I never thought I'd say this, but..

[trinityvixen]

Take a look at the Poison Ivy costume. I can safely say that that is the least sexy "Sexy [Fill in the Blank]" costume I've ever seen. Poison Ivy is pretty much as slutty as the comics still under the comics code can get away with. This? not so much slutty or sexy as "Here's a a green bag and some boot cover-ups. Try that on for size." (Does Poison Ivy even regularly wear shoes?)

This incredibly dim decision to de-sexify Poison Ivy seems to have happened to the Green Lantern as well. For most part, that costume is accurate for a specific Green Lantern, but it's actually more restrained than the comic costume. This is a sad commentary on the state of female superhero costumes. I suppose we should take Supergirl in shorts and be happy about that, huh?

I did find it hilarious, however, that there is no need bowdlerize Emma Frost's costume as she does in fact dress like a Sexy [Fill in the Blank] pretty much most of the time. My only objection is that I'm pretty sure that white top with side shoulder cape went with pants, not a miniskirt. The fact that it's inaccurate bothers me more than that its slutty. (Again, it's Emma Frost.)

Comments

[saturn-shumba.livejournal.com]

The Poison Ivy costume looks like a sexified version of my elf costume I wore when I was 12. Not a good thing.

I love the Captain America one, though (eh, maybe not the Star boob window). The Spider-Girl one, however, is hideous to me. It looks like the person who designed Halle Berry's ugly Catwoman costume had a go on that one.

[trinityvixen.livejournal.com]

I just don't get a) why any woman would want to be like Captain America (Least. Interesting. Superhero. Ever. Yes, even including the Hulk, especially because She-Hulk is awesome!); b) yeah, I think I got everything in a).

I personally love the Emma Frost white costume. That's one of my favorites to begin with of her outfits as it has the bonus of not being an impossible thing to wear like some of her others (http://media.photobucket.com/image/emma%20frost/jrdcadena/emma.jpg). For my money, however, the absolute hottest will always be her White Queen outfit. I mean, how can you go wrong with a corset? You cannot, is the answer.

[kent-allard-jr.livejournal.com]

Even I am appalled by how everything is "sexy _____," even when the original costumes were sexy to begin with. (Personal tastes -- whatever they might be -- aside, "sexy Emma Frost" and "sexy Silk Spectre" are redundant.)

Sometimes I wonder if "sexy" is just a costume euphemism for "women's." Like the "sexy Ghostbuster" that infuriated moonlightalice. IIRC it was just the standard jumpsuit with bustroom.

[trinityvixen.livejournal.com]

Three words: Sexy Freddy Kreuger. Yeah, it exists.

Someone on a blog took more umbrage at the "Sassy" rather than the "Sexy." I have to agree. Sassy is downright patronizing. So on top of being made to dress up like a slut (unless you have the skill or $$$ to get a costume made for you), you get to be sassy. ::rolls eyes::

[kent-allard-jr.livejournal.com]

Oh, I have no doubt about SFK. Agreed that "sassy" is even less appropriate, unless you're dressed as Miss Misanthrope or Middle-Finger Woman. Maybe it's so young girls, whose parents would be freaked by a "sexy" costume, can buy the damn things?

[trinityvixen.livejournal.com]

Yeah, they were ready to sell these not just to minors but to pre-pubescent minors. Yuck.

[viridian.livejournal.com]

I actually like one of the Emma Frosts and the Silk Spectre.

I would not wear either unless I lost like a billion pounds, but I do like them.

[trinityvixen.livejournal.com]

I forgot to mention the Silk Spectre one. I found that hideous. I mean, it's really trying hard to make an already cheap costume more cheap and more costume-y. Hers is a costume that is supposed to be as skin-tight as anything, if you go by the movie one (which they are), so why the hell does it look like she's wearing biker leather a size too big for her?

[viridian.livejournal.com]

Meh, it's a cheap Halloween costume - I don't expect the fit to be great. I just meant in terms of being moderately like the actual comic costume and not just slutty for slutty's sake.

[chuckro.livejournal.com]

I thought the Poison Ivy one was okay (though deltagrl did a homemade one years ago that was better, honestly) but the Silk Spectre one was just awesome. Of course, I really didn't like what they did with the movie Silk Spectre costume to begin with.

[chuckro.livejournal.com]

Wow, finish that thought: "the Silk Spectre one was just awesome in it's awfulness."

[trinityvixen.livejournal.com]

Maybe it's just me then, but I think that one is the worst of the lot. I don't mind the movie update costume, but the movie costume could have gotten the treatment the other hero costumes did--make it shinier!--and been better.

[chuckro.livejournal.com]

Oh, I agree that it's awful. I just apparently got distracted and typed the opposite of what I meant.

The Silk Spectre costume in the movie was the biggest costuming change from the book, and I did not like it. The book costume was inspired by Phantom Lady, as a classic "Look my boobs are distracting you while I kick you in the head!" outfit. The entire point of the outfit is to be tittlating. The movie costume loses that entirely.

[trinityvixen.livejournal.com]

I think the movie costume titillates in a different, more fetish-y way, but you're right that it's not as broadly effective as the one from the comic.

[negativeq.livejournal.com]

I don't think I have ever seen comic book Poison Ivy wear so much clothes.

Emma doesn't wear a cheap miniskirt. She wears hot pants or underwear! And yes Matt, tacking on "sexy" is redundant.

[trinityvixen.livejournal.com]

Yeah, the Poison Ivy one leaves much to be desired, on both ends: if it's your job to deliver slutty Halloween costumes, you're failing; if it's your job to deliver an accurate Poison Ivy costume, you're failing.

[fairest.livejournal.com]

No Poison Ivy costume will compare to the burlesque version. ;)

I like the female Flash and Captain America, and get a kick out of Robin even though the shininess of it alarms me. The non-shiny White Queen beats out the other, too.

[trinityvixen.livejournal.com]

The female Flash is just the Flash...with a skirt. Pointless, you ask me. But yes, the Emma Frost costume is actually sort of decent, if you could replace the skirt. As Q says above, Emma never wears a miniskirt. She either balls-out shows you her panties or she wears shorts or pants. Practical gal, that White Queen.

[moonlightalice.livejournal.com]

Poison Ivy looks like Tinkerbell, actually.

[trinityvixen.livejournal.com]

...hadn't thought of that. Wow, think they recycled some old costume that wasn't selling?

[lithoglyphic.livejournal.com]

Augh, why do mass-produced costumes suck so much? I haven't bought one since I was twelve, that I haven't massively modified. And $50-75 is too much for something I have to massively modify. And dancewear companies make better basic bodysuits.

I could totally be Emma Frost some year (adds to costume file). However, that particular costume, *despite* showing more skin, is less sexy than half the ones I saw in pictures from DragonCon. I mean, seriously. Go get your own corset and cape, really.

[trinityvixen.livejournal.com]

I totally agree on the bought vs made sexiness. The thing that make the costume sexy is that the person making it cares enough to a) get it right, and b) not sacrifice quality for titillation factor. And yeah, when it's that easy to make a particular hero's costume, you should just do it yourself.