Tricks or treats?

When it comes to Halloween, parents are taking back the night.

Moms and dads are getting tougher about kids' costumes - especially for girls.

In recent years, risque costumes have become more popular with older teenagers and college kids, and that, in turn, has filtered down to preteen costumes, costume purveyors say.

It has parents harking back in fondness to the Dora days, when their kids were 4 and wanted only to look like the innocent, plucky cartoon heroine, and not like Christina Aguilera.

While it's hard to prevent a 19-year-old from putting her sexuality on display under the harvest moon, a parent might still be able to stop a tweener (ages 7 to 12).

"Parents are saying no to slutty costumes this year," says Lorraine Weaver, a South Philadelphia mother of an 11-year-old girl. Weaver also works at Masquerade, a Halloween costume place on Delaware Avenue.

"I've got to tell my girl no, too. I'm concerned and so are my friends. All these girls want is to dress like sluts."

To be sure, the opportunity is there. Plenty of young girls' costumes feature short skirts, sexy "Child Babe" wigs, fishnet stockings, and midriff-baring ensembles.

About 65 percent of U.S. parents dress their children in costumes for Halloween, Gallup polls show.

Halloween has grown from a $3.29 billion industry in 2005 to a nearly $5 billion one last year, according to the National Retail Federation.

That means all manner of costumes will be out there for children to buy. And parents will have to be wary.

"I can't believe the costumes for girls," says Joell Mandelaro, a flabbergasted Northeast Philly mother.

"Fairies aren't what fairies were when I was little," she says, referring to short dresses and tight tops. "I saw little-girl stripper costumes out there. It's all being made acceptable."

The problem is marketing, says Liz Bazar of Kensington, mother of 6-year-old Isabel.

"The commercials for costumes by companies like Bratz show little girls in high heels and makeup with their bellies exposed," she says.

"It's hard for me, as a parent, to control this. TV is a real problem. My daughter sees the commercials and it really stirs her up. It's really sad to see kids becoming such consumers."

This year, Isabel will dress as Gabriella from the Disney Channel's High School Musical. Bazar appreciates that Gabriella is a good math and science student.

So powerful is the parental need to retain little-girl innocence, at least for a while, that many people are happy to allow their daughters to wear gory and scary costumes instead of sexy ones.

"She wants to be the Bride of Chucky," Lisa Barilaro of Center City says of daughter Taylor, 6.

"I tried to talk her out of it, but I couldn't. I thought at first it was too scary, but then I was more worried she'd find a costume that was provocative. Scary is better."

Dottie Boerner, who manages Masquerade, says that costume companies are hearing parents' complaints and are adjusting, albeit slowly.

Costumes that bare bellies are now altered to include flesh-colored mesh for covering, Boerner says.

"So there still are sexy witch and cheerleader costumes in child sizes, but at least the bellies are covered," she says. "They still have short skirts and tights, though."

Overall, little girls still like to be princesses, Boerner says. Little boys like Capt. Jack Sparrow from Pirates of the Caribbean, the black Spider-Man outfit, and other superheroes.

As they get older, boys tend to go for gory stuff, like Jason and Leatherface, Boerner says, while girls this year want to be Hannah Montana, or characters from High School Musical.

Starting around age 10, though, girls want to be sexy and glamorous.

"It's a parental choice," she adds, "and you have to fight with your kids."

In some cases, parents might be winning, according to Derek Lee Porter, co-owner of D&J Costumes on Frankford Avenue in Northeast Philly.

"Slowly, the trend is going to change from slutty," he says. "More parents are monitoring their kids' costumes, and I think young people will be reverting back to years ago.

"I see more parents coming in telling kids what they're not going to be: 'You're going to be a clown this year, and that's it!' "

The attempt to control Halloween doesn't end there. Porter and others are seeing more churches getting involved with Halloween, especially in neighborhoods where trick-or-treating isn't safe.

When churches hold costume parties, obviously, risque costumes won't make it past the door. Same with monster costumes, because of the connection to pagan rituals and the occult, Porter says.

Also, more neighborhoods are holding Halloween block parties, and people who run condo associations are hosting kids' parties in recreation halls in suburban developments to keep Halloween safe and contained, community leaders are reporting.

When it comes to individual costumes, though, parents will continue to have a tough time.

"I want my daughter to be Dorothy from The Wizard of Oz," says Jill Maier of Northeast Philly, mother of Briana, 11. "She might prefer something more risque."

Mother and daughter compromised, and Briana will be a "freak" who wears a boot and a sneaker and looks bizarre.

She might scare the other kids. But, Maier notes happily, she won't be scaring mom.