Whenever Halloween comes to mind, we typically envision pumpkins illuminated with carved expressions, Charles Schultz’s beloved Peanuts gang, haunted houses and asylums, ghosts and gouls, Hershey Bars and other assorted delicious candies, Stephen King, and the list goes on. Halloween is indeed one of the most spontaneous yet alluring holidays of the year. It offers an outlet for imagination, especially for children who deeply want to emulate their heroes and idols such as Elsa and Spiderman, and it also provides a means of excess for adults seeking a thrilling night of tasty alcohol beverages and the company of great friends all while dressed like Fred Flintstone or Madonna. Yes, Halloween is wild, thrilling, hilarious, and frequently adrenaline-rushing at times; however, frights and the celebratory exchange of trick or treat haven’t been the only reason our blood has been pumping this season. September through early October, Halloween has been the subject of tabloids, specifically pertaining to attire.
“Generally speaking, real life uniformed female police officers do not wear short skirts and low-cut shirts,” a furious mother of one exclaimed on Facebook through an open letter directed to Party City. Pleading to Party City to prevent further marketing of sexualized Halloween costumes for children, the angry mother who later identified herself as Lin Kramer, a former employee, clarified in her Sept. 14 post that she was absolutely disgusted by the numerous options made available to her three-year-old daughter on the store’s inventory when she carefully ruminated the toddler costumes section.
“While Halloween costumes are undoubtedly about ‘make-believe,’ it is unfathomable that toddler girls and boys who might be interested in dressing up as police officers are seeking to imagine themselves in the incongruent way your business apparently imagines them,” Kramer confounded. “Toddler girls are not imagining and hoping that they will grow up to become a ‘sexy cop’…Please, Party City, open up your view of the world and redesign your marketing scheme to let kids be kids, without imposing on them antiquated views of gender roles.”
Party City responded to the open letter, however not in the fashion Kramer had intended. The company deleted Kramer’s post and the comments that accompanied it as well as blocked her from utilizing Party City’s page. In turn, Kramer responded with a follow-up status on Facebook stating, “they ignited the passion of people who already had an interest in seeing this particular change happen.”
In a statement issued by Party City, the retail supplier assured clientele that “nothing we carry is meant to be offensive,” as the corporation described in a Facebook comment that Kramer’s original open letter was immediately removed against corporate policy by terminated staff.
“We expect parents to be as involved in their children’s costume selections as they are in selecting their everyday wardrobe, and we encourage parents to shop with their children. We supply the types of products that our customers, and specifically parents, demand.”
The scandalous policewoman outfit that Kramer addresses is “one of [their] most popular costumes.” That’s a takeaway Kramer is counting on. “I look forward to one day sharing with my daughter this story,” she wrote on Facebook about her costume crusade, “of how I genuinely tried my very best to make this world a better place for her.”
Founded by business pundit, Steve Mandell in East Hanover Party City, has been the pivot of holiday décor and festivity supplies for nearly 30 years now as it holds the distinct reputation as being one of the largest American publicly traded retail chains to carry party-oriented goods operating over 900 company-owned and franchise outlets. For a company that prides itself in philanthropy by giving back to the community through its subsidiaries such as PartyCityCares and expanding their endeavors further into the sponsorship of PBS programs including Sesame Street, Party City’s response to Kramer’s outcry appears to have squeezed the corporation into a compromising position. While I can understand that Party City is unwilling to remove the costume from its shelves due to the production costs of fabric and textile labor expenses, the company has been outmanned and outmaneuvered by this glaring revelation that negatively reflects on their contributions to the community. Charity and carnality don’t mix well together nor does business and pleasure especially for PBS who’s longtime program, Sesame Street, has narrowly dodged allegations of lust in past when puppeteer, Kevin Clash was charged with sexual impropriety. Puppets aside, Party City has slightly jeopardized their image in defense of the costume.
The fact that Party City is standing by a product that spews greed and tastelessness is similar to the West Chester University bookstore’s recent debacle regarding the inflatable sex dolls. That being said, Party City could easily discontinue the product and suffer some minor fiscal repercussions. They have nothing to lose if you look at the issue from a public relations standpoint. Party City makes most of its revenue in costume sales that primarily advertise franchises such as Marvel and Disney and to keep a costume that not only is unaffiliated with the flagship charters but spouts suggestiveness and carnal knowledge.
Although the costume is nowhere near the magnitude of say a disturbing infant Hooters outfit that sparked mass uproar in 2012, it makes us question what is safe and fun for our children anymore. It allows us to ponder as to whether there is truth in the community branch PartyCityCare.
In an appalling era where 16-year- olds look and dress like 21-year-olds, one can only speculate where this behavior stems from. Whether it is poor parenting, smart technology, or cultural influence, this oversexualized tone found in today’s society must end. We are at a point in our history where we are no longer tough enough on our children and no longer cautious of where they venture. Children are now indulging in adult culture and lingo earlier in their development to the extent where emulating the mannerisms of Jenna Jameson or Kim Kardashian is prevalent. Party City’s unapologetic response unfortunately illustrates yet another chapter in our present epoch of child escalation.
Drew Mattiola is a fourth-year student majoring in communication studies. He can be reached at RM814408@wcupa.edu.