“In Girl World, 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.”
-Mean Girls
Maybe it’s the element of tradition that makes Halloween one of the most anticipated nights of the year. For as long as we can remember, we’ve spent the weeks leading up to October 31st planning our costumes down to the very last detail. We’ve bothered all of our friends for their opinions on our costumes, changed our minds about what we’re wearing, and then bothered them some more. We’ve spent more money than we’d like to admit on novelty accessories that are never going to be worn again. We’ve dressed to impress. So what does that mean for us collegiettes? It means crossing the fine line between sexy and slutty—baring all when we usually try to leave at least something to the imagination—and feeling no shame whatsoever.
I’m not criticizing anyone who embraces the permission Halloween seems to allow to strut her stuff a bit more on this particular night. Even the classiest of ladies are apt to trade in cozy sweaters and jeans for corsets and miniskirts. After all, that’s what’s expected; it’s what makes this night different from all other nights. I just can’t seem to wrap my head around why.
Back in 2006, The New York Times published an article by Stephanie Rosenbloom, which sought to explain the increasing sexuality of Halloween costumes. The article cited Adie Nelson, a sociology professor at the University of Waterloo in Ontario who said, “Heroic figures for women or considered icons of femininity are very much anchored in the femme fatale imagery.” This trend, then, sets the wheels in motion at a young age. While boys frequently dress like police officers, firefighters, or superheroes, girls look for inspiration elsewhere. Brides, ballerinas, and Disney Princesses, though completely harmless, all emphasize the feminine figure and establish the tendencies that continue through adulthood.
But this type of objectification seems out of place in this day and age, in a time when the number of women applying to college surpasses that of men. Even though it’s just one night a year that we’re free from being judged for showing a bit more skin, the cultural implications are not so isolated.
Think about it, we have an entire industry devoted to manufacturing these costumes, and once they reach the market, they set the standards that resound beyond October. How do you outdo the French maid look the week after Halloween? It’s hard to maintain the same type of allure without continuing to wear the same type of clothing. In this way, trends from this one night influence the way we dress throughout the rest of the year. The sex appeal might be much less exaggerated, but you can’t deny it’s in the back of your mind as you get ready to go out any other week.
I guess what I’m trying to say is that the way we present ourselves on Halloween is, in some ways, a determinant of how we want to be perceived. There’s no doubt in my mind that you can be smart as a whip and still want to have fun, but going about it in the wrong way is going to get you a reputation you don’t want and probably don’t deserve.
So, as I continue to put the finishing touches on my own costume—making sure I can maintain at least some shred of mystery—I can’t help but hope that the current trends will someday become a thing of the past. Because on the last night of October, as the temperature plummets below freezing, I’d like nothing more than to be able to wear layers.