Wow, I think they are a little off base.
Did you ever stop to think that maybe guys like the whole sexy look?
And maybe some woman can't get away with dressing sexy on a regular day - and they just want to.

Women wouldn't dress in the sexy-______ costume unless they wanted to - and many don't.
For the ones that do, let'm.

Most of the Sexy-_____ costumes are for going out to the bar anyways - it's not like they dress like that while at work.

Am I wrong here?
If I could pull off "Muscle Man Hunka hunka Burning Love Handsome Dude Stripper Guy with BowTie", I'd do it.

@Sagemind -- I think you are missing the point.

Or maybe -- rather -- Your second line is exactly the point. "Did you ever stop to think that maybe guys like the whole sexy look?" Good lord, as women we can't get away from what guys want. It should ONLY be what the women want to do.

It is about giving a different message to young women. Right now, they get inundated with one message only. This is what guys want. In magazines. In the movies. On television. (And yes, men are starting to be pressured in a similar way, but I don't see that as progress. I see that as the disease is spreading.)

I live in a town where "dressing up" everyday is frowned upon. Lots of "dressing down" here. When Halloween hits, the Sexy Everything shows up in spades. Men and women both. Then the next day, they go back to six layers and flannel. It's a great release, it's great fun.

You aren't the target audience, dear Sage. The target audience is young women who have never thought about being Louis CK. The target audience is young women who perhaps have never considered having their own fun with a costume, having their own self expression, rather than yet one more iteration of "this is what guys want."

What do THE YOUNG WOMEN want?

They choose sexy? Fine. They choose to be a paunchy balding ginger? What a hoot!

I hope lots of girls will dress in the sexy phone charger costume demonstrated in this video this year.

Yes, Yes, you are correct
I don't no why I wrote all that - I just had a moment of rebelling against political correctness.

The truth is, other than on TV, I've never seen anyone dress up as the sexy whatever costume - at least not to extreme (outside of maybe at night clubs aka. the bars). Most people I know are fun and reserved and not at all pretentious and actually come up with some very original costumes..

The best costumes are the scary ones where you can't even tell who is wearing the costume.
"Sexy" as a costume - IS NOT A COSTUME. I don't even know why women would bother with them. I assume it's because they are too cool and are too insecure to let anyone see them except at their best - even when "Best" is artificial and shallow.

(Disclaimer: I don't even know if this makes any sense, Sorry, I'm tired and my kids are all in room blasting Youtube videos - on two different computers, across the room - making it hard for me to think or form any coherent sentences.)

My real opinion is that from all the videos I've seen this year - people are over-thinking their costumes and Halloween. The truth is, the costume doesn't matter - It's how much fun you have that counts.

Also: A knife in a box of cereal does not make it a serial killer costume

>> ^bareboards2:

@Sagemind -- I think you are missing the point.
Or maybe -- rather -- Your second line is exactly the point. "Did you ever stop to think that maybe guys like the whole sexy look?" Good lord, as women we can't get away from what guys want. It should ONLY be what the women want to do.
It is about giving a different message to young women. Right now, they get inundated with one message only. This is what guys want. In magazines. In the movies. On television. (And yes, men are starting to be pressured in a similar way, but I don't see that as progress. I see that as the disease is spreading.)
I live in a town where "dressing up" everyday is frowned upon. Lots of "dressing down" here. When Halloween hits, the Sexy Everything shows up in spades. Men and women both. Then the next day, they go back to six layers and flannel. It's a great release, it's great fun.
You aren't the target audience, dear Sage. The target audience is young women who have never thought about being Louis CK. The target audience is young women who perhaps have never considered having their own fun with a costume, having their own self expression, rather than yet one more iteration of "this is what guys want."
What do THE YOUNG WOMEN want?
They choose sexy? Fine. They choose to be a paunchy balding ginger? What a hoot!

I'm not convinced that blatant, in-your-face PSAs like this one accomplish anything at all. It's too much like getting lectured by your parents...most kids (which includes the 20-somethings, in my book) tune it out as soon as it starts, especially those that could actually benefit from it.

You want to change the societal pressures? You need to use exactly the same approach that creates the current set...a constant, mostly subtle, stream of propaganda. As long as the exposure is 98% one-sided, guess what's going to be commonly adopted.

But it's hella amusing to me, so...
>> ^Stormsinger:

I'm not convinced that blatant, in-your-face PSAs like this one accomplish anything at all. It's too much like getting lectured by your parents...most kids (which includes the 20-somethings, in my book) tune it out as soon as it starts, especially those that could actually benefit from it.
You want to change the societal pressures? You need to use exactly the same approach that creates the current set...a constant, mostly subtle, stream of propaganda. As long as the exposure is 98% one-sided, guess what's going to be commonly adopted.

>> ^Stormsinger:

I'm not convinced that blatant, in-your-face PSAs like this one accomplish anything at all. It's too much like getting lectured by your parents...most kids (which includes the 20-somethings, in my book) tune it out as soon as it starts, especially those that could actually benefit from it.
You want to change the societal pressures? You need to use exactly the same approach that creates the current set...a constant, mostly subtle, stream of propaganda. As long as the exposure is 98% one-sided, guess what's going to be commonly adopted.

I'm not convinced that the aim of this was to be a PSA that changed every girls mind. Why can't it just be a funny youtube video about slutty halloween.

Anyway, in the UK every night may as well be halloween for all the girls dress. I've no idea what clubbing/bars etc look like in the states but over here the whole town center looks like a red light district. Not trying to slut shame, just thats what it looks like. So yah, halloween isn't a huge departure from the norm, as least for that whole scene.

I've no idea if girls feel a pressure to dress skimpy for halloween. I'd hope that those that do want to and understand what sort of attention that draws from men or that they just don't care. Is there really a lot of pressure from media/magazines/adverts etc in this regard? It strikes me more as peer pressure tbh. Like I said, in the UK its not at all limited to halloween. I have a theory to why this is case, but its quite long winded. It involves our alcohol problem/dependence and the british guys pathetic ability in regards to flirting/courtship. The mantle falls so heavily on girls to "put out" because us reserved englishmen are basically complete pussies without a couple of pints...and then we're mostly thinking with our dicks anyway.

So in short. Its mens fault. Wow I sound like such a feminist

It cracks me up, the men who are piping up about what they think the point of the vid is.

Why not just believe a woman who is telling you?

It's like a dogwhistle. Set at a pitch that men can't hear. You can see the face all puffed out with the effort of blowing the whistle, but you don't hear a dang thing. Even if a woman is standing there, pointing at the whistle and saying -- there is a whistle sound for me.

Trust me. This video is not aimed at men. It is aimed at young women who have crappy role models in the world and get really crappy messages from their media.

I agree with @Jinx about everything he wrote -- except for the first paragraph. Missed the target there. No PSA is going to hit 100% of its target, so the "every girls" is silly on the face of it. And he's going to have to believe me that this isn't just "a funny youtube video about slutty halloween." Tweet, Jinx. Tweet.

Adding video to channels (Hiphop) - requested by ant.

>> ^bareboards2:

It cracks me up, the men who are piping up about what they think the point of the vid is.
Why not just believe a woman who is telling you?
It's like a dogwhistle. Set at a pitch that men can't hear. You can see the face all puffed out with the effort of blowing the whistle, but you don't hear a dang thing. Even if a woman is standing there, pointing at the whistle and saying -- there is a whistle sound for me.
Trust me. This video is not aimed at men. It is aimed at young women who have crappy role models in the world and get really crappy messages from their media.
I agree with @Jinx about everything he wrote -- except for the first paragraph. Missed the target there. No PSA is going to hit 100% of its target, so the "every girls" is silly on the face of it. And he's going to have to believe me that this isn't just "a funny youtube video about slutty halloween." Tweet, Jinx. Tweet.

I don't disagree. It can be a video with a message. It can also just be a funny youtube video. I found it entertaining and it sure wasn't aimed at me. I guess what I'm trying to say is there is more than just whistle we can't hear.


also, tweet?

@Jinx, I was showing my age.... tweet, as in the sound a whistle makes. Not tweet as in twitter.

Sorry for the confusion!

OH MY DOG THIS IS SOOOO PERFECT!! "Never seen a cop with their tits out", "do you have sex with your pet"... *wipes away tears of laughter*

Guys, check this tumblr out (for the laughs, but also for the point): http://fucknosexisthalloweencostumes.tumblr.com/

*quality

Boosting this quality contribution up in the Hot Listing - declared quality by hpqp.

In my experience most of the girls that do that do it for fun. In fact, I was just at a party with one. It wasn't even a costume party, it was outdoors, it was cold, and yet she was a "sexy ninja panda." I don't think it had anything to do with any pressures, she just wanted to "look cute." It's fine that there be a message for girls that don't want to dress skimpy, but to be honest, she was the one that was ridiculed. These other girls were being complete bitches to her, when really she had just made a costume and wanted and excuse to show it off. Where's the video for girls that want to dress like that, want to think it's okay, and don't want to be told they are only doing it for men/outside pressures?

Page after page - that really hits the point home. This looks more like an issue with the marketing (as with most things) - It HAS gotten quite pathetic. I didn't realize it was that rampant.

>> ^hpqp:

OH MY DOG THIS IS SOOOO PERFECT!! "Never seen a cop with their tits out", "do you have sex with your pet"... wipes away tears of laughter
Guys, check this tumblr out (for the laughs, but also for the point): http://fucknosexisthalloweencostumes.tumblr.com/
quality

http://fucknosexisthalloweencostumes.tumblr.com/

@bmac27

I'm confused. How is that supposed to address my point? I'm saying I've seen many more girls ridiculed and shamed for "dressing slutty" on halloween than I have seen girls shamed for wearing something more modest. It's frustrating that there is this assumption about the motivations of girls that choose to dress in a particular way. I don't understand how assuming they are dressing to please men is any different from the logic that leads rapists to assume women have implicitly consented based on their dress. The video implicitly makes that assumption. That is, it assumes girls are doing this for externally motivated reasons rather than intrinsically motivated reasons. I've never found that to be the case. Most often the girls enjoy "looking cute" and all of the attention that brings with it. The snarky tone of this video suggests that those somehow aren't valid motivations, and instead self-respecting girls should aspire to some higher set of values. In other words, the video seems to have the agenda of slut shaming. I think that's bogus. Your link is dumb because the girl I was talking about didn't buy her costume. She put it together from her wardrobe, painting the mask and everything. I think the prevalence of "sexy _____" costumes has more to do with market driven realities (i.e. how women like to look) than by some externally imposed patriarchal agenda.

>> ^bareboards2:

http://fucknosexisthalloweencostumes.tumblr.com/
@bmac27

OK, to be the advocate for sexism or whatever here (please forgive me)

As long as men continue to like sexy girls, or sexy things or girls or get turned on in the smallest way by girls and especially when they are sexy...

And as long as there are girls out there who want to be noticed, or get some attention, or feel admiration, or feel wanted, or seek the approval of others for one reason or another....

There will always be a market that uses and exploits that piece of human biological urgings to make money and sell stuff.

And in turn, as long as it continues to sell and make money, they will not only continue to do it, but increase it's existence in the market to the point where they influence society or they cause violent backlash. The fact is as long as there is the urge to seek out sexy/attractive women in hopes of finding a suitable mate, men will not be part of the backlash unless society shames all men for being who they biologically are.

The harm comes when men cease to look past the costuming and fail to see the real human being and emotions behind the facade. Any man who has been in a long-time relationship can identify with this. It's all fun and games until time passes and life gets serious, kids are made (and loved) and your relationship evolves past the "only for sex" attraction. Some women will continue to dress for or tease their man, but most get tired of the charade because they want to bee seen for something other than their body (which has gone through many life-changes and may no longer reflect who they are or want to be). Men in turn, have a hard time dealing with this because although they love full on, their hormones continue to rage, even after women mature and want something deeper - emotionally.

Although me do mature emotionally as well, our hormones still dictate to us. So my point is, like it or not, men are attracted to females, and if the females make themselves look more attractive, then our response doubles. Even if we don't act upon it, the biological attraction still exists.

...And there will almost always be someone there to exploit that.

@Sagemind. THIS ISN'T ABOUT WHAT MEN WANT.

Some of you guys keep bringing it back to WHAT MEN WANT.

And that is EXACTLY what this video is trying to get across.

GIVE IT A BREAK. EVERY MOMENT DOESN'T HAVE TO DO WITH THE PENIS.

Be Louis CK for a night, for god's sake! Do something for YOURSELF, not for that guy over there.

Which DOES NOT mean never do something for that guy over there. BUT GIVE IT A BREAK.

I swear. THE WORLD DOES NOT REVOLVE AROUND THE PENIS.

I have spoken.

>> ^bareboards2:

@Sagemind. THIS ISN'T ABOUT WHAT MEN WANT.
Some of you guys keep bringing it back to WHAT MEN WANT.
And that is EXACTLY what this video is trying to get across.
GIVE IT A BREAK. EVERY MOMENT DOESN'T HAVE TO DO WITH THE PENIS.
Be Louis CK for a night, for god's sake! Do something for YOURSELF, not for that guy over there.
Which DOES NOT mean never do something for that guy over there. BUT GIVE IT A BREAK.
I swear. THE WORLD DOES NOT REVOLVE AROUND THE PENIS.
I have spoken.


totally agree.
it has little to do with the penis and everything to do with attention.
and dressing sexy will garner a girl far more attention than her ability to extrapolate the differences between hegel and jung,or recite emerson.

attention is addictive.especially to young women.and it can be an extremely destructive force.

the fact that the object for said attention happens to have a penis attached to it is actually secondary.the attention is the primary reason for revealing garments.

@enoch -- interesting points. But your points are internally inconsistent in being in "total agreement" with my post.

You are saying that it has nothing to do with the penis, when in fact your entire comment is about getting men's attention, not attention in general.

There is also something deeply disturbing that young women are apparently not as strong as men, because men don't do things to get attention, that they aren't addicted to attention seeking behaviors.

As if. Insurance rates for male drivers under age 25 dispute that notion.

So yet again, comments are being made, from men, about how women are striving for men's attention.

Which is what the video is trying to supplant -- strive for something else, in the context of Halloween. Halloween doesn't have to be just about sex. It can be about looking like Louis CK and having a blast being silly.

It is about seeing and acting on different choices in the world.

@bareboards2
you totally misunderstood my comment.
my point is that it is the ATTENTION that is the main focus,not the penis.

let me try this another way.

what if the girl was lesbian?
would male attention be her focus?
seewhatimsaying?

this attention seeking behavior usually starts young,when a young girl is unsure,insecure and vulnerable.(just like every other teen).
maybe they were the first girl in class to sprout boobs.
maybe she was a late bloomer and was nerdy and gangly all through high school.

in any scenario you wish to portray there will always be the common denominator that at one point she began to receive attention and that attention validated her as desirable,sexy even.
this may have led to dressing more "sexy" to garner even more attention.

the danger here is that the beauty of youth is transitory....it always results in entropy and if a woman finds validation solely in the form of attention,she will find it harder and harder to get the validation she has become accustomed to receiving.
this may lead to even more dramatic practices i.e:higher degree of provocative dress.bargaining flirtations for sexual promiscuity.actively seeking attention by way of nightclubs,bars and other venues where a source of attention may congregated.

we all wish to be desirable in one way or another and attention can be a powerful validation that we are desirable.the problem arises when the girl/guy is unaware of their own motivations to be validated and in the process allows themselves to become objects rather than human beings.

attention=validation *no penis required

men can be just as vulnerable to this validation seeking but our culture does not impose the same amount of pressure that young women have to endure and ultimately over-come.

what i believe you are saying,and its a point i agree with.is that young women should be more self-aware and be comfortable with who they are rather than what society thinks they should be.

the fact that i am male should not automatically disqualify me from expressing an opinion on female matters.i may fall short due to not owning a uterus but i feel my point is valid

>> ^bareboards2:

Good lord, as women we can't get away from what guys want. It should ONLY be what the women want to do.

I live in a town where "dressing up" everyday is frowned upon.


Here in-lies the flaw in attempting to promote the concept of personal choice by actively supporting the opposite of the current status quo in a given situation, whatever that may be.

If achieving an alternative to a given issue is ones primary goal, clearly stating so is conducive to clear communication, debate, and the exchange of ideas.

If promoting the concept of personal choice in a given issue is ones primary goal, clearly stating so is conducive to clear communication, debate, and the exchange of ideas.

If maintaining the current status quo in a given issue is ones primary goal, clearly stating so is conducive to clear communication, debate, and the exchange of ideas.

One can not have multiple primary goals, and to combine them creates an argument that is not only contradictory, but is less than the sum of it's parts.

>> ^bareboards2:

As if. Insurance rates for male drivers under age 25 dispute that notion.

Incorrect. While one may be able to argue that attention seeking behavior contributes to this phenomenon, it would be incorrect to state it is the cause. If you would like to state that it is the sole cause of increased insurance prices, you would be required to cite your data.

In reality, the need for increased aggressive and competitive tendencies in males, particularly in those in a prime stage chronologically, is a result of the need to assure that the most physically ideal male is granted reproductive precedence in a biological capacity. This is the primary reasoning behind said insurance rates.

@Murgy -- this comment stream is rife with statements about women's behavior which can be traced back to evolutionary imperatives.

Of course you are correct.

As am I, in the context of this comment stream.

We be humans, baby. Not equations. We are a messy set of conflicting urges and needs, lizard brain versus frontal cortex (or whatever, I don't know my brain anatomy and don't care to do the research to get this statement exactly correct.)

Men and women both.


>> ^Murgy:

>> ^bareboards2:
Good lord, as women we can't get away from what guys want. It should ONLY be what the women want to do.
I live in a town where "dressing up" everyday is frowned upon.

Here in-lies the flaw in attempting to promote the concept of personal choice by actively supporting the opposite of the current status quo in a given situation, whatever that may be.
If achieving an alternative to a given issue is ones primary goal, clearly stating so is conducive to clear communication, debate, and the exchange of ideas.
If promoting the concept of personal choice in a given issue is ones primary goal, clearly stating so is conducive to clear communication, debate, and the exchange of ideas.
If maintaining the current status quo in a given issue is ones primary goal, clearly stating so is conducive to clear communication, debate, and the exchange of ideas.
One can not have multiple primary goals, and to combine them creates an argument that is not only contradictory, but is less than the sum of it's parts.

@enoch, I understood your point. I just don't agree with it.

It's an interesting conversation, one I wish we could all have in person as typing is so cumbersome at times.

It's not only about the testosterone which guides the male libido (The penis has nothing to do with it - unless the entire process actually leads to sex - which it can - but most often it doesn't)

It IS, as Enoch points out, about attention. As long as the process of flashing the colourful feathers, gets the attention that is needed, then the individual is validated.

Just a glance or a stare can be enough to bolster a girls confidence (from a male, a female, a family member, a boss or whoever.) And if wearing the right shoes does the trick the validation is achieved. If wearing designer labels works, then validation is achieved. If being seen in a Lamborghini does the trick, then validation is achieved. Everyone has triggers. Sometimes they are emotional triggers brought on by personal trauma - sometimes they are learned triggers brought on by advertizing and society.

Male or female, Validation is all anyone ever wants. Those that have had constant validation in their lives, may not be a slave to the process. But in a society where advertisers constantly try to make us feel like we are not good enough so that they can create a market based on everyone's self image this is the way things work.

If it didn't work so well, they wouldn't do it. I work in advertising. I have been trained to find a way to sell things to people that they don't need. The problem is, I'm a cynic and I can't do it. So every time I have to do it, I find a way around it. That's why I now work at a college (a microcosm of political correctness where I don't have to sell stuff using sex - in fact we go out of our way not to)

So there are two sides to this equation:
1). There is the side where everyone seeks validation either emotionally, physically or by accomplishment.
2). And there is the side where advertising exploits our biological AND emotional needs to sell stuff.

Although they are two very different things, they form a symbiotic relationship and feed off each other.

I know that @bareboards2, you are trying to say, that this "advertising" needs to stop. And ideally, you are right. If you find a way to stop it all let us know. But I also know that this type of marketing is so targeted to our needs at the most basic levels, that this type of thing will never go away. Our personal needs, and desires need it too badly.

To try to explain all this is difficult - I trained for 6-years in art school to manipulate what people see and how to make them see what I want them to see. How to lead them and bring them to my way of thinking through visual media. Advertising is an attack and a science into your needs, sensibilities, emotions and psychological image of your self.

I expect the only way to battle media is through media - The person with the most media and money wins. (it's a propaganda war)

If you want to delve deeper into the psychology of it all - It's an in-depth study - here is a place to start. Start with John Berger's, "Ways of Seeing".
http://videosift.com/video/John-Berger-Art-Critic-interview
http://videosift.com/video/Ways-of-seeing-John-Berger (first episode of four)
http://videosift.com/video/WAYS-OF-SEEING-final-episode-vertising (final episode - Advertising).
The book starts with classical art and leads right up into modern advertising. Check Amazon for reviews.

Have to say, love the video, love the message that they are trying to get across that women have more options than the standard sexy-whatever on Halloween. Thanks for the vid.

But also this (while, parts of this anyway.. not sure if I buy the Mary Magdalene bit):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RPPsf-Mi8FY

Women shouldn't criticize each others dress - this is divisive, not unifying. Also it just validates patriarchal notions of the chaste-loose binary and further sexualizes women's bodies. Revealing costumes are not always meant to be provocative, and even if they are, so what? Women should be free to express their sexuality without criticism from men or other women - anything else is repressive.

And I don't think the video is overtly trying to be critical of women who chose to dress "sexy", but I can't help but wonder if its underlying message is perhaps just that.

Overall I think it is a good video, showing women (perhaps young women in particular) that there are options beyond the types of costumes they may feel pressured into wearing. However, I think we also have to be careful not to fall into the same trap of categorizing women who chose to wear these costumes as shallow, sexually irresponsible, immoral or whatever other social meanings go into phrases like "keep your tits in".

I guess what I'm trying to say is that if the message is simply "make your own choices and don't let society pressure you into being sexually objectified" then cool. But let's not hate on the women who choose to express their sexuality in the process.

but yeah.. I do like the video, just had to add my small stipulation