“In girl world, Halloween is the one night a year when a girl can dress up like a total slut and no other girls can say anything about it.”
Though Mean Girls will always have a special place in my heart (singing the Mathlete Rap is one of my many talents), the above line irks me to no end – and has truly perplexed me since the first time I watched the film as a naïve little eighth-grader. The reason is that the sentiment is such utter crap that nobody can possibly take it seriously; and as Halloween is fast approaching, I thought I’d take the time to point out some of its inherent flaws.
A. Part of the fun of dressing up is getting to be someone you’re not – and if that means showing a little extra skin, fine. However, let’s be sensible, gals. Nobody wants to see cleavage up to your chin and barely-there booty shorts. I can assure you it is quite uncomfortable to run into that shy girl in your English class, who is suddenly dressed in next-to-nothing, and have to constantly avert your eyes so as not to stare directly at her chest. Which brings me to my next point…
B. People talk. That part about no other girls saying anything about it? False. Girls will talk, and they probably won’t wait for you to exit the area before they start whispering and pointing. The “whisper-and-point” is almost always paired with the “judgemental up-and-down,” and while that may be unintentional and just a knee-jerk reaction, it does not feel good to be on the receiving end of one of those.
C. Halloween, in fact, is not the only night per year when a girl can dress like a slut. If this were truly the case, maybe you could let a particularly offensive outfit choice slide, because, hey, it’s Halloween and this only happens once. However, girls will actually find any excuse to dress as a slut, and college makes this too easy. Socials, theme parties, frat ragers…you name it and a girl has dressed like a slut for it.
Ok ok, enough Mean Girls bashing for one day. The truth is dressing up for Halloween is fun, and it’s nice to feel confident in an outfit you wouldn’t normally wear. And, as many single ladies have learned through the years, guys usually dig it. A little positive reinforcement from the opposite sex never hurt anyone.