Responses indicate that what men want and what women actually wear are not always the same thing.

For years now, people in Japan have been devouring limited-edition treats and dressing up in costumes for Halloween. The holiday has become so popular here that you can’t go to a store in the month of October without seeing an orange-pumpkin head staring back at you in some shape or form, and when it comes to the night itself, Tokyo’s bustling Shibuya district fills up with costumed characters from all walks of life –  some cute, some sexy and some bloodied all over like something from a murder scene.

With costumes on everyone’s mind in the lead-up to the event at this time of year, online shopping site Rakuten decided to poll 400 men and women in their 20s to find out what types of Halloween outfits they liked the most. As it turns out, what men say they like to see women wear is quite different to what women actually like to wear when they dress up on the holiday. Let’s take a look at the results below.

Ladies, what types of Halloween costume have you worn up to now?

  1. Horror (zombies, witches, etc.) – 41 percent
  2. Uniforms (policewoman, nurses, etc.) – 35 percent
  3. Fancy dress (princesses, angels, etc.) – 31 percent
  4. Animals (bunnies, cats, etc.) – 28 percent
  5. Anime/game/movie characters  -20.5 percent
  6. Popular people (celebrities etc.) – 2.5 percent

According to the above results, Japanese women like to play up the horror aspect of Halloween, with almost half of the 200 female respondents saying they’ve dressed up as some sort of spooky character in the past. When we look at what men say they like to see on Halloween, though, it’s a slightly different story.

Men, what type of Halloween costumes would you like to see women wear?

  1. Uniforms (policewoman, nurses, etc.) – 33.5 percent
  2. Fancy dress (princesses, angels, etc.) – 31.5 percent
  3. Anime/game/movie characters – 28 percent
  4. Animals (bunnies, cats, etc.) – 22.5 percent
  5. Horror (zombies, witches, etc.) – 21.5 percent
  6. Popular people (celebrities etc.) – 6.5 percent

The results above show that for the 200 male respondents, the women’s popular choice of “horror” costume ranks second last on the list of what men would like to see women wear. For both groups, though, “popular people” takes up bottom spot on the ranks.

Another question posed to the male and female groups asked “What are the important points you look for in a female Halloween costume?”

Female respondents:

  1. Whether it fits in with what my friends are wearing (54 percent)
  2. How cute it is (49.5 percent)
  3. How realistic it is (28 percent)
  4. How sexy it is (25 percent)
  5. How individual it is (18.5 percent)

Male respondents:

  1. How cute it is (51.5 percent)
  2. How sexy it is (47 percent)
  3. Whether it fits in with what her friends are wearing (23 percent)
  4. How realistic it is (20 percent)
  5. How individual it is (15.5 percent)

For men, it’s all about the cuteness of the garment or its sex appeal. For women, though, it’s more about making sure it fits with what the group will be wearing, which makes sense, seeing as nobody really wants to be the odd one out on a fun night with friends.

While uniforms and looks might rank highly for men, it’s nice to know that women have their own ideas about what they like and aren’t quick to bow down to cater to the needs of men. As our Japanese-language reporters P.K. Sanjun and Mr Sato have proven in the past, no matter what you wear on Halloween, the night is about having fun and making memories with friends.

Featured image: © SoraNews24
Insert image: Pakutaso 
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