Why Girls Don’t Have to Ditch the Princess Costume

According to an article from cnn.com, superhero costumes have beat out princess costumes as this year’s number one Halloween outfit for girls. I’m all for the superhero girl! I stand behind letting girls choose something outside the boxes that society deems as “normal.” I’m for being imaginative, standing for something good, and sticking up for what you know is right. Yay for the superhero girl!

All that being said, you’re probably guessing I made some awesome superhero outfit for my girls this year, right? Well folks, that guess would be wrong! This year my daughters are two little princesses. That’s right, princesses. But while superhero girls are breaking barriers and in general kicking butt, here’s why I don’t think your daughter has to ditch the princess costume.

Princesses don’t just have to be about the sparkle, glitz, and tulle. I’ve most definitely told my girls that they are princesses, but not just because they are pretty or like the color pink, but because they are daughters of the King.

 But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. 1 Peter 2:9 NIV

There it is! We all are royalty as sons and daughters of God!

Superhero girls symbolize fighting for justice, standing up for what is good, being strong, and getting the job done! I’d argue that your little princess can stand for these very same things, even while dressed in a mountain of tulle! A princess of the King is called to act justly, love mercy, and walk humbly with God. (Micah 6:8) She is called to be a shining light and walk in the confidence of her heavenly Father. She is called to extend grace to others and to herself. She is called to the mighty job of pointing others to her Father.

Before you start rolling your eyes and thinking I’ve taken this princess costume meaning a little too far, hear me out. Society will try to tell our girls who they are, or who they should be. We can help arm them with the tools and the power to make those choices for themselves. To know that they are not defined by what the world says is the most popular thing to be, but by who they are in God’s eyes.

There’s a good chance that whatever costume your daughter wears this year, she won’t be too concerned about its popularity or underlying meaning. She’ll probably be more focused on the sparkle, the uniqueness, the comfy feel against her skin, or the layers of tulle that will send her shooting down the slide faster than you ever thought humanly possible and tumbling head over heels!  (Note that lessons on layers of tulle and slides have now been learned in our household).

Know that whatever costume your daughter decides to wear, she can always stand firm and royally clothed as a daughter of the King. She can be a superhero, princess, puppy, or old cat lady, and still hold the keys to the royal palace! Let’s cloth our girls in this truth day in and day out!

If you’ve been pushing a superhero costume this year because of all it seems to stand for, let’s not ditch the princess costume just yet. Daughter of the King. Acting for justice, showing mercy, and in general kicking butt…in a royally humble sort of way.