Photo Courtesy of the Odyssey
By Nika Hashemi
Opinions Contributor
“In the real world, Halloween is when kids dress up and beg for candy. But in girl world, Halloween is the one time of year a girl can dress like a total slut and no other girl can say anything about it,” said Cady Heron in the movie Mean Girls.
Although I hate the word “slutty” because I feel as though it inequitably degrades women for embracing their sexuality, a right that every human has, I am able to acknowledge the societal norm that women dress with a certain level of promiscuity on Halloween night.
And, truth be told, we all should embrace it.
During Halloween, I saw not only sexy school teachers, skimpy cops and provocative bunnies, but also women deciding to opt for a cozy panda onesie or a purple crayon outfit. All these women looked fantastic.
The comfort of a onesie is embodying the true meaning of Halloween: dressing up as a different character, object or animal for one night.
The other side of the female population, the women in lingerie and cat ears, or short skirts and tall heels, choose that promiscuity for a variety of reasons from redefining our notion of femininity, to building self-confidence. Society should stop slut shaming women for their outfits and accept every person’s decision to wear what they want.
Some of these women enjoy the freedom of embracing their sexuality for one night. Many women on Halloween dress for themselves, rather than acknowledgments from others, as they feel more confident.
These women, the ones who see Halloween night as a way to look good and display their bodies for nobody but themselves and feel good doing it, value their own opinion over that of others, making an important statement that they will not be defined by societal norms, rather they will choose to do what empowers them.
People who choose to slut shame these women are enforcing the societal norms and subsequently missing out on the important statement that some of these women are making. It is important that we allow people to express themselves and that we continue to progress in our definitions of sexuality.
Of course, not every woman who wears a provocative outfit on Halloween is doing so to make some grand statement. Some women dress in hopes of impressing their crush or partner. Halloween, with the countless parties, offers that perfect chance for some to finally impress their crush that sits behind them in math class. For some, the promiscuous costume gives them the confidence they need to approach their crush and talk to them.
Women should not need to feel as though clothing will help them in impressing their crush, but if a provocative outfit does help women then they should wear it. The people who decide then to call these women as “sluts” are insulting and derogatory to women for simply following innate human behavior.
Halloween is a time for women to embrace their sexuality and feel confident. If dressing up as a sexy construction worker or a panda onesie is their way of expressing themselves, then we, as a society, should be okay with that.
This opinion reflects the views of a single party and in no way reflects the views of the newspaper.
