It may seem like child's play, but risqué Halloween costumes can be a serious psychological danger to your daughter. While research shows that self-esteem and emotional well-being can be greatly damaged by the increasing sexualization of young girls, the money-making machine that is the costume industry keeps lowering the bar. How do you take a stand? 

Just Say No to These 5 Girls' Costumes:

1. The Devil: Your little girl can be plenty devilish, no doubt-- just watch what a mess she makes of your closet. But if "devilish" in this case involves fishnet hose, red velvet sweetheart necklines, or all of the above, then it's truly naughty -- and that's not a good thing.

2. The French Maid: Could they? Would they? Oh, yes, they did. It was only a matter of time before this bad-80s-movie staple made its way to the tween set. Is it being ironic? Or just ironically nauseating? Either way, it doesn't belong on anyone who isn't out of high school.

Read How to Have a Safe Halloween

3. Anything with Lingerie: Seriously. Sexy nighties shouldn't come in kid sizes, whether it's part of a Halloween costume or not. And it's sometimes the most innocuous-seeming costumes (princess, anyone?) that feel the need to overdo the mesh and lace.

4. The "Girlified" Version: Why is it that a boy's costume is a costume, but a girl's costume is an exercise in skank-ification? If your girl wants to be a pirate, she should get to be a pirate. Not the low-cut, fantasy-pirate dream of some adolescent boy.

5. Leg, Leg, and More Leg: Little girl legs are cute and innocent. Little girl legs under a black leather miniskirt meant to get people to ogle little girl legs? Not so much. Save her the leering, and you'll be a better parent for it.

About Dr. Andrea Bonior:
Andrea Bonior is a licensed clinical psychologist, professor, and writer. Dr. Bonior writes the weekly mental health advice column "Baggage Check" for the Washington Post's Express newspaper. Frequently cited in other media, her expertise has most recently appeared on CNN.com, MSNBC.com, Yahoo!, Consumer Affairs, and Voice of America. Her first book, The Friendship Fix: The Complete Guide to Choosing, Losing, and Keeping Up With Your Friends (Thomas Dunne/St. Martin's) will be available in April of 2011.

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