As Cady from Mean Girls says, Halloween is the one night a year when a girl can dress up like a total slut and no other girls can say anything else about it.
In a perfect world, girls should be able to wear what they want whenever they want without being shamed for it. Yet Halloween comes around the corner and the only costume options at stores for women are the sexy ones. Now I have nothing against girls who choose to dress provocatively for Halloween. Rather, I’m uncomfortable with the notion of forcing sexualization onto every woman especially when a simple, unprovocative costume is turned sexual, when it shouldn’t be in the first place. On the other hand, most men’s costumes are not as sexualized as women’s. For women, sexy is the default. The Halloween costume industry is another way of subjecting women to objectification. It’s another reminder that our bodies should be eye candy (no pun intended) for men.
At the same time, slut-shaming still occurs for women who choose to wear a sexy costume. On Snapchat Discover stories, I see one article that highlights the “best sexy costumes for Halloween 2017” and another one that criticizes women for having costumes that are “too sexy.” Why do we pressure women to exploit their bodies then degrade them the moment they feel comfortable doing so? And on a holiday that allows you freedom to dress as you like? Women shouldn’t have to anticipate judgment over what they choose to wear, regardless if it’s sexy or not.
TL;DR: Halloween is a fun holiday and dressing up is the most exciting aspect of it. Women shouldn’t be pressured to dress a certain way.