I am writing today on behalf of the naughty schoolgirl, the sexy nurse, and the Playboy bunny. I am writing today because I am sick of the inevitable “slutty costume” conversation that is as closely tied to Halloween at MSU as the weeklong drinking spree. The State News has decided to weigh in on the debate, and they are as aghast at the situation as every campus drunk with a soapbox. So allow me to get on mine and respond to Costume can change wearer’s mentality (SN 10/28).
The men in the article are awfully judgmental when it comes to the wardrobe choices of their scantily-clad female counterparts. Jon Gougeon says, “I mean, plenty of girls use (Halloween) as an excuse to dress slutty for a night.” Ah yes, an excuse to dress like a slut. You’ve caught us. That’s the only way the women of MSU see Halloween. There’s no sort of peer pressure whatsoever. And there’s certainly no form of reinforcement from the males shaking their heads, scandalized by all of the fully exposed coeds. My guess is that there’s a 99 percent chance the same guys who can’t shut up about the slutty girls on campus are out there on Halloween trying desperately to get one into bed. So, men of MSU, if you are truly disappointed in us, vote with your pants and keep them zipped.
Even if it was an excuse to dress slutty, so what? In case you missed the sexual revolution — hell, even the “Sex and the City” revolution — let me catch you up: It’s perfectly okay for girls to express themselves as sexual beings who have the same desires and fantasies as the men that ogle them. Welcome to the 21st century, where women can wear whatever they want as a means of self-expression. If a woman wants to express herself sexually, why do we feel the need to immediately condemn her? And if she only feels comfortable doing so on Halloween, when society provides a tidy excuse for her behavior, maybe the problem isn’t the woman’s, maybe there’s a problem with the society instead.
And let’s just talk for a moment about guys’ costumes. Amethyst Coleman may think that “(Guys) dress up in the spirit of Halloween … rather than trying to get attention.” Do you really believe that? Are they simply so filled with the spirit of Halloween they are compelled to dress as Ron Burgundy or Austin Powers as a tribute to all the dead souls in the ether? Does the Steve Irwin with the manta ray around his neck really just want candy? What about the kissing booth guys and the Hugh Hefners? When was the last time you saw one of them and thought, “What a slut. How obvious. Clearly he only wants attention.”
Erin Miller
physiology and English senior
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