“Sexy” Halloween costumes date back to the 1970s.
The sexual liberation of the 1970s brought with it gay visibility, feminism’s second wave, and a newfound sense of freedom. Gay parades in areas like Greenwich Village and Key West started to emerge – and with them, sexy costumes.
Lesley Bannatyne, author of “Halloween. An American Holiday, An American History,” and “Halloween Nation,” told Bustle, “The fantastical gay parades of the ’60s and ’70s showed the rest of the adult world how outrageous costumes could be. Halloween costumes often push at the boundaries of what we’ll accept for everyday reality. Sexuality could be expressed.”
