“I am so pro slutty Halloween costumes,” sophomore education major Jack Quinn said.
But, of course, Quinn is biased.
“I am a man and enjoy looking at slutty girls. [Halloween] gives them an excuse to be slutty for one night. It’s not a religious holiday, you don’t need to be classy.”
“Slutty,” in this context, is defined as just looking provocative. People –especially girls- are notorious for taking Halloween as an opportunity for going out in little more than lingerie and bunny ears (reference the Halloween costume party scene in the Mean Girls movie for a quick overview). These very same girls may dress in jeans and a hoodie nearly every other day of the year. But Halloween is generally seen as a time to put on a façade of sex appeal… or perhaps take off the façade of conservatism and respect. The same can go for guys. At Pace, however, opinions on the matter differ.
“It’s ok to be what you want to be, but you should still respect yourself no matter what day it is,” sophomore information systems major Rich Gordon said.
Halloween is about pretending to be someone you wouldn’t normally be. It is often presumed that this “someone” needs to wear significantly less clothing. But the Halloween alter ego can still look just as respectable as your normal self. You can still have fun being covered. But, some still think it’s fun to show more skin than usual.
“Be as revealing as you want, but put some effort into it. Be creative,” said sophomore exploring major Anabel Perez-Valdez on Halloween costumes.
Creativity is, historically, an imperative part of Halloween. I am an advocate for making your own costumes or recycling your mother’s outlandish fashion choices from the 1980s. Halloween should entail a bit more than just running to Party City and picking up a “naughty nurse” or “sexy French maid” outfit. A costume should certainly be more than wearing black lingerie and throwing on some cat ears. At least take the effort to draw a pair of whiskers.
Still, the fact is that society’s idea of Halloween for young adults is one of wearing next to nothing, and I cannot blame people for conforming to this trend.
“Some guys will argue that there are costumes made to ‘liberate women.’ In actuality, men are making costumes to appeal to women and women buy into it,” sophomore Patrick Dooley said.
There is something to this, but some will argue that women put more pressure on themselves to be noticed among a myriad of the scantily-clad at that evening’s Halloween party.
“I like to show some skin on Halloween, but I don’t dress too inappropriately,” sophomore criminal justice major Mackenzie Ferguson said. “Girls like to be noticed.”
The same goes for some men. Sophomore communications major Addison Casey claims to be putting effort into his costume this year. He is a man looking to be noticed.
“I’m trying to do something with my shirt off, “ Casey said. “If you look at the history on my iPad, you’ll see a search for sexy men costumes.”
But, women and men often like to be noticed everyday- not just on a fun holiday. I have my hoodie-and-leggings days, sure, but for the most part I like to dress to look attractive, yet still covered appropriately.
My take on everyday dressing does not change on Halloween. In other words, I wouldn’t be caught in a costume titled “sexy witch.” But, I also wouldn’t judge the girl in the “sexy witch” costume because it is easy to succumb to societal pressure to be that “sexy girl,” and is admittedly a great feeling to be noticed- even if it isn’t for the most innocent reason.
Women and men should have fun, and at least consider wear- ing a bit more clothing than the “naughty nurse” costume entails, with a bit of effort and creativity thrown into their costume choices.