According to The Bible – that is, the movie Mean Girls – “Halloween is the one night a year when a girl can dress like a total slut and no other girls can say anything about it.” While I definitely respect this outlook, I find it somewhat limiting – Halloween falls on a Wednesday this year, which means that there will be not one, but FIVE opportunities to dress up and show off (Tuesday Pub Night, Halloween itself, and the following Thursday through Saturday nights).
As one of the least artistic people I know, I consider my greatest creative strength to be conceptualizing costumes. From Aladdin’s Princess Jasmine, to an injured soccer player, a skimpy sailor, and Arnold Schwarzenegger’s baby mama, I pride myself in having hit all four categories of classic, pragmatic, sexy, and timely/relevant costumes. Although the “sexy sailor” costume I wore freshman year was one of my all-time favorites, however, I have to admit that while wearing it I wondered whether my peers – both male and female – were judging me for my outfit (or lack thereof). Three years later, I’ve finally gotten around to seeking an answer to this question (and many more!) What I found – especially from guys – may surprise you.
Next page: He said…
[pagebreak]
He said…
“Only losers don’t dress up for Halloween! Last year I went as Pikachu and wore a costume designed for a twelve-year-old, but I might be a panda this year. I’m usually too f*cked up to remember costumes very well, but is it weird that I really want to see a sexy nun this year? I do like skimpy costumes, but I also like funny costumes. I really, really like costumes that are both – it’s just lazy to not be creative and clever when you choose your costume. That being said, sexy costumes are fine by me.” – sophomore
“This year I’m going as [New York Giants’ defensive end] Jason Pierre-Paul. The best costumes I’ve ever seen girls wear were a skier, a traditional Muslim, and a grandmother at the beach. I honestly think it’s so sexy if a girl’s costume isn’t skimpy at all, because it’s the one day out of the year that she can free-range and feel like a kid again. Plus, if the girl usually wears revealing clothes and then dresses skimpy on Halloween, it’s a huge turn-off because you know it’s coming.” – sophomore
“I am absolutely going to dress up this year; I’m probably going to do something with all of my housemates one night, and then do something on my own another night. Nothing that I’ve seen girls wear really jumps out at me at the moment, but freshman year ten of my friends dressed as the Sesame Street characters. I think skimpy costumes are awesome, but I guess there’s a line to draw? I tend to forget what a girl was wearing the next day, so can’t say I judge them too much.” – junior
“This year I’m going as Kanye West, an original Mighty Morphin’ Power Ranger, and Pac Man. My top three favorite costumes I’ve ever seen a girl wear were a Ghostbuster, a nun, and Princess Jasmine. I prefer clever costumes, but, frankly, props to those who are brave enough to show some skin in the cold. I don’t assume that anyone is “easy” because of how they dress – I don’t judge; I just wonder.” – senior
“I’m obv. going to dress up for Halloween, but usually I decide my costume the day of. I might do something similar to my last two years of Tyler Durden [from Fight Club] or a guy wearing overalls. I think that girls’ costumes are pretty similar when they are skimpy; more memorable is the girl who’s wearing the costume. I’ll notice that they look hot, but I don’t judge on Halloween – most girls take it as the one day when it’s socially acceptable to dress however they want.” – senior
Next page: She Said…
[pagebreak]
She said…
“I’m either going to dress up as a trash bag and be “trashy” this year (thanks for the idea, Her Campus), or I might buy some cliché costume. I love when guys dress up for Halloween – I think it’s fun, and it can be sexy! Personally, I like it when they have humorous costumes, or something like a police officer or fireman. If someone doesn’t dress up for Halloween, that’s just sad! I would think that he was weird and no fun. As for girls, if they’re my friends and they dress skimpy I’m okay with it, because I know them and I know what they’re like. That being said, if a girl doesn’t have a great rep., I’d say it’s probably not a great idea to bare all on Halloween- save something for the imagination.” – sophomore
“This year I’m going to be dressing up as a great white shark – now that it’s on record, if I see any other sharks I’m going to know you copied me. I like when guys dress up for Halloween – I think it’s a great opportunity for them to prove they can be funny in real life, and not just on Twitter. Part of me resents skimpy costumes because they’re so generic, but I don’t judge girls who wear them too harshly.” – sophomore
“I’m planning on coming up with a group costume with some friends for Halloween. I think guys who don’t dress up are SUPER LAME! I like it when they wear funny or creative costumes, and I’m much more of a fan of funny costume for girls, too. I definitely think it’s all right for girls to dress in mildly skimpy outfits on Halloween, but some girls take it too far and kind of scream “I need attention, PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE!” – junior
“This year I’m going as Jasmine from Aladdin. I love when guys dress up and get into Halloween. I think it shows that they’re not afraid of being judged, and that they have a sense of humor – when guys don’t dress up I think it’s lame. As far as skimpy outfits are concerned, I think that there is definitely a line that should not be crossed. Halloween can be an opportunity to dress a little more risqué than usual, but you should always take your dignity into consideration, and that fact that you will likely still be looking at these pictures of yourself in these costumes in ten years.” – junior
“I’m working on a group costume with a bunch of my friends, but I don’t want to give it away! I love when guys dress up for Halloween – it shows that they have a sense of humor, which is a huge plus. If they’re out at a party and they don’t dress up, that’s really lame since it’s clear that they’re just trying to take advantage of the girls and the booze. As for skimpy costumes, I think Halloween weekend is the one time each year when a girl can look totally get away with them – I admire some girls’ ability to not give a f*ck that it’s freezing outside! Just like with guys, though, I think that when girls wear funny or clever costumes it shows that they have a sense of humor and don’t care too much about looking hot, but that they can let their personalities shine through!” – senior
Next page: So, what should you do…
[pagebreak]
Classic or skimpy,corny or ironic, dressing up for Halloween gives us all an opportunity to let loose and express ourselves in whatever way we want. While trick-or-treating as a collegiette is a completely different activity than it was as a child, it’s certainly just as fun and exhilarating. Just remember that you should dress for youself, and no one else – above all it is your actions that speak for you, not your appearance. So start planning and designing, and get ready to make this the rowdiest Halloween Tufts has ever seen!
Photos courtesy of: halloweencostume.blogspot.com, weloveit.com, costumesupercenter.com, halloweencostumes.com, someecards.com