Good Girls Gone Bad for Halloween: 13 Sexiest Costumes for Women

The New York Times has posted an article on the rise of risque Halloween costumes for women. The central thesis is that Halloween offers an opportunity for “Good Girls” to dress bad for a day without risking any social consequences. The aritcle quotes a mildly disapproving Dr. Adie Nelson, who wrote an article about gender stereotype embodied in women’s Halloween costumes, but women customers seem unconcerned by charges of sexism.

Rebecca Colby, 28, a library clerk in Milwaukee, said the appeal of sexy costumes lies in escaping the workaday, ho-hum dress code.

“I’m not normally going to wear a corset to go out,” said Ms. Colby, who has masqueraded as a Gothic witch with a low-cut bodice, a minidress-wearing bumblebee, a flapper and, this year, most likely, a “vixen pirate.”

“Even though you’re in a costume when you go out to a party in a bar or something, you still want to look cute and sexy and feminine,” she said.

Indeed, many women think that showing off their bodies “is a mark of independence and security and confidence,” said Pat Gill, the interim director of the Institute of Communications Research and a professor of gender and women’s studies at the University of Illinoisat Urbana-Champaign.

This seems as good an excuse as any for us to post a list of our 13 Favorite Sexy Costumes for Women. As usual, we try to remain true to the tradition of the Halloween season. We did not necessarily pick the most revealing or tawdriest attire, instead emphasizing costumes with an element of supernatural horror, Gothic elegance, or at least fairy-tale type fantasy. You will not find sexy school girls or tightly-clad nurses, but you will find velvet vampires, slinky spiders, and red-hot devils. Enjoy!