“Halloween is the one night a year a girl can dress like a total slut and get away with it.”
I’ve found myself following this rule on occasion. I’ve worn thigh-high stockings, heels, a short skirt, a bra, and some form of animal ears (how original). I’d even post the photos here, but my Mom reads my writing.
I haven’t dressed like a stereotypical slut in quite a few years. However, as Halloween approaches yet again, I am left to wonder: why is Halloween the one night a year women can get away with dressing like “sluts” and why do so many women follow the “Halloween slut rule?”
Dressing promiscuously is the costume
Just because we’re wearing animal ears doesn’t mean we’re dressed up as a cat. We’re dressing up as a slut dressed up as a cat and taking our new persona for a walk.
If the whole premise of Halloween is to be something you’re not, then what better to be than something society forbids? “Slutty” women are often looked down upon. She’s asking for it, she’s trying too hard, and look at how she throws herself at him are all ways we shame women who choose to be promiscuous.
We wonder what would happen if we dressed slutty too
If I walked around with nothing but lingerie and some form of animal ears, how would the world react to me?
Halloween allows us to indulge this curiosity and find out. We have a tendency to judge other women almost as harshly as we judge ourselves.
The world is pretty upset at the moment with how women choose to dress. They tell us “you have to reveal a lot to be liked, but if you reveal too much, you are a shameful slut.”
They tell us, “you must wear makeup to express yourself, but if you wear too much, you care about your appearance more than you should.”
They sexualize us and then shame us for sexualizing ourselves. So Halloween gives us a free pass to try on our slutty selves and see how it feels, and we discover…
It gives us confidence
As it turns out, when you dress like a harlot the world reacts differently to you–but not as differently as you react to you. Wearing tight black fishnets and high heels is empowering. It feels really good to look in the mirror and think, “Damn, I’d do me!”
Confidence often comes with wearing promiscuous costumes. We gain confidence not only from our own reflection, we also get confidence from our friends. “Wow, babe, you look so effin’ hot,” sometimes means more when it comes from Jenna than when it comes from Jason.
We also feel confidence from how men react to us
How do men act toward us when we wear a tight black cat costume as opposed to simply wearing jeans and a t-shirt? Halloween gives us a free pass to test this question and press social norms. It gives us the chance to try on a different side of ourselves, see how we feel about it, and watch how other people react to it.
All these factors contribute to our confidence, but there is one final important piece.
Why are YOU wearing the costume?
Each of us have different personalities and all of us draw confidence from different things. We all recognize that the style we choose makes a statement about ourselves.
A man dressing in head-to-toe black with purple lipstick knows he is making a different statement than the the man who wears fratty polos and a backwards baseball cap.
When you choose to “slut it up” on Halloween (if this is what you choose), I encourage you to question why you do it. If you want to try on the persona of a promiscuous woman and see how it feels, then go for it. You’ll probably learn something about yourself in the process.
If you feel you NEED to dress promiscuously on Halloween, question why you feel this way
You have more going for you than just your boobs. You have an intellect, a personality, and a hundred other specific traits tailored only to you. If you struggle with having confidence while also dressing in average clothes, maybe the issues run deeper than the runs in your stockings.
Don’t dress promiscuously because Mean Girls, actual mean girls, or stupid boys want you to dress that way. If you do choose to dress slutty on Halloween (or any other day of the year) make sure you do it solely for yourself, question your motives, and make sure you are happy with them.
Keep the weather in mind
Coming from past experience, I can tell you it’s hard to enjoy your night while you’re shivering in the backyard of a frat house with your heels stuck in the grass. If you’re daring to go baring on all Hallows Eve, remember the weather, ladies.
When I see a girl shivering in a short skirt or aching in high heels, I wonder why she’s doing it. Your own comfort should take priority over what people think of you.
If you really are shivering with aching feet, question why you’re putting yourself through this. Is it to feel good about yourself, or do you only feel good about yourself when you are flaunting it all? Remember, the best way to attract positive attention is to have a positive attitude about yourself.
If you want to try on a slutty persona for an evening go for it. If you don’t want to dress slutty, don’t let people pressure you into it. Whatever the case, be safe, stay warm…
And don’t forget your animal ears!
[Featured Image Credit: Mean Girls]