Last year was my first Halloween in college and also my first year buying what I like to refer to as a “scandalous costume.”
“Like Mean Girls said, it’s Halloween and you can get away with it,” Jennifer Spangler, sophomore government and politics and criminology double major, said.
Now ladies, don’t act like you don’t know what we are talking about. I know I am not the only one who has noticed the shift from the cute little Mrs. Bo Beep costume that you wore in kindergarten to a dress with a little bit too much peep. I can’t even remember the last time I found a woman’s costume that wasn’t at least a little “scandalous.”
I remember the days when Halloween meant free candy, walking in my elementary school Halloween parade, and dressing as my favorite Disney character.
These days I find it really hard to believe that women feel completely comfortable walking around with a panty and bra set on with cat ears and calling it a Halloween costume, but I could be wrong.
I decided to survey both guys and girls across campus because sometimes women feel pressure to look a certain way, especially on Halloween. While that is not necessarily always true with guys, there is also this unspoken competition between women.
“Guys could really care less,” said senior animal science major Heather Bernardo. “It’s the competition. You don’t want to be that girl that looks goofy next to the girl that looks hot.”
Let’s be honest, we have all probably been that girl once or twice while we are wearing a t-shirt and jeans and the gorgeous girl next to us is rocking three inch heels and Forever 21’s latest party dress. But for those of you who love your t-shirt and jeans, hope is not lost for fun costumes because despite what some people may say, some guys still appreciate a woman who can be herself and be creative.
“I personally would appreciate a creative costume,” Omer Kaufman, sophomore government and politics and history double degree, said. “I think it’s cool when a girl can dress like Buzz Lightyear.”
As women, especially college women, we are at the age where we are young and we would be lying to ourselves if we said there is no pressure today to dress scandalous, promiscuous or revealing. However, it’s up to us whether we let that pressure get to us, ignore it or do what we want regardless of what the people around us are doing.
There is nothing wrong with wearing a sexy ketchup bottle dress or a seductive sailor costume, but I think it’s important to wear what you feel comfortable in even if that’s dressing like a smurfette while you’re surrounded by “sexy” referees and cab drivers.
“I think at the end of the day women have the ultimate choice in what they want to wear and how they wear it,” Terrence Rice, junior criminology and criminal justice major, said.