How is this fair?

Yeah, yeah, I know that life's not fair.  But listen.

When you allow the kids to wear their costumes to school for Halloween, but then forbid them to bring any toy weapons, wear masks or face paint or hats, and then have a costume contest, you perpetuate an extreme bias against the boys.  Because if you allow makeup, but not face paint, only the girls will have faces that match their costumes.  If you allow headbands and tiaras but not masks and hats, only the girls will have headwear that matches their costumes.  If you allow sparkly batons and magic wands but not plastic swords and obviously fake guns, only the girls will have props that match their costumes.  And without fail, girls are the ones who win the costume contests at school.  And I have to listen to "But Mom, I never even had a chance.  I couldn't wear my mask or helmet or bring my ray-blaster," and "Mom, it's not fair. You couldn't even tell what I was supposed to be without my face paint and sword/hatchet/mace."

And they're absolutely right.  If you're going to forbid certain costumes or parts of costumes, then don't have a freaking costume contest.

I swear, I get more and more irritated at PC-ness all the time.  This nation is feminizing its boys, and this is just another manifestation of it.  I don't want my boys to grow up thinking that weapons are evil.  I want them to grow up knowing when, where and how to use weapons should a legitimate need ever arise to do so when they're adults.  I don't want my boys growing up to believe that fairies and princesses are better than soldiers and cowboys.  Every character has its place, and those fairies are going to grow up to marry those cowboys, and they're going to expect those cowboys to know how to use a gun when a rattlesnake coils up on the back porch.  I don't want my boys to grow up thinking that only girls are allowed to play dress-up, when there are so many great firefighter, soldier, cowboy, alien, Darth Vader, Buzz Lightyear, and Superman costumes out there. Those girls aren't going to want some pansy-ass who can't fix anything or lift anything or pay for anything when they grow up.  No, they're going to want the knight in shining armor on a white stallion who is capable of rescuing anyone and solving any problem with confidence.  So why can't that knight-in-shining-armor-to-be wear his helmet and carry his plastic sword to kindergarten on Halloween, when the princess he will marry someday gets to wear her fancy dress, plastic high heels, and tiara and carry her sceptor all over school?