Ah, Halloween: the second most magical time of the year, after Christmas of course. There’s nothing like jack-o-lanterns, pumpkin spice flavored everything, and bad horror movies to get you in the mood for the time of year when internalized misogyny is at its peak.
The patriarchy is the scariest thing of all.
“In Girl World, Halloween is the one day a year when a girl can dress like a total sl*t and no other girls can say anything else about it.” I include this quote because it may be the only known case for Mean Girls is wrong in addition to sl*t shaming. Girls do judge other girls on Halloween for being “too sl*tty” with their over-sexualized costumes of beloved children’s characters.
Olaf likes warm hugs?
In a modern world where “feminism” is such a buzzword, there are bound to be misconceptions regarding what is or isn’t promoting its message. I’ve met many well meaning girls who believed that feminism was about not showcasing your sexuality, to the point where it was being suppressed. Likewise, there are those who think that blatant sexuality is the best way to take matters into their own hands and that those who refuse to do so are repressing themselves. Neither of these fully encompasses the true idea, that sexuality is individualistic and should be embraced and showcased in the way that makes the individual the happiest. To put it more concisely, it means “you do you.”
The exploitation of female sexuality is embarrassingly common, but a young woman who chooses to wear a lingerie-based costume with animal ears because it makes her feel beautiful and sexy is not the best example.
Basically the same, right?
And yet, every year women hate on each other because of what they want to put on their own bodies. Why are we so concerned with what other people do? Regardless of whether we think it’s moral or not, why do we care so much about something that affects us so little? Why do we laugh or groan sarcastically when we see a man in costume that alludes to their sexuality with a cheap and unimaginative pun but condemn women?
That’s hot.
This article isn’t meant to encourage women to wear skimpy outfits that make them uncomfortable or to serve as a rallying cry to purge the world of cheap miniskirts and crop tops, but rather to draw attention to the fact that in fighting conventional gender roles and norms, women aren’t exempt from being problematic.
Over-sexualized costumes are a problem, but not in the way most tend to think. The issue is not that women are wearing them, it’s that there are few other viable options. Making snide comments at a party about the girl who dares to show a lot of skin is not constructive, is extremely demeaning, and undermines their right to choose what is best for their body.
For more on this topic, check out this bammin’ video (WARNING: EXPLICIT LANGUAGE).
Sl*t it up ladies…but only if you want to.
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