You’re walking down Gayley on Halloweekend, and this is the soundtrack of your thoughts. Oh, there goes a sexy angel! And a sexy vampire. A sexy pirate and a sexy piece of cheese. Sexy Patrick Star. Sexy Kung Fu Panda. I asked my friend, Amanda, who she was being for Halloween, and she said: “I’m dressing up as a sexy Walter White. I have a bald cap and booty shorts.” Everyone is sexy on Halloween. And you know what? It’s fantastic.
Why does it feel so liberating to dress sexy on Halloween? Well, Halloweekend is the ultimate judgment-free zone. You can throw on those fishnets and sexy bald cap because if everyone’s doing it, nobody’s judging you. For once, it’s socially acceptable to embrace your body. But it does sting me that this is one of the few times women don’t have to worry about slut-shaming.
I worry that many men don’t slut-shame on Halloween because they think it benefits them. Women arrive at their frat parties in sexy costumes, and all of a sudden, the same men who gave us judgemental looks in the daylight are totally happy with our skimpy outfits now. Well, I hate to break it to you, frat boys: Halloweekend is totally for the girls. We own our bodies, and we can put whatever we want on them. Even if that is a sexy Walter White costume.
My roommates and I are going as sexy Penguins of Madagascar this Halloween, and we had a little late-night chat about the slut-ification of Halloween and how freeing it feels. “There’s something really empowering about reclaiming your sexuality in a socially acceptable way. You can have enjoyment with being in your own body and celebrating it,” one of them said (I have ridiculously smart roommates, I know). My other roomie agreed, “I feel like when you’re at school, there’s like an informal dress code — ‘don’t be too slutty’, blah blah blah. But on Halloween, it’s the norm to wear whatever you want. No one’s really judging you because there’s almost an excuse. But it’s sad that we need an excuse to dress how we want.”
Hopefully, we are entering an era where this liberating Halloweekend mindset can permeate the rest of our days. The concept of dressing like a “slut” should not exist, and the idea of being a “slut” shouldn’t, either. We know better to pigeonhole and shame women for any decision they make with their own bodies. And if you have enough time to judge what someone else is wearing, you need to get a hobby. Pick up skiing or basket weaving or something.
And the same goes the other way! If a woman doesn’t feel comfortable showing skin, that shouldn’t say anything about her. A girl on my floor, when I asked about her Halloween costume, said, “I just want to be as scary as possible,” and then followed that up with, “Who cares. Halloween is for the girls.” And she’s completely right. We all have the right to feel comfortable in our bodies and costumes; the scariest part of Halloween should not be what others might say about your outfit. So, wear whatever makes you feel spooky, sexy or strong this Halloweekend. Do it for the girls! And do it for yourself.