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SALT LAKE CITY — This Halloween, one dad is making it his personal mission to ensure that girls are provided costume options that are "more than cute."
John Marcotte has two strong daughters, and when he went out in search of Halloween costumes for them, he was disturbed by what he found.
"Boys are given a full range of costumes that tell them they can be anything they want — heroic, brilliant or scary," Marcotte told BuzzFeed. "Meanwhile, the girls' costume aisles are usually fairies and princesses, and this tells them that the only thing society values about them is their appearance."
On his website, Heroic Girls, Marcotte pointed out that even superhero and zombie costumes for girls come with tutus and magic wands attached. So this dad decided to do something about it, launching the #morethancute campaign on social media.
The campaign, Marcotte said, is meant to encourage and inspire parents and daughters alike to create costumes that celebrate more than just their "cuteness." Find ways to highlight their intellect, their bravery and their strength, Marcotte says.
- Create a costume that celebrates your daughter's intelligence, bravery, strength and creativity
- Post a photo of your daughter in her costume on social media with the hashtag #morethancute
- Browse the hashtag for inspiration and ideas
"We think girls dream just as big as boys," the campaign page reads. "We think their potential is unlimited. We think their costumes should be 'more than cute.'"
Parents are encouraged to post pictures of their daughters in their finished costumes to social media using the hashtag #morethancute. Marcotte told BuzzFeed the response has been overwhelmingly positive, and that he was happy to hear from dozens of parents who shared his frustrations with the issue.
"We will collect them to demonstrate that we value girls because of their strength, their creativity, their intelligence and their ambition," Marcotte writes. "Together we will show the world that while we think our daughters are beautiful, that is not the most important metric by which we value them."
The campaign seems to have caught on — parents have posted pictures of their daughters' rocking superhero costumes, dressed as sports stars, posing as firefighters and killing it as ninjas.
Marcotte and his daughters have been thrilled with the response.
"I am the father of two little girls, and nothing makes you a more active feminist than wanting them to have the type of limitless opportunities they deserve," he told BuzzFeed.
This little @RondaRousey is #MoreThanCutepic.twitter.com/dHRaok9ecv — Heroic Girls (@HeroicGirls) October 24, 2015
