Cristina Toscano
Halloween, originally called Samhain, was a Celtic celebration to mark the end of summer. Children and adults wore masks and costumes to honor their ancestors while simultaneously protecting themselves from harmful spirits.
Throughout time, Oct. 31 evolved into Halloween, typically considered a night when children dress in frightening costumes and go door-to-door asking for candy.
It might be hard to believe, but there was a time when Halloween was enjoyed for the thrill and for having an actually scary costume.
I’m not sure if it is my age and that I am in college, or if it is a sign of the times, but today the word “scary” has been replaced with “sexy” — at least if you’re female.
Adding “sexy” to any costume, from a sexy mouse to a sexy Hillary Clinton, has become the norm not only for college students, but even for kids in middle school.
This quote, from the movie “Mean Girls,” says it perfectly:
“Halloween is the one night a year where a girl can dress like a total slut and no other girls can say anything about it.”
I know that quote did not start it, but it definitely triggered some kind of chain reaction where, for years to come, more girls felt it necessary to “out-slut” every other girls’ Halloween costume.
This essentially proves that the only real reason to dress as a sexy nurse is to make jaws drop and heads turn during the Halloween weekend.
Honestly, the easiest thing to do is to put the blame on someone — specifically, males — for “putting so much pressure on girls to dress sexy for Halloween.” But I’m not here to do that.
The truth is, most girls don’t seem to understand that good guys genuinely do not care and probably would not prefer a girl they care about to dress as a half-naked bumblebee while stumbling around the streets of East Lansing in a drunken stupor.
A creative and funny costume always beats out a skirt so short you can see what the wearer had for dinner.
If you are not comfortable “slutting it up” for Halloween, there is no pressure to do it. It is nobody’s call but your own to decide how you are going to celebrate your weekend.
That also goes for if you decide to go all out and dress as a provocative police officer. You shouldn’t be condemned or praised for whether you show off your goods or keep them to yourself.
The big question is: Should we be taking pride in showing off our bodies in moderation this Halloween, or should we realize we will never be and look this young again and go all out while we don’t have a wrinkle or gray hair in sight?
Does there need to be two extremes, or can both things be accomplished? Who gets to decide what is conservative, normal and slutty?
There’s such a fuss made about how sad it must be for women in the Middle Eastern countries who are covered from head to toe, while we opine about how it should be OK for them to show their faces. But heaven forbid college students flaunt it if they’ve got it. Where is the line?
At the end of the day, you are going to dress in a way you are comfortable with for Halloween, if you even dress at all.
While you are putting on your lingerie costume and animal ears, think of the 10-year-old inside who remembers Halloween for the best houses to get candy and jamming to “The Monster Mash” on the way to school.
Remember, while you slut it up, that the majority of other girls will be doing the same and picking you out of a crowd might be impossible when you look like everyone else.
Support student media! Please consider donating to The State News and help fund the future of journalism.
Remember, the first person you should want to please is yourself, and when you look in the mirror before you head out for the night, hopefully, beyond the costume, that still is who you see.
Cristina Toscano is a State News guest columnist. Reach her at toscanoc@msu.edu.
