When I think of October, I think of brightly-colored leaves, crisp fall air, pumpkins and Halloween. When I think of Halloween, I think of candy, parties and costumes. When I think of costumes, I have a lot of conflicting thoughts.
As a teenage girl, deciding what to wear on Halloween has never been easy. Often, and by no fault of their own, women are forced to toe the line between “acceptable” and “inappropriate” costumes – a dichotomy that should not exist, but one that is societally imposed.
Instead of dealing with this decision, I often choose to wear obviously unflattering costumes. I have always been a fan of the “funny” costumes: the ones that make no effort to improve the wearer’s appearance but rather are made to provoke laughter and conversation. I have, however, found it difficult to shop for these costumes: none are marketed toward women. In past years when I have gone shopping for Halloween costumes with friends, it has been nearly impossible to find a costume in the women’s section without the label “sexy” or “fun” preceding the name of the costume itself.
This dilemma is frustrating, to say the least. If a woman wants to wear a costume that is flattering, she should not have to search for the label “sexy” in order to find one. Similarly, women who wear well-fitted costumes should not need to worry about other people’s responses to said costume. Just because a woman is wearing a costume (or any clothes, for that matter) that she looks good in, does not mean that she is searching for sexual attention. A revealing costume is not an invitation to comment on an individual’s appearance.
Halloween is one night out of the year during which women (and everyone) should have the opportunity to confidently wear whatever costume they desire without worrying about creepy stares from passers-by or judging looks from other people. It is a fun holiday, and one that should not be weighed down by the constant pressure to look or dress a certain way: sexy, but not too sexy. Flattering, but not “invitingly” so. A woman should not be treated differently while wearing a Halloween costume than she would be otherwise, and she should always be treated with respect. So this year, wear whatever costume you want to wear: sexy, funny, whatever – the labels don’t matter. Your costume should make you feel confident and happy, and no one should be able to tell you otherwise.