or sparkly pink things.  But why take the few things that aren't that way and smush them into that same mold?  There are plenty of sparkly princesses to choose from without adding Merida to the mix.  Why do they all have to be the same?  Doesn't it make sense from a marketing standpoint to maybe appeal to other kids too, thereby selling to yet more kids?  And what if you're a woman who doesn't want to wear a miniskirt for Halloween?  Why is that inconceivable?  (Especially in Wisconsin in October?  Come on.)

Ugh.  Anyway, as long as I can fake my way around a sewing machine we don't really have to worry about what's out there.  Except for Mona's bat wings which better arrive soon.

Doesn't Quinn make a cute wolf?  He insists he isn't big or bad, though.  He's a nice wolf.  And he likes being furry and having a tail.  (I just like him happy.)
Looking forward to Halloween!

10 comments:

  1. I may make wreaths, but your talents are fall more practical and useful. I wish I could fake my way around a sewing machine...:o) Quinn's costume is fabulous and he makes an utterly adorable not big nor bad wolf. :o)

    Hoochieween? I'm tired of it. :sigh: I agree with all you wrote up to and including sparkly princesses who had no desire to be such a thing.

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  2. I understand that completely! I went to Party City to pick up Forrest's Halloween costume, and searched for mine. I wanted to be a scarecrow, and could NOT find anything on it. They only had that costume for men. Come on. That was sending a message to women that they were unable to adopt "masculine" costumes because they should remain to the role of being "sexy". How irritating. I have had to really search through Pinterest for ideas for my costume. Fortunately, I was able to get ideas to piece my costume together. It's sad.

    This is one of few reasons why I am very eager to get a sewing machine this Christmas. Then I can sew costumes as I see fit for my kid, and myself. :P

    BTW, I love your costume for Quinn. So awesome!!! I can't wait to see rest of your children's costumes. :)

    PS: I understand totally about it being WI, and it being way too cold for miniskirts, and all that sexy thin costumes....not so fitting. *eye roll*

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  3. That wolf costume is absolutely awesome. I love the mask and especially the teeth. I can't wait to show the kids when they get home. 2 of my guys are secret agent/FBI agents, 1 is the bad guy they are catching, and 1 green M&M.

    I am DONE with all of the hoochie outfits. What is suprising to me is that moms are usually the ones buying the costumes. You would think their consumer power would be able to sway the trend. While we've had to buy accessories for some costumes I'm all about the homemade outfits. Wait, there was that one year we bought a pokemon outfit because Aidan wanted to be pikachu and I couldn't figure it out (or was just lazy) :)

    Can't wait to see the pics of the other 2 costumes!

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  4. Beautiful! I so enjoy seeing what you and the kids come up with each year. I'm going to miss t-or-t this year :( I have to be in Minn. for a conferance. I'm so sad about that.

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  5. 1. You are an amazing costume maker! I agree with taigsgirl -- It really is fun to see your costumes each year.

    2. Amen to the girly / sparkly / sexy costume thing. It really is pathetic. Clio is being a skeleton this year -- and yes, there are sexy / girly skeleton costumes, believe it or not; we went with a "boy's" skeleton costume, which is so silly when you think about it. Elsa is being Harry Potter. Not Hermione, or sparkly Hermione, or sexy Hermione. Just good ole Harry Potter. Bullet(s) dodged for one more year....

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    1. Aw, you guys are all so nice. But none of my costumes should be looked at too closely. A real seamstress would be horrified by my goofy zipper work alone.

      We actually saw a "sexy wolf" costume at the Halloween store. It took a minute to figure out what made it a wolf. The tail? It was beyond stupid.

      Skeletons only in the boy section made me laugh! Because girls don't have skeletons. We are invertebrates, apparently. Sexy, sexy invertebrates.

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  6. This is really gorgeous...would not call if faking your way around a sewing machine!

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  7. Super impressed! You are more talented than you realize!

    I just don't understand the weirdness that has been created for girls and women surrounding Halloween. I can't fathom how glitter and sparkle has to be incorporated into every female costume.

    We're going as a family of gender-neutral crayons this year - complete with skeletons. ("Sexy, sexy invertebrates" made me LOL!)

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  8. Your kids are amazing. I know who they take after.

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    1. If they're lucky, their grandma. (But thanks! You are so kind.)

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