The site is not a store. Instead, it lists all kinds of amazing iconic female costumes—from goddesses to warrior women, queens to famous women to even glamorous sexy costumes for those who still want to dress sexy, but without the commercialized look. Each costume has a basic description of the character, which is followed by the simplest yet most effective way to achieve that character’s look. These descriptions often include acquiring another character costume that can be purchased—using Trinity’s costume (from The Matrix) for the Medusa costume based on lovely Uma Thurman’s character in Percy Jackson: The Lightening Thief, for example, or wigs made especially for certain costumes. Lots of homemade ideas are also included.
Once you visit the site, you’ll probably want to browse around forever; I know I did. The creators of the site (The Real History Project) really went all out with graphics, how-to guides, links to where you can get what you need, and more. Browsing through these made me not only want to change my costume (Boudicca! No, Inanna! No, Persephone!) but also to whip out my sketchbook and start dreaming. That’s how inspiring this site is.
The only problem is that it shouldn’t have to be this way. These types of awesome costumes—with or without a SEXY! headline—should be readily available across the nation at costume stores already. The fact that we feel like it’s revolutionary and moving and cool only heightens the fact that it’s unique—and that most stores still create costumes to objectify women into sexual playthings rather than creative—or, dare I say it, scary—beings that men get to morph into on Halloween night. Sure, if we make our own costumes at home we can do that (which is much more fun, anyway), but if you’re scrambling, women should have the same right as men to be able to run to the store, grab an appropriate, fun costume, and be on our merry way.
Until that day comes, I say we all just stop buying costumes like that, period, and make our own, whether you want it sexy or not. (Check out the Rita Hayworth costume guide, for example.)