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Halloween: Time to Let Your Freak Flag Fly

This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at Duke chapter.

Other than Halloween, when else do you have chance to dress however you like, look like an idiot and not have anyone bat an eyelash? As we get older, this unique and spooky day seems to become more and more unoriginal, as the crazy costumes you came up with as a kid sadly transition into the standard slutty (fill in the blank).
For some reason, everyone is afraid to get a little creative and break out of the typical college mold. Maybe the reason we all need to find a group (or “army of skanks,” as Mean Girls would put it) to dress up with is because we need to justify that it’s OK to dress in a moderately brave way. Once again, it’s our sad insecurities that are holding us back from letting our freak flag fly and showing our individuality.

I totally understand how dressing up like a slut on Halloween is also pretty enjoyable. It’s the only time you have to show off your body and look shamefully slutty without being the only person in the room questionably showing just a little too much skin. But the thing is, if you and a pack of girls all are wearing the same nurse costume, not only will you not stand out, but you also take the risk of sparking tension and insecurity within the group, as everyone compares themselves to one another. Admit it, not many of us can deny that when you and your friends dress up for a themed party you always sneak those looks, or make those comments about how much “better” or “skinnier” she looks as an alien or Dazed and Confused character.

So I’m begging you, take advantage of this Halloween and do something original. You can still dress up as a slutty nurse if that’s what your heart desires, but some funny twists, like a slutty patient or slutty lab worker (come on I know there are some Chemistry majors out there—break out those lab goggles) might do the trick. I don’t know about you, but I’m pretty sure a slutty civil engineer would attract a lot more attention than a firefighter.
 
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Sabrina is a Junior at Duke University, and is double majoring in English and Public Policy. A born and bred South African, Sabrina has traveled to the USA to pursue her higher education. As well as being a member of the Kappa Kappa Gamma sorority, Sabrina is also Assistant Vice President for Recruitment for the Panhellenic Association at Duke. Sabrina has written for Duke's daily newspaper, The Chronicle and Duke's fashion magazine, FORM. After graduating, she hopes to attend law school preferably in her favourite city, New York. In her spare time, Sabrina vegges out to various fashion blogs, mindless TV (Pretty Little Liars anyone?) and online shopping (which borders on an addiction). If you manage to catch her in an energetic mood, she's probably on her way to cardiodance (or to the nearest mall).