Lin Kramer said she noticed the trend while she was browsing the retailer's website for Halloween costumes for her 3-year-old daughter. The store had far more career-themed costumes for boys than girls – and the girls' versions of the job-themed costumes seemed to have a "sexy" spin, she said.
Kramer shared her concerns with the company Sept. 14 in a now-viral Facebook post, using Party City's boy and girl cop costumes to illustrate her point.
"When you look around at the police officers in your city or neighborhood, the uniforms they wear are probably substantially similar to the costumes you have elected to offer for boys," Kramer wrote. "However, the same cannot be said of the costume you market to girls. Generally speaking, real life uniformed female police officers do not wear short skirts and low-cut shirts, but instead wear exactly the same slacks and shirts as their male counterparts."
>> Click here to read the Facebook post
Kramer said Party City responded to her post, then deleted her message from its Facebook page. The retailer also blocked her from its page, she told the Huffington Post.
"Hi Lin, thank you for reaching out to us," Party City wrote. "We appreciate the insight and will consider your feedback for the future. Thank you."
>> Click here to see the response
In a statement to the Huffington Post, Party City added, "We understand this is a sensitive issue. Party City is always evaluating how to make shopping in our stores and online a fun, welcoming experience and her feedback has been shared with the costume manufacturers and leadership teams at Party City. If Ms. Lin Kramer would like to speak directly with a Party City team member, she's welcome to contact us and we hope to connect with her soon."
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