I’ve decided to not only break, but to set aflame the rules outlined by advertisements and corporations, passed down to society, regarding how females dress on the scariest of all nights. On Halloween.
I cannot be the only one who has given up on dressing up for Halloween due to such false information like that in the above gif. I kid you not, last year I put my hair in curls, put on my cutest outfit, and said I was going as Beyoncé. It worked for the most part. Black girl with curly hair, singing and dancing all over the place. It certainly worked and some nodded in agreement, but, I was rather upset because I wanted to go as Prince. The idea came to me when I saw a wig that looked like his famous curls while shopping for costumes. I was very excited to create the costume; finding his famous leather pants, collared shirts, intense eye liner, and the whole bang. Unfortunately, I had to worry about the whole “girls have to be slutty and sexy for Halloween” nonsense that is fed to us yearly. The thought, maybe even slight panic, then came over me that I was not going to find a costume that made me look sexy enough but also funny, but also modest, but also… unrealistic. Unrealistic because we try so hard to look like those girls, those photoshopped models, that we see minimized in a costume. We buy the costume and then try to recreate what they appear to be. No, I’m not reading too much into this and if you feel I am, you have yet to experience what a female goes through on Hallows Eve. There may be some reading this article going ‘that is not true’. Girls can be whomever they want for Halloween. You, yes you, are lying to your dear self.
Do me a favour and Google Image search, “Halloween Costumes For Girls,” and then do me another solid and count how many revealing costumes pop up. Additionally, pay attention to the poses the girls in the images do. Still refusing to believe me? Google Image search “Halloween Costumes For Boys.” See the difference now? This problem of the continuous sexualization of girls stems from advertising and the objectification of women. I promised myself I wouldn’t open that can of knowledge so I won’t… but look it up.
The issue is not that dressing extra sexy for Halloween is wrong. That never has and never will be the issue. The problem is your intent for dressing extra sexy. I want us females to wear whatever we want. I want us to look however we want. You could be sexy (because slut shaming isn’t right), Sassy, Funny, Cute, like a Boss, Scary, and/or whatever it may be but, on one condition; I want you to be whomever you want to be for Halloween, because you chose to be that character. I want you to not grow frustrated over choosing a costume for fear that the hot guy at the party won’t approach you. You make the decisions here, not some advertisement, not your male friends, not even your female friends, but you. This Halloween, I want you to be your frightful self. Whatever that may be.