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Mom blasts Party City over 'sexy cop' costume for girls in viral Facebook post

By Cox Media Group National Content Desk
By Cox Media Group National Content Desk
A mom is making headlines after she blasted Party City, saying the retailer offers "sexualized" costumes for little girls.

Lin Kramer said she noticed the trend while she was browsing the retailer's website for Halloween costumes for her 3-year-old daughter. The store had far more career-themed costumes for boys than girls – and the girls' versions of the job-themed costumes seemed to have a "sexy" spin, she said.

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Kramer shared her concerns with the company Sept. 14 in a now-viral Facebook post, using Party City's boy and girl cop costumes to illustrate her point.

"When you look around at the police officers in your city or neighborhood, the uniforms they wear are probably substantially similar to the costumes you have elected to offer for boys," Kramer wrote. "However, the same cannot be said of the costume you market to girls. Generally speaking, real life uniformed female police officers do not wear short skirts and low-cut shirts, but instead wear exactly the same slacks and shirts as their male counterparts."

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She added, "Toddler girls are not imagining and hoping that they will grow up to become a 'sexy cop' – which is clearly what your girl costume suggests; rather, young girls, just as young boys, see and admire their family members and neighbors offering service to their communities and delight in the idea of doing the same. I am absolutely appalled that your business reinterprets girls' innocent and well-intentioned dreams into this costume."
She also argued that many of the boys' costumes could be marketed to girls, as well.
"Even if you insist (and I really hope you don't) on offering the sexualized version of costumes for little girls, you could *also* offer girls the realistic option of the same costume," she wrote.

>> Click here to read the Facebook post

<div id="fb-root"></div><script>(function(d, s, id) {  var js, fjs = d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0];  if (d.getElementById(id)) return;  js = d.createElement(s); js.id = id;  js.src = "//connect.facebook.net/en_US/sdk.js#xfbml=1&version=v2.3";  fjs.parentNode.insertBefore(js, fjs);}(document, 'script', 'facebook-jssdk'));</script><div class="fb-post" data-href="https://www.facebook.com/Lindretta/posts/10104829369057540" data-width="500"><div class="fb-xfbml-parse-ignore"><blockquote cite="https://www.facebook.com/Lindretta/posts/10104829369057540"><p>An open letter to #PartyCity:Dear Party City, Having just finished perusing your website for Halloween costumes for...</p>Posted by <a href="#" role="button">Lin Kramer</a> on&nbsp;<a href="https://www.facebook.com/Lindretta/posts/10104829369057540">Monday, September 14, 2015</a></blockquote></div></div>

Kramer said Party City responded to her post, then deleted her message from its Facebook page. The retailer also blocked her from its page, she told the Huffington Post.

"Hi Lin, thank you for reaching out to us," Party City wrote. "We appreciate the insight and will consider your feedback for the future. Thank you." 

>> Click here to see the response

In a statement to the Huffington Post, Party City added, "We understand this is a sensitive issue. Party City is always evaluating how to make shopping in our stores and online a fun, welcoming experience and her feedback has been shared with the costume manufacturers and leadership teams at Party City. If Ms. Lin Kramer would like to speak directly with a Party City team member, she's welcome to contact us and we hope to connect with her soon."

Read more here.

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